Foods and medicines that interact with statins

Grapefruit juice has a chemical that can interfere with the enzymes that break down the statins in your digestive system. While you won't need to cut grapefruit entirely from your diet, ask your healthcare team about how much grapefruit you can have.

Some medicines that may interact with statins and raise your risk of side effects include:

• Amiodarone (Pacerone), a medicine for irregular heart rhythms.
• Gemfibrozil (Lopid), another type of cholesterol drug.
• HIV treatments called protease inhibitors, such as ritonavir (Norvir).
• Some antibiotic and antifungal medicines, such as clarithromycin (Biaxin XL) and itraconazole (Sporanox, Tolsura).
• Some immunosuppressant medicines, such as oral or IV cyclosporine (Sandimmune).

Many medicines can interact with statins. Be sure your healthcare professional knows all the medicines you take before you start taking statins.