Watson Clinic cardiologists Patrick J. Reddy, MD, and Kevin F. Browne, Jr., MD, are key contributors to an important research study concerning the interaction between grapefruit juice and the popular medication Lipitor, which is prescribed to control high cholesterol levels.  This study - titled ‘Serum concentrations and clinical effects of atorvastatin in patients taking grapefruit juice daily’ - was recently published by the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and challenges the widely-held claim that regular doses of grapefruit juice have an adverse effect on the absorption of Lipitor (atorvastatin) by increasing the drug level in the blood stream, therefore reducing the safety of the drug and leading to possible liver or muscle damage.

The findings of Drs. Reddy & Browne and their colleagues on the study conclude that typical daily consumption of grapefruit juice causes a slight, but insignificant elevation of Lipitor serum levels in the patients who take the medication on a regular basis.  The liver and muscle lab tests showed no significant change. Their research indicates that typical consumption of grapefruit juice is safe with Lipitor and there is no necessity for reducing the dosage of Lipitor when consuming grapefruit juice.

 

“As a cardiologist and prescribing physician, a number of my patients have asked me about grapefruit-drug interactions with statins, and atorvastatin in particular,” says Dr. Reddy. “But until now, we have not known the effects of consuming typical amounts of grapefruit juice on the efficacy and safety of atorvastatin in patients requiring treatment. While there is a potential grapefruit-statin interaction with other statins (for example, simvastatin and lovastatin), this interaction does not appear to be significant with grapefruit and atorvastatin.”