Ongoing Education and Learning - Lipitor and Grapefruit

It should be clear to anyone who has had a major health scare and/or on a day to day basis has to deal with one or more health issues that being aware of what needs to be done to deal with the issue(s) in terms of medication, diet, exercise etc. is paramount to good outcomes.

One of the things I was told years ago when I was diagosed with high cholesterol and put on Zocor (Simvastatin) - and later Lipitor (Atorvastatin) after my heart attack - was that I can no longer eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice. I was devastated as this was one of my favourite fruits.

With this in mind I thought it might be relevant to post this reminder as there are many, many people out there who take a statin drug to help them manage their cholesterol.

"Although there are known drug interactions with statin medications, there is also another non-drug interaction that can have detrimental effects on your cholesterol lowering therapy: grapefruit.

Although eating fruit may seem harmless, drinking a glass of grapefruit juice or eating a grapefruit around the time you take your statin may be deadly."

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"Interactions can occur between grapefruit and Lipitor, resulting in an increased level of medication in the blood. If you are taking Lipitor, you should not eat or drink any grapefruit products, including supplements. The combination of the two can increase your chances of developing serious muscle problems, which can potentially lead to kidney failure or other life-threatening complications."

You can read more about the dangers of this interaction here: http://cholesterol.emedtv.com/lipitor/lipitor-and-grapefruit.html

And also here from what the Cleveland Clinic has to say: http://health.clevelandclinic.org/2013/08/do-statins-and-grapefruit-safely-mix/

If you, or someone you know takes a statin please make them aware of this - when I pick up a new script for Lipitor it clearly warns against eating grapefruits or drinking grapefruit juice when taking this medication.

There are alternatives to statins for controlling cholesterol and your doctor will be able to advise if one of these is suitable for you depending on your situation.

Lipitor Alternatives

"If you are experiencing side effects with Lipitor, alternatives to the cholesterol medication are available. Alternatives include other statins, such as Crestor, Zocor, and Lescol. Other possible options include other types of cholesterol medications, such as nicotinic acid, bile acid sequestrants, and fibrates."

You can read more about alternatives to statins here: http://cholesterol.emedtv.com/statins/alternatives-to-statins.html