Aromasin/exemestane and eating grapefruit

Anonymous · October 2015

Not the juice--I love grapefruit the fruit and stopped eating it a few years ago because I found evidence that it can interfere with tamoxifen's effectiveness. Now that I'm NOT taking tamoxifen, I wonder if it has the same negative effect on aromasin. Anyone? I can't find any contraindication, and I hesitate to call my pharmacist--for some reason, I don't feel they are as trustworthy as I think they should be. If anyone knows anything definite about this, please post and thank you. I've done some preliminary research but come up empty-handed.

Claire

ruthbru · October 2015

My oncologist said that an occasional grapefruit would be fine......just not to eat three grapefruits every day or something like that. I suppose I averaged a grapefruit every other week while on Arimidex.

ksusan · October 2015

My MO and naturopathic doctor both said an occasional grapefruit was fine with tamoxifen.

Anonymous · October 2015

Thanks ladies, I'll hope someone weighs in on aromasin, since that's what I'm currently taking

leggo · October 2015

Claire, I've never been on aromasin, but the list of drugs to avoid with grapefruit is so ridiculously long, I just wouldn't. They don't know what they don't know, kwim?

ORknitter · October 2015

Claire, I am also on exesmestane and just read not to eat grapefruit!

http://www.nhs.uk/ipgmedia/National/Macmillan%20Ca...(Exemestane)(CB).pdf

Hope the link works, I had to open it as a PDF. It's a study from 2013, current enough I suppose. I will say neither my pharmacist or my MO mentioned it.

Anonymous · October 2015

Thank you, ORKnitter. In a word--SHOOT!

leggo · October 2015

So glad you found some concrete info. It's a little scary that the medical field doesn't know these things, or if they do, that they don't tell anybody. I love grapefruit as much as you Claire, and everytime I started a med or supplement and asked the md or pharmacist if it was ok to eat, I always got the same answer. "We don't know". One was diligent enough to show me "the current list", using the term loosely and holy cow, it's never ending.

feelingfeline · October 2015

Hi ORKnitter many thanks for that very informative PDF you found on the UK's national health service site.

I think for some odd reason the hyperlink ran slightly short in your post so I will put it in again here

http://www.nhs.uk/ipgmedia/National/Macmillan%20Cancer%20Support/assets/Aromasin(Exemestane)(CB).pdf

For anyone reading on a PC with keyboard who wants to skip straight to the part on grapefruit: press "CTRL" + "F" and type grapefruit in the search box that will appear in the top right hand corner of your screen. This will take you straight to the relevant part. (For mac users that's "Command" + "F")

Leggo - Holy cow is right!

ORknitter · October 2015

Feeling, Thanks for putting the entire link, I attempted that from my IPad and thought something looked off. Ahh, technology.

Aromasin/exemestane and eating grapefruit

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