juice fasting and prescriptions

[bro777]

hi all,
i relatively new here lurked for awhile then joined,i noticed there were a few doctors who post here,and was hoping they could spare a few minutes in their busy life to help a person in need.
i currently am on 3 prescribed medications,propranalol,effexor,
a cholesterol reducing drug who's name escapes me at the moment.
so my question is the propranalol was prescribed for a arrythmia
(palpatations mostly) im wondering if a juice fast would alter the way this medication reacts in my body.
also i must state that im morbidly obese,and the reason for this fast is to try to bring my obsession with food under my command
while to lose weight also.
i have not discussed this with my physician due to being without transportation,he will not give me the time of day over the phone.
ok ive rambled enough,thankyou to anyone with a little bit of good advice for me.

bro777 Reviewed by bro777 on 01-14-2008. juice fasting and prescriptions hi all, i relatively new here lurked for awhile then joined,i noticed there were a few doctors who post here,and was hoping they could spare a few minutes in their busy life to help a person in need. i currently am on 3 prescribed medications,propranalol,effexor, a cholesterol reducing drug who's name escapes me at the moment. so my question is the propranalol was prescribed for a arrythmia (palpatations mostly) im wondering if a juice fast would alter the way this medication reacts in my Rating: 5

[FakeBoobsRule]

Well it would be great if you actually knew the name of your cholesterol drug. Do you have the prescription bottle handy? The name of it will be on there. I could go through and name off a bunch but it would just be easier to go get the bottle or wait till you can get the bottle.

Are you planning on drinking a lot of grapefruit juice?

[birdgirl73]

With the propranolol for your arrhythmia, the juice you have to avoid is grapefruit juice, and that's in fairly large quantities, like of more than 30 oz. I've just been put on a sort of â??cousinâ?� drug to propranolol (mine's called propafenone) for my arrhythmia. The juice can increase the bio-availability of both types of drugs, which can increase your risk for side-effects from the medicine. It does that by blocking an enzyme that helps our bodies metabolize, or properly use, these medicines, which means we risk having higher blood levels of the propranolol and thus are at greater risk of side effects.

FBR did the smart thing and asked for the name of the type of anti-cholesterol medicine youâ??re taking. I always take the less efficient route because I'm trying to learn this stuff myself for medical school this year. If my pharmacology database is correct, atorvastatin/Lipitor, simvastatin/Zocor, and lovastatin/Mevacor are metabolized by that same pathway in the liver that can be interfered with by grapefruit juice (and cause problems with the anti-arrhythmic drugs, too)â??that'd be the cytochrome P450 3A4 enzyme. It says that of those three medicines, the atorvastatin/Lipitor is probably the least affected by grapefruit juice. This likely means that rosuvastatin/Crestor, pravastatin/Pravachol, and fluvastatin/Lescol could be good alternatives for folks who want to drink lots of grapefruit juice, but I can't find any place that explains why that is. Do you know, FBR?

The problem with grapefruit juice and statin drugs is similar what happens with the beta-blockers like propranolol: if the grapefruit juice doesnâ??t let you metabolize the medicine as effectively, you get higher drug levels in your blood and can have nasty side-effects, including potential liver-toxicity with the statin drugs. That's â??bad mojoâ?� according to my husband, who prescribes statins probably more than any other type of medicine.

So the bottom line is this: if you want to be completely safe, stay away from grapefruit juice and drink other juices with the medicines youâ??re taking. Wouldnâ??t it have been nice if I'd just said that to begin with and then stopped writing?! Yep, it would. But this has helped me cement in some information I needed to knock into my own head.

[Purple Banana]

Great pharm info, BG!

bro777- while it's good that you realize there may be different effects from outside sources on your medication, have you tried other options than a juice fast? There's not much wrong with juice, however, it's typically not a long-lasting option for someone with a lot of weight to lose. By simply drinking juice, you're missing out on a lot of other essential nutrients your body uses, and by proxy, your metabolism may not be used to the sudden change, resulting in a less effective metabolism.

The Glycemic Index is a great, healthy, and safe way to lose weight, especially since people with obesity have a higher risk of type 2 Diabetes. It's designed for diabetic people to establish a stabler blood sugar, but it's also great for anyone who is obese. This diet (and by diet, I mean adopting a healthy way of eating foods, not a temporary thing) allows you to use your body's use of insulin to establish a healthy blood sugar throughout the day, instead of peaks and valleys which contribute to hunger and binge eating.

I'm at risk for Diabetes because of a medical condition, and at first, it was a bit difficult to follow, but after the 3rd week of keeping my nose to the grindstone, I began to see a change in energy, mood, and I was losing weight. Slowly, but it's less inclined to creep back up, like with yo-yo diets.

Try Googling some info on the Glycemic index if you're interested. otherwise, bets of luck!

[birdgirl73]

I'm glad you checked in here, PB! I need to check with Dave on whether he's seen that rep about a glucometer. I apologize for not remembering to do that before I saw your name and put it together again with the subject of the glycemic index!

Great adivce about potentially avoiding the extreme of a juice fast, by the way. I wanted to say that but had already written too much. What you recommended was exactly what Dave or one of the dieticians he sends people to would have suggested.

[Purple Banana]

Thanks! I had a loong weekend full of smoking, walking along the beach, and copious amounts of self-reflection, and I came back from a 13 mile walk in dry sand to find my blood sugar was in the mid 50s! I grabbed some OJ and made my way over to the bed (I was getting as bit dizzy) but I think I forgot to eat breakfast :P

[bro777]

hi all,
wow,thank you all for the info.my cholesterol drug is lovastatin
i didn't plan on using a bunch of grapefruit juice(now it'll be zilch)
that said i think the fasting is what i really need as my food intake
is horribly compulsive.
well thank you all for your generosity with your time and advice,
i will update as i go.
i don't know how long i will fast,but god willing ill learn the restraint i need.
:jointsmile: