Research topic - grapefruit juice and Effesor

Specialties Psychiatric

Published

Specializes in CRNA, Finally retired.

I think I have a good research topic here. I've suspected that drinking grapefruit juice at night before bed revs up metabolism of Effexor and I'm having the uncomfortable effects in the morning of Effexor withdrawal - paresthesias, extreme fatigue and tremors. I contacted Wyeth to complain about designing a better enteric coating for the SR formulation before I linked up these unpleasant sensations with drinking grapefruit juice at night.

Anybody heard of this?

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Specializes in Public Health, DEI.

You should never take grapefruit juice with a SSRI. Grapefruit juice is an inhibitor of the cytochrome P-450 enzymes. These enzymes are known to metabolize SSRIs in the liver. Drinking grapefruit juice whilst you are taking an (SSRI) antidepressant can create a serious toxic reaction, because the chemical ingredient will build to toxic levels in the bloodstream! This readily available information is included in the inserts of SSRIs, so I'm not sure it is a great research topic. I am sure if an enteric coating could solve the problem, Wyeth and the other drug companies would already be in development of one.

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I was on Prozac for years in the past and was NEVER told not to drink grapefruit juice, nor was it in any literature I saw . Is this a new finding??

Recently started on Zoloft and this warning IS present. :)

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Specializes in Public Health, DEI.
I was on Prozac for years in the past and was NEVER told not to drink grapefruit juice, nor was it in any literature I saw . Is this a new finding??

Recently started on Zoloft and this warning IS present. :)

I can't remember when this finding came out, but it was known back when I worked for the psychiatric practice, so at least since 1999.

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I can't remember when this finding came out, but it was known back when I worked for the psychatric practice, so at least since 1999.

IT'S EFFEXOR AND IT'S EFFEXOR XR NOT SR-IT'S A RED CAPSULE. I PRESCRIBE BUT I'VE NEVER HEARD OF GRAPEFRUIT INTERACTIONS-INTERESTING-THANKS! P.S. IT CONTAINS SEROTONIN REUPTAKE INHIBITOR AS WELL AS NOREPINEPHRINE.

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