thefriendlypothole:

Many people are unaware that grapefruit juice may have adverse reactions when combined with certain medications, and now a new study shows there are even more drugs on the market that carry the risk.

A team of doctors are warning in the Nov. 26 edition of the Canadian Medical Association Journal that between 2008 and 2012, more medications are being sold that can cause serious side effects — even death — when combined with grapefruit juice.

“Many of the drugs that interact with grapefruit are highly prescribed and are essential for the treatment of important or common medical conditions,” the authors wrote. “Recently, however, a disturbing trend has been seen.”

The researchers found between 2008 and 2012, the number of medications with the potential to interact with grapefruit and cause serious problems has increased from 17 to 43 drugs, representing an average rate of increase of more than 6 medications per year. 

“This increase is a result of the introduction of new chemical entities and formulations,” they wrote.

What’s more, there are more than 85 drugs in total that cause some kind of reaction when taken with grapefruit juice, according to the study.

Grapefruits — as well as Seville oranges used to make marmalade, limes and pomelos (but not typical oranges) — contain a chemical called furanocoumarins, which affects the way some medications are absorbed and metabolized in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. As a result, more of the active medication enters the bloodstream. High concentrations of certain drugs can cause kidney damage, GI tract bleeding, respiratory failure, bone-marrow suppression in people with compromised systems and death.

The negative interactions can even occur if grapefruit juice or similar substances are consumed hours before taking the pill, meaning even eating one grapefruit while taking a once-daily medication can have a negative effect. For people who drink grapefruit juice daily, it could magnify the adverse reaction. For example, a statin used to lower cholesterol called simvastatin created a 330 percent higher systemic concentration of the drug when the patient drank a 200-mL glass of grapefruit juice once a day for three days compared to when they just drank water.

“Taking one tablet with a glass of grapefruit juice is like taking 20 tablets with a glass of water,” author David Bailey, a clinical pharmacologist at the Lawson Health Research Institute in London, Canada, said to the CBC. He discovered the negative reactions that occur when grapefruit juice is combined with certain medications about two decades ago. “This is unintentional overdosing. So it’s not surprising that these levels go from what we call therapeutic to toxic.”

Medications that are affected by the citrus juice are all taken orally and combine in the gastrointestinal tract with an enzyme called CYP3A4. Usually only a small fraction of the active drug enters the bloodstream, a process known as very low to intermediate bioavailability. 

Drugs that carry an interaction risk include Zocor and Lipitor, which are used to lower cholesterol; Nifediac and Afditab, which lower blood pressure; and some opioid pain relievers like oxycodone. Other medications that can’t be combined include some anti-infective, anti-cancer, cardiovascular and urinary tract infection medications.

Patients and doctors can see whether or not the medication has these interaction risks on the package inserts included with the medication, but the study authors fear that no one actually reads them.

“Unless health care professionals are aware of the possibility that the adverse event they are seeing might have an origin in the recent addition of grapefruit to the patient’s diet, it is very unlikely that they will investigate it,” the authors wrote. “In addition, the patient may not volunteer this information. Thus, we contend that there remains a lack of knowledge about this interaction in the general healthcare community.”

People 45 and older are most at risk because they are also the most likely to buy grapefruit juice and also the most likely to take these kind of prescription drugs.

Neal Patel, from the Head of Corporate Communications Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said to the BBC that this study should make people aware of more negative interactions that some food items can have with their medication. For example, milk can stop the absorption of some antibiotics if taken simultaneously.

“Pharmacists are the best port of call for anyone concerned about how their diet may affect their medication,” he said. “Information about any interactions would always be included in the patient information leaflet that comes with the medicine.”

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gaywrites:

Courtesy of The Stigma Project. 

everybodyhasabrain:

Separate your actions from the weather in your brain. Let the weather pass.

- Mark

freshcleanfit:

I see things like this on the fitspo tag all the time: “to prove them all wrong” or “to see his face when he realizes that you got hot.”

Guys, there are mean people in this world. There will always be those people, no matter what you look like. And there will be guys and girls who will break your heart. F**** them, they’re not worth changing YOUR body over. If you change, change yourself to become the best version of you.

veganfeast:

Pack up your vegan feta and let’s go!

bruiseoftheweek:

picnic

From top left clockwise: mint-cucumber vodka cocktail, watermelon feta salad, ribboned asparagus salad, gf toast with garlic, basil and olive oil, the best dark chocolate, salsa fresca.

the-exercist:

I really hate memes like this.

The whole concept of “deserving” a body is grotesque. You are who you are. Being a “better” person or simply wanting to change yourself doesn’t mean that you should suddenly look like a supermodel. If you wish to change your body, then it benefits you to look for healthy ways in order to do so. But that does not necessarily mean that you should be losing weight or inches - Images like this are putting pressure on the individual in order to force them into thinking society’s thin bias is in their best interest. But losing weight and inches does not guarantee that you’ll be happier or better off!

Moreover, this image implies that everyone needs to lose weight. That losing weight is something that should be continuously present throughout your lifetime. That the more weight you lose, the happier you will be, until death do you and your measuring tape part.

The truth of the matter is that not everyone should, can, or wants to lose weight. The person reading this meme might already be 6’1” and 90 pounds. Will losing a couple more inches help her achieve a better body? Does she deserve to go into starvation mode?

As much as it may disappoint some of us, you do NOT deserve to have your body naturally molded and shaped into the exact size and proportions that you dream of. That isn’t going to happen, nor should it.

What do you deserve?

• You deserve access to medical care in order to keep your body functioning in a safe and healthy manner
• You deserve education about your medical, fitness and health-related needs
• You deserve to feel happy and beautiful, no matter what shape your body may be
• You deserve to be able to carry your body with pride
• You deserve for society to stop pressuring you to change your body, based only on aesthetics, without any concern for your health or your own desires
• You deserve for your health to be judged only based on your health, not on what you look like

If you’re only focusing on inches, then you’re completely ignoring what actually makes your body, your health and your self-esteem important. If you believe that losing a few more inches will magically make you a better person, then please take a moment to seriously consider counseling. You deserve a healthier relationship with your body than that.

pinket-fit:

the-more-u-know:

I didnt know there was a difference… errrr come on world fake honey really!!

I love honey and simply thinking about some industry faking it sickens me.