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Benzodiazepine Potentiation

Wow.

500mg organic grapefruit juice extract pill +
2mg alprazolam
.5mg clonazepam =

2 times + potentiation IME
 
I have had it with benzos and many other things (I love grapefruit juice, I drink it all the time instead of orange juice lol) and I've never noticed any potentiation on anything but 2C-C and 2C-E.
the fact that you drink it alot probably explains why it doesn't potentiate benzos for you

GFJ definitely potentiates benzos and opioids
 
OxyCon10 said:
ive tried white grapefruit juice. it makes the xanax last longer...but it has no effect with the klonopin ive been taking lately. is this normal?

Yes, quite common.
The interaction between the flavinoids in grapefruit that cause this effect (thought to be naranjin (sp?) and bergamottin (sp?)), is much more pronounced w/Xanax.
Search out some studies on PubMed (or elsewhere)...some of the studies report a little over 50% increase in the plasma concentration of alprazolam and longer Tmax, etc...That's quite a lot...

Like I said, the cheapest, frozen, white grapefruit juice concentrate (like from the grocery store) is the best. I presume it is because they probably squeeze a lot more out of the rind (where concentrations of the flavinoids mentioned are higher) than the more expensive alternatives...:\
 
PubMed...

Evaluation of phenolic compounds in commercial fruit juices and fruit drinks.

Mullen W,
Marks SC,
Crozier A.
Plant Products and Human Nutrition Group, Graham Kerr Building, Division of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom.
The total phenolic content of 13 commercially available fruit juices and juice drinks, selected to represent the most popular juice flavors in the United Kingdom, were analyzed using the Folin-Ciocalteu assay. Individual phenolic compounds were identified and quantified using HPLC-PDA-MS2. The catechin content and degree of polymerization of proanthocyanidins were also analyzed. Purple grape juice contained the largest number of individual phenolic compounds and also the highest concentration of total phenolics. The main components were flavan-3-ols, anthocyanins, and hydroxycinnamates, which accounted for 93% of the total phenolic content. In contrast, white grape juice, which contained principally hydroxycinnamates, had the lowest total phenolic content. Antioxidant activity was measured using the ORAC and FRAP assays, and the data obtained were in broad agreement with total phenol content. In view of the recent findings of the Kame project indicating that long-term fruit juice consumption can provide protection against Alzheimer's disease (Dai et al. Am. J. Med. 2006, 379, 464-475), it is suggested that the protective effects may be enhanced by consumption of a combination of juices rich in phenolics and containing a diverse variety of individual phenolic compounds, namely, juices derived from purple grapes, grapefruit, cranberries, and apples.


ANOTHER good one...

Variations in content of active ingredients causing drug interactions in grapefruit juice products sold in California.

Wanwimolruk S,
Marquez PV.
School ofPharmacy, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, USA. [email protected]
The content of the active ingredients of grapefruit juice, naringin, naringenin and bergapten, was determined in 20 different commercial products of grapefruit juice sold in California. These included Minute Maid, Dole, Tropicana, Ocean Spray, Ralps, Albertson, Stater Bros, Vons, Langers, etc. The concentrations of naringin, naringenin and bergapten in grapefruit juice were assayed by specific HPLC methods. Naringin was found to be the most abundant flavonoid in grapefruit juice products, followed by naringenin and bergapten. The content of naringin varied among the products, ranging from 104 mg/l (Tropicana ruby red) to 628 mg/l (Ralphs white frozen concentrate). The mean contents of naringin in ruby red (158 +/- 66 [SD] mg/l) and pink (279 +/- 123 mg/l) grapefruit juice products were significantly lower than white (481 +/- 94 mg/l) (p <0.005) grapefruit juice products. Content of naringenin also varied from brand to brand and ranged from 3.9 mg/l (Vons white frozen concentrate) to 31.2 mg/l (Tree Sweet pink). Bergapten content was very low in grapefruit juice products ranging from 0 (not detectable) to 5.5 mg/l. There were no significant differences in naringenin and bergapten contents among the three types of grapefruit juice products. The information gained from this study would be useful in predicting the likelihood of grapefruit juice-drug interactions.
PMID: 16841515 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
 
I just bought some juice.
How much Grapefruit juice do i have to drink & do i have to drink it half an hour before i have my xanax?
 
^^^yes drink WHITE 100% Grapefruit juice 30-45 min before dosing, I also recommend Tagament ( OTC Heatburn Medicine Cimetidine.) ENJOY BESAFE :P let me know how it goes PM ME if needed
 
Nooooooooo!!!!!

Don't mix grapefruit with any medication that utilizes the p540 enzyme pathway. This will increase blood levels because the body cannot properly metabolize the drug, because the pathways are being occupied with metabolizing the grapefruit. Sounds like a good thing, and with benzos it does seem to potentiate (anecdotally), but keep in mind this is an overdose risk and is also not good for your liver/kidneys.

In addition, there are many, many other drugs that use this same enzyme pathway and grapefruit juice can cause serious adverse reactions when used together. Always read the label, and FOLLOW it.

I have a druggie mind like many of us, so I know you're thinking, more bang for the buck! Keep in mind that while it does slow metabolism and increase blood levels of these certain drugs, this may actually make some medications less effective. Years ago I tried this a few times with opiates and wasted a lot of drugs.

Best idea, in my humble and partially educated opinion (current student in medical field) skip the grapefruit juice.

That said, whatever floats your boat.
 
ok..so im getting mixed reports saying grapefruit juice will decrease the effects of xanax from FearEatsTheSoul & MrCream is saying drink it. which one is it?
 
I found Tagament (cimetidine) 200mg to be the perfect benzo potentiator. I've only tried the 500mg grapefruit pills, and they work very well also.

FearEatsTheSoul,
How did you end up "wasing" a bunch of opiates? If anything, it should make your supply last longer. I'm prescribed 2mg alprazolam a day, and yesterday only ended up using 1mg. The potentiation of these compounds will slow the metabolism of the drug as you said, but it isn't going to put a significant strain on your liver or kidney's. It will just circulate in your serum blood levels until it IS absorbed and used. I do appreciate your advise of using caution, however. It can REALLY sedate you when you're dealing with benzo's and some of the more potent opiates.
 
How much Grapefruit juice do i need to drink? in mls please...I'm from Australia lol
 
Can you get grapefruit juice extract pills? I find 500mg (one pill) to work great.

Otherwise, drink about 355ml at first (assuming you have the white kind with pulp.)
 
does it potentiate it much? eg. can you feel the difference? or is it subtle?
 
IME it doubles or triples the half-life, and increases sedation. I'm about to take 200mg cimetidine with my alprazolam right now...
 
xanax is mostly very well metabolized so effects wont be as noticable as other benzos....more likely to just prolong the high..
 
as long as the drugs are being metaboblized the GF juice or whatever well have an effect but predose at least 20mins before hand for best results ;)
In studies of healthy volunteers, the effect of grapefruit juice appears to last for at least three days following ingestion, and could perhaps be longer in some patients. For drugs that are significantly impacted by this interaction, one glass (8 ounces) of grapefruit juice is enough to cause the interaction, and following regular ingestion, the effect can last for up to three days following the last glass.

http://www.fhma.com/grapefruit.htm
 
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