Believe it or not, the humble grapefruit can cause problems with erectile dysfunction (ED) drugs like Viagra. In short, it can raise blood levels of the drug and increase the chances of unpleasant side effects. Stay safe: don’t wash down your Viagra with grapefruit juice.
You’re trying to eat properly and live a healthier lifestyle. So what could be better than a nice glass of fruit juice to wash down your little blue Viagra pill, right?
But if the juice happens to be grapefruit, you should be cautious.
Certain compounds in grapefruit juice (Seville oranges and tangelos have also been implicated) can increase the absorption of sildenafil citrate, the active ingredient in Viagra. Depending on the dosages of Viagra and amount of grapefruit juice consumed, the incidence and severity of side effects could be increased.
Here’s how researchers believe this happens:
- Enzymes in the small intestine normally prevent many drugs, like Viagra, from fully entering the blood stream.
- When you drink grapefruit juice, certain compounds in the juice block those intestinal enzymes.
- This prevents the active ingredient in your Viagra pill from metabolizing or breaking down properly, which can lead to too much Viagra getting into your system.
- An overdose of Viagra can cause toxic side effects like chest pain, nausea, irregular heartbeat or feeling faint or light headed. You should see a doctor if any of these Viagra side effects occur.
Viagra Pill + Grapefruit Juice = Effects Can Be Possible For 24 Hours
The bodily effects of grapefruit juice consumption can last up to 24 hours. Therefore, even if you take a Viagra pill long before or after drinking the juice, the incidence and severity of side effects could still increase.
To prevent such an interaction from happening, doctors recommend not taking a Viagra pill within 24 hours or more of drinking grapefruit juice. If you take Viagra every day, do not drink grapefruit juice at all until the medication is discontinued. Instead, use orange juice.
How Viagra Was Discovered
Hard to believe that this interaction between certain drugs and grapefruit juice was discovered accidentally. About ten years ago, researchers were testing a drug and used grapefruit juice to mask the bad taste.
They noticed the drug showed up in their patients’ blood samples several times stronger than in past studies. And this, naturally, caused a large increase in side effects. That’s when scientists began watching for the effects of grapefruit juice on certain medications.
Since then, doctors have discovered some antihistamines, cholesterol drugs, blood pressure drugs, psychiatric medications like antidepressants, pain drugs, immunosuppressants, and others should generally not be taken with grapefruit juice.
You can find a list of the more common drugs affected by grapefruit on Wikipedia.
To learn more about the ED drug Viagra, visit our Viagra information page or our Viagra articles library.
And always consult with a doctor or pharmacist if you have questions about taking Viagra with any food, drug or supplement. Our U.S.-licensed doctors at eDrugstore.com are available to answer questions, and they can also consider your request for Viagra based on the medical- and health-related information you provide.
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