We hear of patients suffering from unwanted conditions due to medication errors quite often these days. To err is human; we all know that. But sometimes, people make totally avoidable mistakes. A common example of this is ignoring the importance of drug interactions, which can have severe consequences.
A drug interaction occurs when two or more drugs or a food item and a drug interact and cause unwanted side effects. Drug interactions can be avoided if the patient’s condition is examined beforehand. Moreover, understanding the nature of the prescribed medicine can also help avoid such unwanted effects of medications.
There are three types of drug interactions, one of which is drug-drug interaction. This can be severe for patients as many drugs cause additional side effects when they interact with other incompatible drugs. A classic example of this is HIV medicines, which do not usually go well with other medications. Their purpose is to help prolong the lives of HIV patients. However, the interaction of HIV medications with other drugs can make them less effective and cause extra side effects.
Drug interactions can have severe results which is why it’s important to be very mindful of the medications you prescribe. It is also crucial to compare the side effects of different drugs in a medication plan.
Keep reading to find out how different medicines affect each other and how to avoid drug interaction.
Overview of Drug Interaction
Drug interaction happens when two or more medicines you take react with each other. The interaction of a food and a drug can also be classified as drug interaction. It can cause medicines to become less effective and cause additional side effects as well.
It is vital to have a physician approve your medication plan to avoid drug interactions. Many people casually add a drug to their medication plan based on how they feel at that moment. However, this can lead to harmful drug interactions. How about a practice test right now to evaluate your knowledge about drug interactions before we dive into the details of it?
Types of Drug Interactions
Drug interactions are of three types mainly. These are drug-drug interaction, drug-condition interaction, and drug-food interaction. Each of these has its own side effects depending on the medication in question. Only those medical professionals who have passed the PTCB test should prescribe medicines based on their practice. After all, nobody would want additional health problems when they are already dealing with some.
The following is an explanation of each type of drug interaction.
- Drug-Drug Interaction
This is a common drug interaction type and it happens when one drug interacts with another drug. This type of drug interaction usually results in unwanted side effects. For example, if you take sedatives for sleep, their interaction with a drug for allergies will slow down your general senses. We should be careful as its effects can be severely harmful.
- Drug-Condition Interaction
Drug-condition is another type of interaction that happens when a drug is not suitable for a specific condition that a patient has. This means that HIV patients can react severely to several other medications.
- Drug-Food Interaction
The last type of drug interaction is drug-food interaction. It occurs when a particular food is taken before or after the intake of a drug. Not all foods and drugs cause this; only certain matchups can result in this scenario. The most common example is alcohol intake with other medications.
How Do Common Medications Affect Each Other
The effects of certain medications on each other are discussed in detail in the PTCB exam. The PTCB practice test guide explains the interaction of popular drugs with other popular drugs.
Some medicines interact with enzymes in our body and affect them for the desired result. If a patient takes two drugs at the same time, there is a chance for drug interactions. The resulting effect on the same enzyme might be different than both of those drugs were intended for. These things make drug interactions dangerous for us.
Sometimes, drug interactions can cause death as well. Now, no one would ever want to die from something intended to cure them. This is why the importance of drug interactions is significant.
The following is a list of how some common drugs affect each other:
Warfarin and Aspirin
Warfarin is a drug meant for the prevention of blood coagulation. While Aspirin is a pain reliever. The drug interaction between these two can result in an increased chance of bleeding.
Contrast Dye and Metformin
Contrast Dye is usually used in many lab processes. If a drug having Contrast Dye, and Metformin are taken together, it can result in a rare lactic acidosis condition. This condition can be deadly to people with weak immune system.
Fluoxetine and Taramadol
Tramadol is used as a pain reliever and works great on its own. However, if Fluoxetine (antidepressant ) joins it, then things get bad. Usually, it will cause simple pain without many harsh consequences. But there is also a chance for a severe condition called Serotonin syndrome. It can result in confusion in general and rapid heartbeats.
Digoxin and Quinidine
Even though the drug interaction between Digoxin and Quinidine has been known for a long time, it is still hard to avoid in a lot of cases. You wouldn’t want to be the victim of something that can cause nausea or even death from vomiting, would you? For such a simple reason, you should only take a medication plan prescribed by a medical professional.
Potassium Chloride and Spironolactone
These are two drugs that have been in use for decades now. And the drug interaction between them has caused some severe problems for patients. But many pharmacists can still mistake the safety of these two drugs. The result can be hyperkalemia, a severe disease that has proven deadly in multiple cases. It can result in cardiac arrest and, ultimately, death as well.
FAQs
The following are our answers to some important questions about drug interactions and how certain drugs affect each other.
How to know about medications that result in drug interactions?
It is recommended to consult a physician or a professional who has passed the PTCB exam. They will analyze and manage your medication plan, so the chances for drug interactions are the least. Additionally, you can look up online for a drug interaction checking tool.
What’s the responsibility of a medical professional regarding drug interactions?
If you are a medical professional, you need to have the proper education to be able to practice medicine. We also recommend you test your knowledge throughout your career to know that you are headed in the right direction.
What’s the responsibility of a patient in avoiding drug interactions?
A patient’s responsibility is not to take any medications that haven’t been approved by a certified professional along with their medication plan. They should consult a reliable medical professional before making any changes to their medication plan.
Conclusion
The medical field is not for everyone as tiny mistakes can have severe results. This is why everyone is trained professionally before starting any medical practice.
It is important for medical professionals to consider all the possible scenarios before they give someone a medication plan. This precaution is important if we want to reduce the chances of drug interactions.
Drug interactions can occur in different ways and result in bad health conditions. In severe examples, they can cause death as well. That is why professionals need to be aware of different drugs’ effects on each other.
This article discusses the importance of drug interactions. The effects of different drugs on each other are also discussed in this article.