You have to be careful about what foods you eat when you are taking prescription medications. Not only can some foods make your medication less effective, some, such as grapefruit, can increase the side effects of certain medications. Grapefruit does not appear to negatively interact with Hyzaar, but you should still talk to your doctor about all the foods you eat while taking Hyzaar.
What is Hyzaar?
Hyzaar is a prescription medication that combines hydrochlorothiazide and losartan. Hyzaar is used to treat high blood pressure and has two different mechanisms of action. Hydrochlorothiazide is a diuretic and helps the kidney remove extra salt and water from the body. This reduces the volume of the blood and lowers your blood pressure. Losartan is a drug that interferes with the action of the hormone angiotensin II, and helps lower blood pressure by keeping blood vessels from constricting.
Why Is Grapefruit a Concern?
Many people know that you have to be careful of taking certain medications together, as drug-drug interactions can increase the risk of serious side effects. However, grapefruit and some other citrus fruits, such as Seville and Pomelo oranges, can also affect the side effects of drugs. Grapefruit affects your liver and slows the rate at which your liver breaks down certain compounds. This can cause medications to stay in your system for longer, leading to dangerous side effects.
Grapefruit and Hyzaar
Although grapefruit can affect the metabolism of many medications, there is no clinical evidence that it slows the breakdown of any of the compounds in Hyzaar. This means that you can most likely consume grapefruit when you take Hyzaar. You can even consume grapefruit at the same time as Hyzaar, as Hyzaar can be taken with or without food. Don't overdo it though; grapefruit contains potassium, and ingestion of large amounts of potassium is not recommended when taking Hyzaar unless your doctor has told you to do so.
Considerations
Although grapefruit does not appear to interact with the drugs in Hyzaar, it is always good to check with your doctor about the possibility of interactions between grapefruit and your medications. Any time you make a major change in your diet, talk with your doctor to make sure that your dietary changes will not affect either your medication or other health issues.
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