Drug interactions تداخل دارویی

Drug interactions involve combinations of a medication with other substances that alter the medication’s effect on the body. This can causeTrusted Source the medication to be less or more potent than intended or result in unexpected side effects.

If you use multiple medications, have certain health conditions, or see more than one doctor, you should be especially mindful of your medications. You also need to make sure that each of your doctors are aware of all of the drugs, herbs, supplements, and vitamins you’re using.

Even if you take only one medication, it’s a good idea to talk with your doctor or pharmacist about what you’re taking to identify possible interactions. This advice applies to both prescription and nonprescription drugs.

Drug interactions may make your drug less effective, cause unexpected side effects, or increase the action of a particular drug. Some drug interactions can even be harmful to you. Reading the label every time you use a nonprescription or prescription drug and taking the time to learn about drug interactions may be critical to your health. You can reduce the risk of potentially harmful drug interactions and side effects with a little bit of knowledge and common sense. Drug interactions fall into three broad categories:

• Drug-drug interactions occur when two or more drugs react with each other. This drug-drug interaction may cause you to experience an unexpected side effect. For example, mixing a drug you take to help you sleep (a sedative) and a drug you take for allergies (an antihistamine) can slow your reactions and make driving a car or operating machinery dangerous.
• Drug-food/beverage interactions result from drugs reacting with foods or beverages. For example, mixing alcohol with some drugs may cause you to feel tired or slow your reactions.
• Drug-condition interactions may occur when an existing medical condition makes certain drugs potentially harmful. For example, if you have high blood pressure you could experience an unwanted reaction if you take a nasal decongestant.

• Drug-alcohol

  Certain medications are not suitableTrusted Source for use with alcohol. Often, combining these drugs with alcohol can cause tiredness and delayed reactions. It can also increase your risk of negative side effects.

  For example, simultaneous consumption of alcohol, or alcohol-containing medications, with metronidazole can causeTrusted Source flushing, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Metronidazole is a common antibiotic.

• Drug-disease

  This interaction is when the use of a drug alters or worsens a condition or disease. Additionally, some medical conditions can increase the risk of side effects from specific drugs.

  For example, some decongestants that people take for colds can increase blood pressure and are not suitable for people with high blood pressure (hypertension).

  Another example is metformin (a diabetes drug) and kidney disease. People with kidney disease should use a lower dosage of metformin or not take it at all. This is because metformin can accumulate in the kidneys of people with this disease, increasing the risk of severe side effects.

• Drug-laboratory

  Some medications can interfere with specific laboratory tests. This can result in inaccurate test results.

  For instance, tricyclic antidepressants have been shown to interfere with skin prick tests used to determine whether someone has certain allergies.

Drug Interactions and Over-the-Counter Medicines

Over-the-counter (OTC) drug labels contain information about ingredients, uses, warnings and directions that is important to read and understand. The label also includes important information about possible drug interactions. Further, drug labels may change as new information becomes known. That's why it's especially important to read the label every time you use a drug.

• The "Active Ingredients" and "Purpose" sections list:
  • the name and amount of each active ingredient
  • the purpose of each active ingredient

• The "Warnings" section of the label provides important drug interaction and precaution information such as
  • when to talk to a doctor or pharmacist before use
  • the medical conditions that may make the drug less effective or not safe
  • under what circumstances the drug should not be used
  • when to stop taking the drug

• The "Directions" section of the label tells you:
  • the length of time and the amount of the product that you may safely use
  • any special instructions on how to use the product

• The "Other Information" section of the label tells you:
  • required information about certain ingredients, such as sodium content, for people with dietary restrictions or allergies

• The "Inactive Ingredients" section of the label tells you:
  • the name of each inactive ingredient (such as colorings, binders, etc.)

• The "Questions?" or "Questions or Comments?" section of the label (if included):
  • provides telephone numbers of a source to answer questions about the product

Learning More About Drug Interactions

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about the drugs you take. When your doctor prescribes a new drug, discuss all OTC and prescription drugs, dietary supplements, vitamins, botanicals, minerals and herbals you take, as well as the foods you eat. Ask your pharmacist for the package insert for each prescription drug you take. The package insert provides more information about potential drug interactions.

Before taking a drug, ask your doctor or pharmacist the following questions:

• Can I take it with other drugs?
• Should I avoid certain foods, beverages or other products?
• What are possible drug interaction signs I should know about?
• How will the drug work in my body?
• Is there more information available about the drug or my condition (on the Internet or in
• health and medical literature)?

Know how to take drugs safely and responsibly. Remember, the drug label will tell you:

• what the drug is used for
• how to take the drug
• how to reduce the risk of drug interactions and unwanted side effects

If you still have questions after reading the drug product label, ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information

Reference:

• healthline.com/health/drug-interactions#types-of-drug-interactions
• fda.gov/drugs/resources-drugs/drug-interactions-what-you-should-know