Drug interactions occur when two or more substances, like medications, food, or supplements, affect how a drug works in the body. These interactions can alter a drug's effectiveness, increase the risk of side effects, or create entirely new, unexpected reactions. Understanding potential interactions is crucial for safe medication use. It is important to avoid drug interaction it is because can result in too much or too little drug in the body, cause unwanted side effects or cause a drug to be ineffective. Keep in mind that a medicine can also interact with another prescribed medication, over-the-counter medications, herbal supplements or vitamins. combining a sedative with an antihistamine can slow reactions, making tasks like driving dangerous. Example drugs are Sedative + Antihistamine: As mentioned, this combination can cause excessive drowsiness and slowed reaction times.
Warfarin + Aspirin: Both are blood thinners, and taking them together can increase the risk of serious bleeding.
Atorvastatin (Lipitor) + Grapefruit: Grapefruit can inhibit the enzyme that breaks down atorvastatin, leading to potentially dangerous increases in the drug's levels in the body. the Common causes involve how medications affect liver enzymes (like cytochrome P450) responsible for drug breakdown, or how they are absorbed in the body. if cytochrome 450 will damage it can result in altered drug metabolism, causing either drug toxicity due to accumulation or treatment failure due to insufficient drug levels. Furthermore, CYP450 enzymes are implicated in various liver diseases and their dysfunction can contribute to hepatotoxicity. That is why drug interaction assesment is important for us to decrease the DDIs and, consequently, reduce the drug-related morbidity and mortality that may occur as a result of these interaction. Most clinically significant drug interactions are unintentional and can result in negative outcomes.