What is a drug interaction?
(The drug agency official) gives a precise definition of drug interaction: "To be successful, an interaction must have a significant clinical translation, described or potentially serious, that is to say, can cause or increase side effects, or cause by reduced activity, reduced treatment efficacy. "
Clearly, the drugs may interfere with each other so bad. These are symptoms (effects felt) reported when taking one or more drugs, or recognized only to the biological monitoring tests for example. The effects of drug interactions also depend on the patient's age, sex, number of pathologies ...
All drugs are involved?
Drugs are beneficial, but they sometimes act in contradiction to each other. These contradictions are classified into four levels.
1. Level is the worst "cons-indication." This is an absolute, and must not be violated. It can have a toxic effect which enters what is called iatrogenic (negative effect due to treatment or a medical procedure).
2. The "association recommended" should be avoided in most cases. If the two drugs are required, and after careful consideration of the risk / benefit ratio, close monitoring of the patient is necessary.
3. The most common is the "safety precaution". The association is possible therefore that are respected, especially in early treatment, simple recommendations to avoid the occurrence of interaction: dose adjustment, strengthening the clinical, biological, electrocardiogram ...
4. At the fourth level, there is no practical recommendation. However, the risk of drug interactions exists, and usually corresponds to an addition to adverse events.
It is up to the physician to assess the appropriateness of the drug combination.
In case of self-medication, even for common analgesics, it is recommended to seek the advice of a pharmacist.
What are the risks of drug interaction?
The risks are the increase in side effects or loss of efficacy of each drug or one of the two. For example, birth control pills can see its effects modified by certain drugs (antiepileptic ...).
Treatments herbal or homeopathy are also involved. A drug interaction may require hospitalization. It can be fatal, especially in patients with fragile children and elderly
How to avoid drug interactions?
First read carefully the recommendations of the manufacturing laboratory.
Then comply with the requirement when it exists.
Preventing physician medication taken in self-medication. The report of symptoms experienced during treatment.
The use of other therapeutic classes may be necessary.
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