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Mixing Drugs Can Harm Your Body
Nearly half of Americans take at least one
prescription drug, and one in six takes
three or more, according to a new report
from the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services. Plus, recent surveys reveal that
a growing number of people also take over-thecounter
(OTC) medicines and herbal products.
The result? The risk for drug interactions that
change the way the medications work.
“Millions of people end up hospitalized each
year from dangerous effects of prescription drugs
or interactions between drugs,” says Gary Lott,
RPh, PharmD, Director of Pharmacy at South
Central Regional Medical Center. “Make sure your
doctor and pharmacist know about all the medicines
and supplements you take. It also helps to
use the same pharmacy for all your prescriptions.”
Here are some examples of how drugs can
interact in harmful ways:
- Decongestants: Commonly found in OTC cold
and allergy medications, decongestants can
increase blood pressure in people who take medicine
to lower their blood pressure. Decongestants
also can cause blood pressure to rise in those who
are taking antidepressants called MAO inhibitors.
- Saint John’s wort: This popular herb is used to
combat depression. But St. John’s wort can interact
harmfully with many different OTC and prescription
medicines. These include tranquilizers,
sleeping pills, antidepressants, the asthma drug
theophylline, and popular cholesterol-lowering
drugs called statins. It can be harmful if taken
with alcohol, too.
- Blood thinners: Drugs such as warfarin help
prevent blood clots in people prone to stroke and
heart attack. However, combining prescription
blood thinners with aspirin, acetaminophen, or
naproxen could cause excessive bleeding.
Many herbal supplements also interact
with warfarin. One new study in the Annals of
Internal Medicine reports that ginseng can hamper
warfarin’s blood-thinning effect. Other herbs,
such as ginkgo biloba, may increase bleeding if
taken at the same time as warfarin.
It’s important to avoid grapefruit
juice if you’re taking certain blood
pressure drugs called calcium-channel
blockers or statin-type cholesterollowering
drugs.
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