CAUTION regarding online drug interaction tools

[Guest guest]

Online drug interaction tools are useful and interesting, but it is

important to keep in mind that the ones I've seen only do binary

comparisons - two drugs at a time (no matter how many medications you

enter into the list for the checker tool).

This means that, if a person is taking drugs A, B, and C concurrently,

the drug-drug interactions between A and B, and A and C, and B and C can

be examined, but not A plus B plus C. It is NOT always true that, if A

and B are safe, A and C are safe, and B and C are safe, A and B and C is

a safe combination.

The drug checker tools are a good place to start, but it is imperative

that your physicians and pharmacist know the complete list of all drugs,

supplements, and herbs you take.

Lifestyle choices you make are also important to consider - smoking,

drinking alcohol, and excess consumption of caffeinated beverages, for

example, can interfere or interact with medications.

It also doesn't hurt to ask your doctors and/or pharmacist if they have

any suggestions about what medications of yours could possibly be

eliminated entirely or replaced with something safer or cheaper.

To your better health,

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org

[Guest guest]

, when we get our prescriptions doesn’t the computer automatically check

to see if there’s an interaction between any of our meds that have been

recently filled?

[ ] CAUTION regarding online drug interaction tools

Online drug interaction tools are useful and interesting, but it is

important to keep in mind that the ones I've seen only do binary

comparisons - two drugs at a time (no matter how many medications you

enter into the list for the checker tool).

This means that, if a person is taking drugs A, B, and C concurrently,

the drug-drug interactions between A and B, and A and C, and B and C can

be examined, but not A plus B plus C. It is NOT always true that, if A

and B are safe, A and C are safe, and B and C are safe, A and B and C is

a safe combination.

The drug checker tools are a good place to start, but it is imperative

that your physicians and pharmacist know the complete list of all drugs,

supplements, and herbs you take.

Lifestyle choices you make are also important to consider - smoking,

drinking alcohol, and excess consumption of caffeinated beverages, for

example, can interfere or interact with medications.

It also doesn't hurt to ask your doctors and/or pharmacist if they have

any suggestions about what medications of yours could possibly be

eliminated entirely or replaced with something safer or cheaper.

To your better health,

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org

[Guest guest]

Unfortunately, it's not always the case, Carol. For example, what if you

use more than one pharmacy? What if you take OTC drugs, supplements,

and herbs, too?

Even if you buy your drugs at the same place (or chain), and they've

entered all of your current meds correctly, and you've disclosed all

supplements you take and they add those correctly, too (if they even

record them) , and they have drug interaction software and the check is

run, what I said below about binary comparisons is still true - usually

the drugs are only checked two at a time.

Worse than that, how do we know what drug interactions are to be avoided

anyway? Through studies, clinical trials and adverse drug reaction (ADR)

reporting. We also have developed, over time, general rules about

combining certain classes of drugs.

So, all known interactions from studies, trials and those reported as

ADRs after the drug is on the market are entered into the drug

interaction databases. I'm not sure how often they are updated either.

Or how many different ones there are. Also, since we know that clinical

trials often produce data that is quite different than that we see in

real life, and our reporting system is not mandatory and in many ways,

terrible, we don't know all we need to know about our drugs and possible

interactions. It's far from a foolproof system.

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org

[ ] CAUTION regarding online drug interaction tools

Online drug interaction tools are useful and interesting, but it is

important to keep in mind that the ones I've seen only do binary

comparisons - two drugs at a time (no matter how many medications you

enter into the list for the checker tool).

This means that, if a person is taking drugs A, B, and C concurrently,

the drug-drug interactions between A and B, and A and C, and B and C can

be examined, but not A plus B plus C. It is NOT always true that, if A

and B are safe, A and C are safe, and B and C are safe, A and B and C is

a safe combination.

The drug checker tools are a good place to start, but it is imperative

that your physicians and pharmacist know the complete list of all drugs,

supplements, and herbs you take.

Lifestyle choices you make are also important to consider - smoking,

drinking alcohol, and excess consumption of caffeinated beverages, for

example, can interfere or interact with medications.

It also doesn't hurt to ask your doctors and/or pharmacist if they have

any suggestions about what medications of yours could possibly be

eliminated entirely or replaced with something safer or cheaper.

To your better health,