Drugs Don't Mix Well - Another Reason Not to Take Them

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CONSUMER GUIDE TO DRUGS

People past their 50th birthday take an average of eight different

prescribed drugs in one year, researchers say. More than a quarter of

patients past 65 are prescribed one or more drugs. All those medicines may

not mix well, researchers caution. Some mixes, in fact, may cause an adverse

reaction. As people age, some drugs become ineffective or more toxic. Agents

in commonly prescribed drugs may cause daytime drowsiness, mental confusion,

loss of coordination and other potentially troublesome side effects. And

even vitamin and mineral supplements may counteract or even react

dangerously with prescribed medications, said Dr. Simeon Margolis, editor of

The s Hopkins Consumer Guide to Drugs. Consumers need to educate

themselves about which drugs do not mix with grapefruit juice, which herbal

drugs do not go well with prescription drugs and which prescription drugs

present a health-threatening combination. The book offers information on

more than 2,300 brand-name and 700 generic prescription and over-the-counter

drugs. The focus is on medicines used to treat the 100 most common

conditions affecting people over 50: cancer, blood disorders, dental and

oral disorders and diseases of the digestive system, ears, nose and throat,

eyes, heart and lungs, said Margolis, professor of medicine and biological

chemistry at s Hopkins.