ELI5. Grapefruit juice and the effects on mental health medication?

Question

To me it’s interesting that grapefruit juice is listed as a “no no” while taking antidepressants/anti-anxiety medication.

I’ve looked into it and I still don’t understand. Can someone explain why you aren’t supposed to mix them? I’m only asking because I like a good Ruby Grapefruit White Claw once and a while…

In: 20

Answer 1

Something about how grapefruit juice interacts with the body causes the body to absorb chemicals more quickly, loosely speaking, than otherwise. It’s not a steady effect, or well understood, but it seems likely we’ll eventually figure out how to control it so you can take less medication and amplify it with grapefruit juice. For now, combining them can make your drugs hit you much harder than they should, with the accompanying negative effects.

Edit its lots of drugs, not just psychological medicine