Drug Interactions: 3 Problem Combinations to Avoid

Be cautious about these drug duos.

By Beth Howard
From Reader's Digest
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Drug Interactions
Exercise caution: Dangerous interactions are more common than you think.
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A recent study underscores the need for care if you take more than a single drug. Many heart attack patients get two clot-busters to ward off another attack, plus a proton pump inhibitor to prevent the stomach upset and bleeding that those meds can cause. But researchers recently reported that adding the stomach-soothing drug undoes some of the clot-busting benefit -- so the risk of a second heart attack jumps about 25 percent. Dangerous interactions are more common than you think, says Todd Semla, PharmD, who heads the board of directors of the American Geriatrics Society. Be cautious about these drug duos:

You Have: An infection
You Take: A quinolone antibiotic (such as levofloxacin) plus an antacid that contains calcium, magnesium, or aluminum (such as Tums, Maalox, and Mylanta)
You Risk: These antacids can decrease the absorption of quinolones by as much as 90 percent.
Do This: Take your antibiotic two hours before or six hours after the antacid.

You Have: High cholesterol
You Take: Certain statin drugs (such as lovastatin) plus a macrolide antibiotic (such as clarithromycin) or an oral azole antifungal (such as ketoconazole)
You Risk: These drugs for bacterial or fungal infection may raise blood levels of many cholesterol meds, increasing the risk of muscle or kidney damage.
Do This: Be alert to symptoms like muscle weakness or pain.

You Have: High blood pressure
You Take: An ACE inhibitor (such as lisinopril) plus potassium supplements
You Risk: The combo can boost potassium levels high enough to cause abnormal heart rhythms.
Do This: If you need both, get your potassium levels checked every few months.


From Reader's Digest - June 2009
 
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This is an addition to the first comment on combining drugs for one problem to make another drug work better. I sincerely wish that pharmacies and drug companies would take these interactions more seriously. It was by accident that we learned what was causing the chest pain and prevented me from having heart surgery, although we don't know if this will be an ongoing problem.

By puggles, on 07/14/2009
I recently discoverd that a combo of drugs being used to combat mico-bacterium all enhance the effect of the other. Plus, the one-Avolox- has a five page list of side effects, including no pulse or blood pressure (I think this should actually be a critical adverse reaction myself). I have had to start on Verapomil for chest pain (also from Avalox) and nitro tabs to control this "less than severe" side effect.

By puggles, on 07/14/2009

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