A pharmacological interaction is defined as when one substance interacts with another, which may cause side effects. Medicines may interact with other pharmaceuticals, food, alcohol, and herbs. To avoid serious side effects, follow your doctor’s instructions and follow a few tips.
Types and effects of interactions
The types of interaction include:
- pharmaceutical interactions – occurring during the preparation of a drug or during the administration of several different pharmaceuticals intravenously;
- pharmacokinetic interactions – related to the interaction of drugs during their absorption, transport, metabolism, and excretion;
- pharmacodynamic interactions – consisting in mutual modification of the action, time and strength of drugs on the body that are taken simultaneously.
In addition, medications can interact with foods, herbs, stimulants, and supplements. Interaction with grapefruit juicewhich contains furanocoumarin which inhibits the breakdown of some drugs in the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, it slows down the metabolism of antiallergic drugs. The concentration of a pharmaceutical can rise dangerously from medicinal to toxic by up to seven times.
Anticoagulants may interact with, inter alia, broccoli, lettuce and cabbage, which are rich in vitamin K. Dietary fiber reduces the absorption of tetracycline and tricyclic antidepressants, and dietary fat increases the absorption of theophylline.
When using medications, be careful to take herbal tablets and drink infusions at the same time. Valerian root interacts with drugs from the benzodiazepine group, licorice increases or weakens the effects of hormones in hormone therapy, and ginkgo biloba can have side effects in combination with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. One should also not forget about the risk of liver damage, for which the simultaneous use of drugs and drinking alcohol is toxic.
The interaction can lead to many dangerous consequences, e.g. diminish or increase the pharmacological potency, cause numerous side effects, increase the toxicity of drugs and change the extent of their therapeutic efficacy.
- Also read about dangerous drug interactions
How to avoid drug interactions?
In order to avoid interactions, it is necessary to follow the doctor’s instructions and inform him about allergies to given substances, medications, dietary supplements and herbal preparations. Medicines are best taken with water, as it facilitates their absorption and does not irritate the stomach. Some pharmaceuticals should be taken on an empty stomach because they may lose their biological activity after interactions with food. Information about it should be included in the leaflet. If in doubt whether the drug can be taken with food, consult your doctor.