“Grapefruit and sertraline?”

First of all, thank you for looking at all of the risks - a lot of people may think "I'll be fine", when really, it can change how well these medications work. In the case of grapefruit and this class of drugs (SSRIs), the risk is actually having too MUCH sertraline in the body. If you start to get agitated, confused, and your heartrate is high, these would be some of the warning signs that you could have too much sertraline in the body. Let your doctor know if you experience this (or other abnormal symptoms) for more than a day or two and especially if its keeping you from your normal day to day lifestyle.

As far as your timeline, it's tough to say definitively because everyone processes things a little differently. The goal is to clear the grapefruit, so if you want to be safe, 24 hours. You will be taking the sertraline everyday moving forward, so it is best to completely eliminate the grapefruit and grapefruit juice from your diet unless your doctor tells you otherwise.

Things like diarrhea, nausea, and dry mouth are more common side effects, but should resolve as you continue taking it. Stay hydrated and you can keep a little food on your stomach to help with these, but neither are required.

Remember - for best results, find a good spot in your daily routine to take the sertraline (when you will not forget). The same time EVERY day will give you and your doctor the best idea of how it's going to help you out. I'm a true believer in SSRIs, if taken as directed. Best of luck!

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

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.