For years we've heard that we shouldn't take certain medications with grapefruit juice. Apparently there is a substance in grapefruit, metabolized in the liver, which can increase the absorption of certain medications. Taking these medications with grapefruit or grapefruit juice can lead to an unintended toxic overdose.

It now appears that both apple and orange juice also interact with certain medications. Apples and oranges appear to decrease the absorption of these drugs, which can reduce or eliminate their effectiveness.

In addition to apples and oranges, the component that causes this malabsorption problem may also be found in other fruits. The people researching this haven't had the opportunity to test everything yet.

According to the experts, the chemical component responsible for this absorption issue has a long life in the body. It can take more than 24 hours for the troublesome compound to be eliminated. So, if you are taking a "no grapefruit" medication, this means no grapefruit or grapefruit juice (and now, apples and oranges, too) for the entire time you are taking the medication.

Even most pharmacists don't yet seem to have a complete list of which medications shouldn't be mixed with these fruits. So, from the little information that is now available, it would seem to be a good idea to completely avoid all citrus and apples (the fruit as well as the juice) while you're taking medication unless your pharmacist is confident that there won't be a problem.

Many of us use apple sauce to help our elders get pills down. I have not been able to find any information about whether cooked apples have the same effect of decreasing the effectiveness of medications. When in doubt (which I would be), switch to pudding or ice cream. You wouldn't want your father's heart medication to be ineffective.