Drug Interactions: What we Should Know?

We should always ask questions if we are unsure about any medication we are currently taking or before taking a new medication. Also, we should always make sure to inform our doctor of any OTC drugs, vitamins, or dietary supplements we take as well as any existing medical conditions or allergies we may have. The more information our healthcare providers have about us, the better they can serve us.

While there is a great deal of information about the interactions between 2 drugs, many older people and others with multiple chronic conditions take 3 or more drugs daily. There is little if any information about drug interactions when more than two are prescribed.

Over-the-counter (OTC) medications have labels containing the following information: ingredients, uses, warnings, directions, and possible drug interactions . We should always read the label before using an OTC medication . This will help us to prevent a potential adverse drug interaction.

As auther already mentioned that a drug interaction or adverse event can lead to life threatning condition. Better to not go for self medication or do only when you are well aware about the drug , morever everytime you have been prescribed a medication ask your doctor about posiible side effects & how to encounter if side effect exists. Here you sould be proactive coz a doctor is always in hurry to next patient, so untill you ask you woun't be informed.

And even if you face a adverce drug reaction don't delay in cosultation.

all the medicines have some drug interaction which can either elevate or reduce the mic levels of the other medicines that we take.Hence its imperative that doctor should b consulted for the same.On this gorund also the doctor can b assessed on intelligence as there are lot os doctors also who dont care much on interaction.Example common drug like tizanidine can make oral contraceptive ineffective.So if some doctor is giving somebody tizanidine,he should see if the patient is on oral contraceptives.if the patient is having it,intelligent doctor can  recommend some other molecule like thiocolchicoside.

For a professional the drug targets 3d structure can give a better idea in structure based drug designing and its QSAR,its potency to get the particular effect,its specificity to get good interaction,and its affinity will help in better drug interaction..For non professional,the drug showing good response to the body should assume,wo know the particular dose can show better interaction....

The most common in adverse reactions of drugs are the OTC drugs which are usually buyed without any prescription, these are usually self medicated, the concept here is you should not use these drugs unless too necessary, afterall home remedies will prove better in these cases

HOME REMEDIES
 
Ailment    Home Remedies       

ADULT
DISEASES
6. Cough
(Dry, frequent cough, pain in chest, headache, hoarseness of voice etc.)    1. 2-3 cloves fried in ghee to be placed in mouth and sucked.
Or
2. 1/2 gm powder of long pepper mixed with rock salt twice daily, with hot water.
Or
3. Powder of equal parts of long pepper and dry ginger, (5 gm.) with honey, twice daily.
Or
4. 5 gm. powder of equal parts of black pepper, dry ginger and sugar mixed with butter/ghee, twice daily.       
7. Toothache
(Pain in tooth)    1. Cotton soaked in clove oil, place near painful teeth.
Or
2. Place Asafoetida(Hing) and salt near the painful teeth
Or
3. Put black peeper/clove/carum seeds(Ajwain) in mouth       
8. Earache
(Pain in ear)    1. Instill warm juice of ginger, 2-4 drops in the ear, twice a day.
Or
2. Instill warm juice of radish, 2-4 drops, twice a day.
Or
3. Instill 2-4 drops of warm juice of garlic in the ear, twice a day.       
9. Common Fever
(low temperature, feeling of warmth, pain in body and loss of perspiration    1. Decoction of 2-3 gm. Powder of ginger, black pepper and long pepper, 2-3 times a day.
Or
2. Decoction of 30 gm. Coriander seeds in 100 ml. Of water and sugar, once a day in the morning.
Or
3. 1 gm. powder of long pepper with 5-10 gm. Honey, three times a day.       
10. Indigestion
(Heaviness, gas formation, constipation or loose motions)    1. Boil 5 gm. of dried ginger in 1 litre of water, to be taken several times in a day.
Or
2 gm. powder of dried ginger, mix with 3 gm. Jaggery, twice in a day.
Or
3. A pinch of asafoetida (Heeng)in 1 table spoon of warm water, 2-3 times a day.
Or
4. 3 gm. Carum (Ajwain) seeds, 1 gm. of salt, with warm water, two times a day       
11. Vomitting
(Forceful
expulsion of
gastric contents    1. Juice of one lemon in 250 ml. of water and 25 gm. sugar, thrice a day.
Or
2. Chebulic myrobalan (Harad) powder 1-3 gm. with 1 teaspoon honey, thrice daily.
Or
3. Fried Large cardamom seed (Bari Illaichi) 1/2-1 gm. with 1 teaspoon honey, three times a day.       
12. Diarrhoea
(Frequent loose/Watery motions)    1. 1-3 gm. Of dried ginger powder mixed with equal parts of sugar, two times a day.
Or
2. 1 gm. Powder of fried cumin/long pepper/driedginger with one cup of butter milk, 3-4times a day.
Or
3. 5 gm. Isabgol husk with a cup of curd, twice a day.       
13. Constipation
(Retention of faeces and gases, discomfort in abdomen)    1. 5 gm. of fruit rind of Chebulic myrobalan (Harad) with salt , once daily at bed time.
Or
2. 2-6 gm. of Triphala powder with 50 ml. Warm water, twice a day
Or
3. 5 -10 gm. of Isabgol husk with one cup of milk at bed time       
14.Low backache / Joint Pains
(Pain in joints
and waist region    1. Boil 5 gm.dry ginger in 50 ml of water and reduce to 20 ml.,mix with 5-10 ml. of castor oil, thrice daily.
Or
2. 10-20 ml. of castor oil with warm water/milk at bed time.
Or
3. Fried fenugreek(Methi) seeds 1 tablespoon with milk, twice daily

"The person who takes medicine must recover twice, once from the disease and once from the medicine”. - William Osler, M.D.

Drug Interaction: A mechanism by which a drug interact with the action(s) of another drug or the modification of the action of a drug by the concurrent or prior administration of another drug is known as drug interaction. When we talk about drug interaction, generally interaction between the drugs comes in mind (Drug-Drug interaction). It has been observed that interaction may also exist between drugs & foods (Drug-food interaction), as well as drugs & herbs (Drug-herbs interactions).

Mostly drug interaction should be avoided as it may produce unexpected or poor outcomes. Sometimes it is used intentionally, as it may help in retarding the excretion of useful drug molecule, who presence in the body can heal the disease during the course of the therapy.

Example of Beneficial Drug Interaction

· Carbidopa with levodopa (Available as Carbidopa/levodopa)
· Probenecid with penicillin
· Reduces the risk of side effects

 For more info click here -> www,harneedi.com

Drug-Drug interactions have many types; one drug delaying or preventing absorption or excretion, one enhancing or reducing others activity...

It’s too complex for common man to know and if you still want to know it be a doctor or a pharmacist. Let me tell you that at times they also refer books & literature before using two drugs together especially if the use is rare.

Now coming to self-medication danger;

1. The molecules with serious side effect even after they are withdrawn and doctors stopped using still OTC brand continue selling those molecules.
2. A very good molecule to relieve Asthma might be a causative factor for Heart Attack.
3. New developments and reports go on every day. Information about a drug may not hold true within a time as short as a month.

Let me also inform you that any learned doctor in one segment would never treat or take medicine without consulting the specialist of that segment, not because they do not know but because they are not dealing with it everyday. Half knowledge is still more dangerous than ignorance.

Thank you, Ms Bindu Narayan for bringing such a pertinent topic.