“Grapefruit and sertraline?”
I had a grapefruit for breakfast, but I am due to start sertraline 50mg daily soon (never had it previously). How long do I need to wait for the grapefruit to leave my system before it is safe to begin on this medication?
Male | 37 years old
Medications: Sertraline
Conditions: Depression
10 Answers
No Severe interaction but try to avoid grapefruit juice when taking sertraline. Best, Alex Kagzanov, PharmD. Supervising Pharmacist UrgentRx Pharmacy Phone: (718) 570-3360 Fax: (718) 228-3845
Grapefruit juice could possibly increase the serum concentration of sertraline but you are okay to start the Zoloft now. Just try to avoid grapefruit juice if possible in the future, or at least a large portion of it at a time.
Research suggests that eating grapefruit while on sertraline can lead to too much sertraline in the blood due to grapefruit blocking the enzymes needed for metabolism. This can cause dizziness or drowsiness. Studies have shown that consuming 8 oz of grapefruit juice may affect drug metabolism for more than 3 days. Because of this you cannot simply take the sertraline later in the day and will have to consider waiting at least 3 days for the potential affects of the grapefruit juice to clear.
A wait of 24 hours is enough to start the sertraline
A good rule of thumb is to take medication 2 hours prior to things like grapefruit, or 6 hours after. If grapefruit is something that you absolutely can’t eliminate from your diet, then I would suggest talking with your physician about possibly starting on a lower dose and seeing how you tolerate it and then can titrate up to the desired dose.
If you had one grapefruit and have it once in a while, it will not have a negative effect along with your medications. It starts making problems when you're drinking gallons and having multiple grapefruits on a daily basis.
Hello,
The half-life (the time it takes to reduce the concentration of the item by 50%) of grapefruit in the human body is 7-8 hours, so it will take 40 hours for it to be completely out of your system. Something else for you to know, it will take up to a month for the full benefits to be felt, so please stay the course.
Sean M. Crosetti, MBA PharmD
The half-life (the time it takes to reduce the concentration of the item by 50%) of grapefruit in the human body is 7-8 hours, so it will take 40 hours for it to be completely out of your system. Something else for you to know, it will take up to a month for the full benefits to be felt, so please stay the course.
Sean M. Crosetti, MBA PharmD
To be on the safe side, you should wait about 3 days before starting the sertraline.
Grapefruit juice can increase the serum concentration of Sertraline. Since you haven’t started it yet, it will be fine. Usually the increase in concentrations only occurs with regular and large volumes of grapefruit juice consumed.
Hello,
Grapefruit is known to increase the levels of Sertraline. It can take up to 7 days before the effects of eating grapefruit or grapefruit containing foods subside in the body. Therefore, if you are about to begin therapy with Sertraline, it is probably advisable to stop eating any grapefruit containing foods for the duration of your therapy. Please consult with your physician for further guidance.
Grapefruit is known to increase the levels of Sertraline. It can take up to 7 days before the effects of eating grapefruit or grapefruit containing foods subside in the body. Therefore, if you are about to begin therapy with Sertraline, it is probably advisable to stop eating any grapefruit containing foods for the duration of your therapy. Please consult with your physician for further guidance.
