DRUG INTERACTIONS
In my last post, I advised every patient/patient-relatives to ensure that they take part in their prescription and medication.
I said that the following Eras were gone:
°Era when your "doctor" folds something in an envelope and asks you to take them as he instructs, without telling you what you're taking and writing the name and dosage on the envelope (for any case of drug-reaction or bizarre toxicities in the absence of your doctor, you may need help from antidotes to ONLY known drugs)
°Era when your "Pharmacist" gives you drugs and says "one morning, one night"
°Era when you or your family member takes drugs without first asking a Physician or a Pharmacist about the safety of taking such drugs (avoid self-medication)
Today, I shall be taking you through this topic:
▶ DRUG INTERACTIONS
To justify why you must have at least one Physician and one Pharmacist you call for guide about your health and in the use of drugs
I do not think any Pharmacist will ask you to pay before you get answers to your questions on drugs- feel free to ask them!
*Drug interactions can be said to mean, any activity involving a certain medicine that affects the intended outcome of that medicine.*
It can be categorized into three broad types:
▫Drug-Drug interactions
▫Drug-Conditions interactions
▫Drug-Food/beverages interactions
DRUG-DRUG INTERACTIONS
These occur when two or more medicines react with each other either chemically or biologically, to present an unintended outcome.
Depending on the drugs that are wrongly or mistakenly mixed, you may have:
°Increased effects above intended, which may expose you to toxicities or adverse effects.
°Decreased effects below the intended, this may lead to treatment failure and the consequences that follow such failures.
Examples:
1. Mixing a sleep-aid pill with another drug intended for allergy, may further endanger your use of machinery (should this not have effect on the accidents we have in our society!)
2. Wrong combination of antibiotics, may end up reducing the expected efficacy.
DRUG-CONDITIONS INTERACTIONS
These occur when a certain existing medical condition makes certain drugs potentially harmful to the patient.
Example:
Your prescriber must know of your health problems, are you asthmatic, Hypertensive, suffering any allergy etc, please tell him!.
1. A hypertensive patient may have crisis from some certain nasal decongestants (drugs used in the management of catarrh and nose block)
2. An asthmatic patient may experience crisis from some antihypertensive drugs and so many other drugs that affect the airway.
DRUG-FOOD/BEVERAGES INTERACTIONS
You may not be aware if you did not ask or were not told, that certain food items should be avoided when you take certain medications.
Food and drinks comprise several degrees of chemicals which sometimes interact with certain medicines (another type of chemicals) - remember chemistry and reactions!
Examples:
1. Foods containing tyramine which include: cheese, fermented soy, soy sauces, miso etc are dangerous to patients who are placed on some certain medications we call mono amine oxidase inhibitors (maoi) (used in the management of depression and other indicated ailments) including: selegiline, isocarboxid, phenelzine, tranylcypromide etc.
Tyramine is the culprit in these foods that causes dangerously, high blood pressure when exposed to any of the medicines above (maoi).
2. What about alcoholic beverages (alcohol) that interact with virtually every drugs that pass through the liver for their metabolism? Affecting either upwardly or downwardly, the intended effects of these medicaments.
Always remember that drugs are chemicals which only proper use can qualify as medicines
Thank you.
Please share to all
Dr. Chuka Amukamara (BPharm, PharmD, MPSN, MWFAD)
A Public Health Pharmacist
healthmediuminternational@gmail.com
