Grapefruit Juice And Prozac

It turns out that grapefruit juice can directly or indirectly interact in important ways with Prozac. This is especially important since grapefruit juice is consumed by approximately one fifth of Americans for breakfast - a time of the day when Prozac also are commonly taken.

The reason why grapefruit juice and Prozac is a problem is that grapefruit juice (unlike any other citrus juice) inhibits two enzymes that are important in metabolizing, or breaking down, these medications. When the enzymes aren't doing their job, much more of the drug in question remains available to enter the patient's bloodstream, and in some cases, this can have dangerous, even toxic, effects. Grapefruit juice will also increase blood levels of Prozac.

The grapefruit juice-drug interaction can lead to unpredictable and hazardous levels of Prozac.