Arthritis Ireland Arthritis Ireland

Grapefruit juice is the bad boy of breakfast beverages if you are taking certain medications. Research has revealed some 50 medications that interact with grapefruit juice including the disease-modifying drug, cyclosporine.

For some medications - including cyclosporine, the cholesterol lowering drug lovastatin (Mevacor), and the anti-anxiety medication diazepam (Valium) - grapefruit juice slows their elimination from the body, causing them to rise to dangerous levels. In others - including the allergy drug fexofadine (Telfast) or the beta blockers celiprodol (Cardem) and talinolol - grapefruit juice blocks the effects.

The more grapefruit juice you drink, the more likely you are to experience these problems. But even a single glass of grapefruit juice has the potential to affect your medications for up to three days. Your best bet: take your medications with a glass of water.