Is it safe to take naproxen with grapefruit or grapefruit juice?

Quick answer

Based on current evidence, grapefruit and grapefruit juice are not known to interact meaningfully with naproxen, and major drug‑information sources do not list a grapefruit warning for naproxen. ^[1] That said, grapefruit can significantly affect many other medicines via gut enzyme and transporter effects, so if you take naproxen alongside other drugs, it’s wise to check those for grapefruit cautions. ^{[2] [3]}

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What we know about grapefruit interactions

• Mechanism: Grapefruit contains compounds (notably furanocoumarins) that can block enzymes in the intestine, especially CYP3A4, and can also affect drug transporters like OATP and P‑glycoprotein. This can raise or lower the amount of certain drugs your body absorbs, sometimes to unsafe levels. ^{[3] [4]}
• Who needs to be careful: Medicines with a narrow safety margin or heavy first‑pass metabolism through CYP3A4 are more likely to have clinically important interactions with grapefruit. ^{[5] [3]}
• Common affected drug classes: Immunosuppressants, some statins, benzodiazepines, many calcium channel blockers, certain antivirals, and others frequently carry grapefruit warnings. ^{[3] [6]}

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Naproxen and grapefruit

• Naproxen’s typical labeling: Consumer and professional drug references for naproxen highlight risks such as stomach bleeding, kidney effects, and cardiovascular events, and interactions with other NSAIDs or blood thinners but they do not include a specific grapefruit warning. ^[1]
• Implication: While grapefruit interacts with numerous drugs, naproxen is not typically listed among them in standard guidance, suggesting no established, clinically significant grapefruit–naproxen interaction at usual doses. ^{[1] [7]}

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Practical guidance

• If naproxen is your only medication: It generally appears reasonable to consume grapefruit in moderation with naproxen. No routine timing separation is required, because a specific interaction hasn’t been demonstrated for this NSAID. ^[1]
• If you take other medicines: Review each of your other prescriptions and over‑the‑counter products for grapefruit cautions, because grapefruit can strongly affect many drugs even when taken hours apart. You usually cannot “time‑separate” grapefruit to avoid interactions with susceptible drugs. ^{[2] [8]}
• When to avoid grapefruit: If you are on any medicine known to interact with grapefruit (for example, certain statins or calcium channel blockers), you may need to avoid grapefruit entirely while you’re taking those drugs. ^{[2] [9]}

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Safety reminders with naproxen

• Use the lowest effective dose for the shortest time to reduce risks to the stomach, heart, and kidneys, and avoid combining with other NSAIDs unless advised. ^[10]
• Stomach protection tips: Take with food or milk if your stomach gets upset, and watch for warning signs such as black stools, vomiting blood, or persistent stomach pain seek medical attention if these occur. ^{[7] [11]}

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Bottom line

Current drug‑information resources do not flag a grapefruit interaction with naproxen, so naproxen is generally considered safe to take with grapefruit for most people, especially when naproxen is used alone. ^[1] Because grapefruit can meaningfully alter levels of many other medicines, check all your concurrent medications for grapefruit warnings and consider avoiding grapefruit if any of them are susceptible. ^{[2] [3]}