Food and medication
Grapefruit and medication
Grapefruit and a few close relatives block an enzyme in the gut that breaks some medicines down, so more of the medicine reaches your blood. The effect can last more than a day.
8 medicines on our checker are affected, and for 6 the advice is to avoid it. Tap a medicine for every food and drink that matters with it.
Avoid grapefruit with these medicines
- Amlodipine · amlodipine, amlodipine besylate, Istin
Grapefruit raises amlodipine levels and the chance of side effects such as dizziness and swollen ankles.
- Clopidogrel · Grepid, Plavix
Grapefruit juice decreases how well clopidogrel works to prevent blood clots.
Where this comes from
“Do not drink grapefruit juice while taking clopidogrel. Grapefruit juice decreases the effects of your medicine, so that it may not work as well to prevent blood clots.”
Information from the NHS website - Corticosteroids · prednisolone, prednisone, dexamethasone
The NHS says not to have grapefruit with hydrocortisone tablets. Ask about your steroid.
- Fexofenadine · Allevia, Almerg, Histallay
Grapefruit juice reduces how well fexofenadine works. Do not drink it while taking this medicine.
Where this comes from
“Do not drink grapefruit juice, orange juice or apple juice while taking fexofenadine as these can reduce how well the medicine works.”
Information from the NHS website - Statins · simvastatin, atorvastatin, lipitor
Grapefruit raises the levels of some statins (simvastatin, atorvastatin) and the risk of muscle side effects.
- Warfarin · coumarin, vitamin k antagonist
The NHS says not to drink grapefruit juice while taking warfarin.
Take care grapefruit with these medicines
Foods and drinks that count as grapefruit
- Grapefruit
- Grapefruit juice
- Pink grapefruit
- Pomelo
- Seville orange
- Marmalade
- Bitter orange
- Tangelo
- Minneola
- Ugli fruit
- Sweetie fruit
- Grapefruit soda
Similar foods that are fine
- Sweet orange: Ordinary sweet oranges do not contain the grapefruit compounds, so they are fine.
- Orange juice: Ordinary orange juice is made from sweet oranges and does not have the grapefruit effect.
- Satsuma: Satsumas do not have the grapefruit effect.
- Clementine: Clementines do not have the grapefruit effect.
- Tangerine: Tangerines and mandarins do not have the grapefruit effect.
- Lemon: Lemons do not have the grapefruit effect.
- Lime: Limes are not known to have the grapefruit effect in normal amounts.
Common questions
- Which medicines does grapefruit affect?
- 8 medicines on our checker: Amlodipine (avoid), Clopidogrel (avoid), Corticosteroids (avoid), Fexofenadine (avoid), Statins (avoid), Warfarin (avoid), DOACs (take care), SSRIs (take care).
- Which foods count as grapefruit?
- Grapefruit, Grapefruit juice, Pink grapefruit, Pomelo, Seville orange, Marmalade, Bitter orange, Tangelo, Minneola, Ugli fruit, Sweetie fruit, Grapefruit soda.
- Which similar foods are fine?
- Sweet orange: Ordinary sweet oranges do not contain the grapefruit compounds, so they are fine. Orange juice: Ordinary orange juice is made from sweet oranges and does not have the grapefruit effect. Satsuma: Satsumas do not have the grapefruit effect. Clementine: Clementines do not have the grapefruit effect. Tangerine: Tangerines and mandarins do not have the grapefruit effect. Lemon: Lemons do not have the grapefruit effect. Lime: Limes are not known to have the grapefruit effect in normal amounts.
General information from NHS medicine pages and drug labels, not medical advice. Always follow your prescriber, pharmacist or the leaflet with your medicine. How we check.