The Interaction Between Fruit Juice and Allegra

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If you're taking prescription or over-the-counter Allegra for allergies, you should be aware that these medications can interact with fruit juices such as:

  • Apple juice
  • Grapefruit juice
  • Orange juice

In fact, if you drink fruit juice or even fruit punch within an hour or two of taking your medicine, you may lose the effectiveness of the drug entirely.

This article looks at how Allegra interacts with certain fruit juices, other antihistamine options, as well as other drugs affected by fruit juice.

Glasses of orange juice, grapefruit juice and multivitamine juice, juice squeezer and fruits on wood
Westend61 / Getty Images

What Is Allegra?

Allegra (fexofenadine), is a non-drowsy antihistamine that's available over-the-counter (OTC).

It is used to relieve allergy symptoms in adults and children years or older. Allegra relieves symptoms, such as:

  • Runny nose
  • Sneezing
  • Red, itchy, or watery eyes
  • Itching of the nose, throat, or roof of the mouth 
  • Hives

However, taking Allegra with juice reduces its absorption between 30% and 60%, depending on the juice, making the medicine less effective.

Allegra and Fruit Juice

To be absorbed into your bloodstream, Allegra depends on specialized receptors on cells that line your small intestine called organic anion transporting polypeptides (OATPs).

OATP proteins help chemicals (including some medications) cross the biological membranes that are otherwise impermeable to these drugs.

Apple, grapefruit, and orange juices contain compounds (including one called naringin) that inhibit OATPs, thus limiting how much Allegra your body absorbs. It takes very little juice for this inhibition to occur.

Consumption of drinks with as little as 5% juice can inhibit OATPs. Overall, taking Allegra with fruit juice may decrease the absorption by up to 60%, making the medicine far less effective in the treatment of allergy symptoms.

A decrease of 60% of the dose doesn't mean that you'll get 40% of the drug's effect. It takes a certain amount of the drug for you to notice any effect, and a significant dose reduction might mean you'll get no allergy relief from the Allegra.

Researchers believe the absorption-inhibiting compounds in the juice have higher concentrations in commercially available juices as well as those that are calcium-fortified.

The absorption-inhibiting compounds are present in whole fruit too.

Can You Take Allegra With Fruit Juice?

It's safest to avoid fresh fruit or fruit juices for 1 to 2 hours before and after taking Allegra. Otherwise, the juice could significantly reduce the effectiveness of Allegra and leave your allergy symptoms or hives uncontrolled.

Allergy Drug Options

If you're finding it tricky to juggle a twice-a-day medication and fruit intake, there are other options.

You may want to switch to a different allergy medication that isn't affected by fruit. A number of different medications are available for allergic rhinitis and hives (urticaria.)

If you have hives or moderate-to-severe hayfever, a medication like Zyrtec (cetirizine) or Xyzal (levocetirizine) may be slightly more effective than Allegra, anyway. (However, they do cause drowsiness in some people.)

Claritin (loratadine) is another option that's similar to Allegra.

Other Drugs Affected by Juice

It's not only Allegra levels in the body that may be affected by the intake of fruit or fruit juice.

Fruit may also interfere with enzymes in the small intestine that metabolize drugs, causing too much or too little of the drug to be absorbed by the body. Some of these drugs include:

  • Statin drugs that lower cholesterol, such as Zocor (simvastatin) and Lipitor (atorvastatin)
  • Drugs that treat high blood pressure, such as Procardia, Adalat CC, and beta-blockers
  • Anti-anxiety drugs such as buspirone
  • Drugs that treat abnormal heart rhythms such as Pacerone and Nexterone (both amiodarone)
  • Antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin or Cipro, levofloxacin, and itraconazole

Some researchers have even suggested that any medication should be taken outside of the four-hour window surrounding the consumption of fruit or fruit juice.

That way, you eliminate potential health risks and don't waste your money on drugs that are rendered ineffective by your diet.

Timing of Meds and Juice

Since the intake of fruit or fruit juice can significantly interfere with Allegra's absorption, take your medication at least two hours before or two hours after drinking fruit juice.

If this presents a problem, you may want to take other effective hay fever and hive medications instead.

Summary

This interaction is a good example of how medications may not just interfere with each other, but also with the foods in your diet. With any medication, it's important to read the small print and to talk with your healthcare provider and pharmacist about any potential interactions.

Ask your practitioner, pharmacist, or other healthcare provider if you can drink grapefruit juice while taking your medications, which also has potential for drug interaction.

7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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  2. Medline Plus. Fexofenadine.

  3. Chen M, Zhou SY, Fabriaga E, Zhang PH, Zhou Q. Food-drug interactions precipitated by fruit juices other than grapefruit juice: An update review. J Food Drug Anal. 2018;26(2S):S61-S71. doi:10.1016/j.jfda.2018.01.009

  4. Andrade C. Fruit juice, organic anion transporting polypeptides, and drug interactions in psychiatry. J Clin Psychiatry. 2014;75(11):e1323-5. doi:10.4088/JCP.14f09572

  5. McDonagh, M, Helfhand, M. Drug class review newer antihistamines. Portland, OR: Oregon Health & Science University.

  6. Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School. By the way, doctor: Is it okay to drink grapefruit juice, as long as I don't take my statin at the same time?

  7. The Medical Letter. In brief: fexofenadine (allegra) and fruit juice.

Additional Reading
Daniel More, MD

By Daniel More, MD
Daniel More, MD, is a board-certified allergist and clinical immunologist. He is an assistant clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine and formerly practiced at Central Coast Allergy and Asthma in Salinas, California.