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By Jill Ross, HealthAtoZ contributing writer
Let's say you take medicine to lower cholesterol as well as something for that bothersome foot fungus. Or you take aspirin for heart protection along with Ginkgo biloba, an herbal supplement advertised to improve your memor. By trying to treat two conditions at once, you could do your body more harm than good.
The problem is drug interactions. Many of our medicines have powerful ingredients that interact with other medicines (both prescription and over-the-counter), herbal supplements, and certain foods, beverages, alcohol, caffeine, and even cigarettes. The interaction may make your medicines less effective or may cause dangerous side effects.
Your risk of having a drug interaction depends in large part on how many medicines you are taking. The more medications you take, the greater your chance of a harmful drug interaction.
Types of drug interactions
There are three main types of drug interactions:
Drug-drug interactions occur when a medication interacts or interferes with another drug. The drugs can be prescription drugs, over-the-counter (OTC) drugs such as aspirin, acetaminophen and cold medicine, or even vitamins, supplements and herbal products.
Sometimes when two drugs interact, the overall effect may be greater - or less - than desired. For example, combining aspirin and blood thinners like warfarin (Coumadin®) - two drugs that help prevent blood clots from forming - may cause excessive bleeding. Yet, certain antacids taken with antibiotics, blood thinners and heart medications can keep those drugs from being absorbed into the bloodstream, making them less effective.
In other cases, the effects of a drug can increase the risk of serious side effects, like when some antifungal medications interact with some cholesterol-lowering medications.
Herbal remedies, which many consumers tend to view as harmless, can actually be very risky when it comes to drug interactions. Ginkgo biloba, for example, can cause excessive bleeding if taken with aspirin or other medications that have antiplatelet or anticoagulant properties, such as warfarin (Coumadin®) and clopidogrel (Plavix®).
Drug-food interactions occur when a medicine interacts, or interferes, with something you eat or drink. For example, drinking grapefruit juice may raise blood levels of medicines, including some popular cholesterol-lowering drugs. Cranberry juice may interact with Coumadin.
Mixing alcohol with some drugs is a dangerous cocktail. The combination of alcohol with some drugs may cause you to feel tired or slow your reactions. Worse, some combinations increase your risk of liver damage or stomach bleeding. This includes mixing alcohol with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) - such as aspirin and ibuprofen - or analgesics to treat pain and fever, such as acetaminophen.
Drug-condition interactions happen when a medication interacts or interferes with a disease or condition. For example, taking a decongestant - found in many cold remedies - may cause your blood pressure to go up. This may be dangerous for people who have high blood pressure.
Preventing drug interactions
You can lower your risk of a drug interaction by taking these few simple steps recommended by the American Pharmaceutical Association:
- Read the labels or prescribing information of all medicines, including non-prescription ones. Look for the "Drug Interaction Precaution" and read it carefully.
- Tell all of your doctors and pharmacists about all of the medications you use. Be sure to include any vitamins, supplements or herbal products you use. A written record of everything you take will help them spot possible drug interactions.
- Before taking any new medication, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. Ask whether it's safe to take the new medicine with other medications, vitamins, supplements or herbal products you are taking. Also be sure to ask if there are any foods, beverages or medications you should avoid while taking the new medicine.
- Ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice on over-the-counter medicines. These health care professionals can help you choose the medicine that best meets your health needs. If you can, buy your OTC medicines at the same pharmacy that fills your prescriptions.
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External Sources
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U.S. Food and Drug Administration/National Consumers League
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American Pharmaceutical Association
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This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.
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