Can I Not Eat Grapefruit With Celexa?

No available scientific information publicly available as of August 2011 states that you cannot safely eat grapefruit if you take Celexa. Celexa is an antidepressant, and many antidepressants and other psychiatric drugs pose great risk for side effects if consumed with grapefruit. Celexa, however, isn't one of the psychiatric drugs known to react adversely with grapefruit. Just because no information on side effects between Celexa and grapefruit is available doesn't mean adverse interactions aren't possible, as drug information is always being updated.

Celexa Label

The United States Food and Drug Administration label approved for Celexa on January 1, 2009, does not list grapefruit as a substance to avoid if you take the medication. As of August 2011, no published scientific evidence supports an adverse reaction from consuming grapefruit along with Celexa. However, the People's Pharmacy states that just because no information is available about interactions between a specific drug and grapefruit does not necessarily mean a reaction doesn't exist. According to the People's Pharmacy, most drugs have not yet been tested for reactions with grapefruit.

Grapefruit and Drug Interactions

Grapefruit stops your body's CYP3A4 enzyme from properly metabolizing drugs that enter your body. This means you may end up with an overload of medication in your system. Grapefruit affects some drugs -- and some people -- more than others. Birth control pills generally provide very low risk of effects, but when combined with grapefruit, increase your risk of blood clots, which may cause gangrene, heart attacks and strokes. Current information does not indicate that grapefruit's effect on your CYP3A4 enzyme increases side effects of taking Celexa.

CYP3A4 Enzyme and Celexa

The FDA does state on the Celexa label, however, that your CYP3A4 enzyme takes part in breaking down Celexa and that substances that inhibit the enzyme could cause a negative reaction. But it does not list grapefruit as a possible inhibitor. The FDA tested Celexa with another inhibitor of your CYP3A4 enzyme. That inhibitor -- ketoconazole -- did not create a problem. The FDA label suggests that the chemical makeup of Celexa is not totally dependent on your CYP3A4 enzyme to break it down. Other enzymes in your body also help metabolize Celexa. This may make Celexa less likely to react adversely with grapefruit.

Known Psychiatric Drug Interactions

Celexa is not a psychiatric drug known to cause side effects if mixed with grapefruit. Many psychiatric drugs, however, are known to react negatively with grapefruit. It's important to remember this in case your psychiatrist switches your medication. The Harvard Medical School states that midazolam, triazolam, buspirone, sertraline and diazepam are all psychiatric drugs that could cause adverse reactions if combined with grapefruit. The People's Pharmacy warns against combining grapefruit with the antidepressant trazodone, as well as the obsessive-compulsive drug clomipramine, the schizophrenia drug quetiapine and the sleeping drug zaleplon, due to possible negative side effects.