Harvard Health Letter cautions about medication interactions

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April 2004

Harvard Health Letter cautions about medication interactions

BOSTON, MA. - About half of all Americans age 65 and over take at least 5

medications per week, and 1 of 8 take 10 or more. With so many people taking

so many pills, there¹s plenty of opportunity for harmful drug interactions.

The April issue of the Harvard Health Letter reports serious drug

interactions that you and your doctor should be concerned about.

The FDA maintains a thorough system for reporting drugs¹ side effects, but

currently lacks a standardized method for warning people about drug

interaction. This is largely due to the uncertainty and ambiguity

surrounding this issue.

The Harvard Health Letter asked Harvard Medical School experts to create a

short list of known drug interactions that should be known by the general

public. For example:

* Warfarin (Coumadin), a blood thinner, should not be mixed with other

drugs such as ³sulfa² antibiotics like cotrimoxazole (Bactrim and Septra)

because of the risk of serious bleeding.

* NSAIDs (over-the-counter pain relievers such as aspirin and ibuprofen)

taken with ACE inhibitors (hypertension and heart failure drugs) could

decrease the effectiveness of ACE inhibitors.

* Erectile dysfunctions drugs (Viagra, Levitra, and Cialis) interact

with nitrate-based drugs to produce a sudden drop in blood pressure.

The article stresses the importance of speaking to your doctor about all

drugs you are taking in order to avoid harmful interactions. Additionally,

following all directions and warning labels correctly can be a useful

preventive measure when taking medications.