Tag: Prescription Drugs

What you put in your mouth may affect your prescription medications. Avoiding drug interactions

Two out every three patients who visit a Doctor leave with at least one prescription medication.

Almost 40% of the US population receive prescriptions for four or more medications.

Consequences of drug interactions with food and beverages are more common the more prescription medications a person takes.

Examples of drug interactions with food and beverages:

  • Grapefruit juice can cause an increased level of certain blood pressure medications, anti-anxiety medication Buspar and the insomnia medication Halcion.
  • Licorice can increase the level of the heart medication digoxin and reduce the effects of the blood pressure medications hydrochlorothiazide and spironolactone.
  • Chocolate can potentiate the class of antidepressants called monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI) and cause the stimulant drugs like Ritalin to increase their effect or the sedative sleep aids like Ambien not to work as well.
  • Alcohol can increase or decrease the effects of many drugs but can increase the possibility of liver toxicity in patients with liver problems taking Tylenol.
  • Milk has been shown to decrease the effectiveness of the antibiotics ciprofloxacin and Levaquin.

Examples of drugs interacting with dietary supplements:

  • Saint John’s Wort is an herb and an inducer of liver enzymes and can decrease the effect of oral birth control pills, blood pressure and cholesterol medications as well as the effect of Viagra.
  • Ginko biloba can decrease the effectiveness of anti-seizure medications.
  • Ginseng can increase the effect of blood thinners like warfarin, heparin, aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs increasing the risk of bleeding.
  • Garlic can increase the effect of warfarin an aspirin.
  • Vitamin E can increase the effect of warfarin.

Tips to avoid problems:

  • Always read labels carefully.
  • Learn about the warnings for all drugs you take.
  • Keep drugs in their original containers.
  • Ask your Doctor what you need to avoid.
  • Check with your Doctor before taking any over-the-counter drug when taking prescription drugs.
  • Use one pharmacy.
  • Keep a record of everything you take and inform all of your health care professionals of what you take.

Should I Still Be Taking My Cholesterol Lowering “Statin” Prescription Drug My Doctor Prescribed?

The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) recently issued a new safety alert for ‘high dose statin’ drugs prescribed by Doctors to lower cholesterol in patients at risk for heart disease.

The FDA named the prescription drugs Crestor (rosuvastatin), Lipitor (atorvastatin), Zocor (simvastatin), and Pravachol (pravastatin), as well as the combination drug Vytorin (zetia/simvastatin) in the safety alert.

The warning stated that the use of these drugs in high doses may be linked to memory loss, diabetes, and muscle pain.

This was a general statement derived from a recent review of many different studies that were all part of the Women’s Health Initiative.

The conclusions made from the analysis of these studies are likely overstated.

Last year 21 million American patients were prescribed one of the statin drugs to lower their cholesterol and reduce their risk for heart disease and stroke.

The benefits of taking a statin drug to lower the risk of heart disease and stroke are indisputable from numerous studies over many years of research done on the statin drugs.

The side effects of these medications are of low incidence and the knowledge that blood sugars may worsen in some patients has been known for years and have been included in their package insert from the beginning of distribution of the drugs.

Any patient on one of these statins should never stop taking their medication on their own without first consulting their Doctor.

The bottom line is that for the patient taking a statin drug to help lower their risk of heart disease and stroke by lowering cholesterol, the benefits of these medications far outweigh the risk of raising blood sugar, forgetfulness or muscle pain.

However, any patient who has concerns that they have a significant side effect to their statin medication (or any prescription medication they take), please see your Doctor for advice on what you should do before stopping your medication.