People taking hypertension medication, do not drink 'this beverage'... it amplifies the medication's effects and is dangerous

If you are taking medication due to health issues, it is advisable to avoid consuming grapefruit or grapefruit juice. This is because unintentional consumption of grapefruit can affect the efficacy of the medication. It is known that even eating grapefruit once can impact the absorption of about 60 different medications.

Among commonly taken medications, antihypertensive drugs are incompatible with grapefruit. The component called furanocoumarin in grapefruit inhibits the human enzyme CYP3A4. As a result, when a person taking medications metabolized by CYP3A4 consumes grapefruit, drug metabolism does not proceed smoothly, leading to excessively high blood levels of the medication. ▲Nifedipine ▲Felodipine ▲Nisoldipine, which are calcium channel blockers, are typical examples. Juices made from grapefruit are also the same.

When a person taking calcium channel blockers drinks grapefruit juice, the maximum blood concentration of the drug can increase by 200% to 400%. It is equivalent to taking 2 to 4 times the normal dose of the medication. The side effects are most pronounced when these drugs are taken simultaneously with grapefruit juice. Even if the medication is taken 24 hours after drinking grapefruit juice, the drug's blood concentration can still be higher than normal, so caution is advised.

In fact, a research team from Johns Hopkins University in the United States in 2009 reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that consuming grapefruit juice together with blood pressure medication can increase the drug concentration in the body by about three times, leading to an excessive hypotensive state that could be dangerous for patients. The research team identified furanocoumarins in grapefruit juice as the cause.

It is best to take medicine with lukewarm water. All experiments and clinical trials during the drug development process are conducted with lukewarm water. Cold water can reduce the absorption of the active ingredients in the stomach lining. The appropriate amount of water is 250 to 300 mL. If you do not drink enough water, the medicine may dissolve in the esophagus, leading to esophageal ulcers. Poor dissolution of the medicine can slow absorption and may prevent the medication from working effectively.

<Source: Health Chosun>