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unknown and it appears to be specific to grapefruit and does not occur with other fruits and fruit juices. The common blood pressure medications amlodipine (Norvasc) and nifedipine (Procardia;Adalat) have shown 20-30% increased drug levels in the blood when consumed with grapefruit juice, while the antidepres- sant buspirone(Buspar) has shown several fold increases in the breakdown products of the drug in the urine. Common "statin" cholesterol- lowering drugs remain a con- cern as well.  The most recent data suggests that consuming one glass of grapefruit juice daily along with the common statin lovas- tatin(Mevacor) raises the con- centration of the active ingre- dient by 36%.  It appears pru- dent to avoid consuming any statin with grapefruit juice, particularly if taken in high doses or when first initiating a statin medication. Can you still drink grapefruit juice and avoid the potential interaction?  Well maybe. Thirty percent of enzyme inhi- bition is still present 24 hours after drinking the juice and one glass of juice appears to have the same effect as several.  However, daily ingestion of grapefruit and its juice over a few weeks may lessen its effects, and individuals who regularly drink grapefruit juice without difficulty may never develop a problem with these med- ications.   So far there have been no major problems reported despite the many drugs that appear to be effected by grapefruit. Regardless, it is still best to consult a doctor if planning to eat grapefruit or drink the juice and while taking any of the medications listed below. Grapefruit juice is certainly one of the most popular, and perhaps healthiest, break- fast drinks in America.  Yet for almost 10 years now we have known that consuming this popular drink or eating the fruit may alter the effec- tiveness of several heart- related medications, as well as several others.  First dis- covered when researchers used grapefruit juice to mask the taste of alcohol, grapefruit juice appeared to increase the effects of felodipine (Plendil), a com- mon blood pressure lower- ing medication.   Why grapefruit juice and no other fruit juices?  It appears that a chemical specific to grapefruit juice inhibits a common enzyme in the intestine.  This enzyme typi- cally breaks down medica- tions and therefore decreas- es the amount of drug avail- able in the body to exert its effects.  With this enzyme inhibited, a drug can exhibit a greater effect on the organ's system(s) that it is designed to treat such as the liver, heart, vascular sys- tem, or brain.  Despite extensive research in this area, the exact chemical in grapefruit that causes this enzyme inhibition remains Caution!  Grapefruit juice may interfere with an increasing list of medications. The best advice is to be aware of the potential interaction and avoid grapefruit juice if an interaction is at all possible.  

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