Editorial Note on Drug Interactions

Received: 08-Feb-2021 Published: 19-Feb-2021

Editorial

The topic of drug–drug interactions has received a great deal of recent attention from the regulatory, scientific, and health care communities worldwide. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics and, in particular, rifampin are common precipitant drugs prescribed in primary care practice. Drugs with a narrow therapeutic range or low therapeutic index are more likely to be the objects for serious drug interactions. Object drugs in common use include warfarin, fluoroquinolones, antiepileptic drugs, oral contraceptives, cisapride, and 3-hydroxy3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors. The pharmacist, along with the prescriber has a duty to ensure that patients are aware of the risk of side effects and a suitable course of action should they occur. With their detailed knowledge of medicine, pharmacists have the ability to relate unexpected symptoms experienced by patients to possible adverse effects of their drug therapy.

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 drugdrug 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.

The topic of drug–drug interactions (DDIs) has received a great deal of recent attention from the regulatory, scientific, and health care communities worldwide. A large number of drugs are introduced every year, and new interactions between medications are increasingly reported. Consequently, it is no longer practical for physicians to rely on memory alone to avoid potential drug interactions. Precipitant drugs modify the object drug’s absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, or actual clinical effect. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics and, in particular, rifampin are common precipitant drugs prescribed in primary care practice. Drugs with a narrow therapeutic range or low therapeutic index are more likely to be the objects for serious drug interactions. Object drugs in common use include warfarin, fluoroquinolones, antiepileptic drugs, oral contraceptives, cisapride, and 3-hydroxy-3- methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors.Serotonin syndrome is a potentially lifethreatening disorder of excessive serotoninergic activity often due to drug interactions.Many other drugs act as precipitants or objects, and a number of drugs act as both.