The Pill and Grapefruit Juice

[BettyBoop23]

Hello,

I am on the pill and I noticed a warning on the carton that says that grapefruit juice can lower the effectiveness of the pill. Is this true? Why so? Is it only grapefruit juice (like the kind that you can find at a supermarket) or does it also include fresh grapefruits?

Thank you!

[phantomdog]

hi there,

grapefruit and grapefruit juice actually interact with a lot of drugs! this is because it interferes with enzymes in your digestive tract that break down and absorb medicines. so sometimes, you can absorb too much of a drug -- increasing side effects -- or render the drug ineffective altogether. with birth control, it causes your body to absorb too much estrogen, which shouldn't normally affect the efficacy of birth control drugs, but can worsen side effects.overall, there are no significant studies that prove grapefruit consumption causes failure with birth control medications; however, if you're still worried, it would be worth speaking with your doctor or other healthcare professional. in short, grapefruit and grapefruit product consumption in large quantities can worsen side effects, but the occasional indulgence is unlikely to make anything bad happen.

[Heather]

I'm actually surprised to hear your pill packet had warnings on it about grapefruit juice. I'm just curious: are you sure it didn't say grapefruit *seed*?