According to medline, if you are taking lipitor, you should not drink more than one liter of grapefruit juice a day.
Another article suggests that timing is important, and you shouldn’t consume grapefruit in any form within a few hours before and after you take the drug. They get very dramatic. I could kill you, they say.
Perhaps conflicting advice on the amount of grapefruit juice. The first study had folks consume a lot over a period of time, and then take lipitor. The second says that if you take grapefruit and lipitor at the same time, you can kill yourself. Grapefruit seems to multiply the effect of lipitor. Some folks wonder if you could take grapefruit instead of lipitor.
Finally, this study says:
“Do I have to give up grapefruit completely if it interacts with my medicine?”
Not necessarily. There are several factors to consider. Some people are resistant to the grapefruit effect because they have lower levels of CYP 3A4. Unfortunately, this is not something most clinical laboratories are likely to measure. An occasional half grapefruit or glass of juice may not raise blood levels enough to cause serious problems, but before doing this experiment, check with your doctor.”
Check with your doctor. Check with your doctor. They all say check with your doctor.
My kids are on a grapefruit binge, and I have been looking on enviously. I allowed myself one half. Now, maybe I’ll up the dose a little.