Drug Interactions
Drug interactions are the Achilles heel of modern medicine. Even with computers, pharmacists, physicians and nurse practitioners may overlook a combination of drugs that is incompatible and could cause serious problems.
Could Curry Counteract Clotting?
Q. I was searching for natural asthma relief and read that turmeric could tame wheezing. This is the main ingredient in curry powder. I have been swallowing spoonsful of them both for several days. I …
Amiodarone: Cancer, Thyroid & Other Side Ef…
Irregular heart rhythms can be very scary. So too are the drugs that treat these arrhythmias. That's because anti-arrhythmic medications often come with a long list of serious side effects. This is es…
Doctors Overlooked Scary Drug Interaction
Q. I have been diagnosed with serotonin syndrome brought on by a drug interaction between Cymbalta, gabapentin, tramadol and a low dose of Prozac. It caused me a lot of problems, including agitation, …
Sweeter Fruit and Fewer Worries
People who love grapefruit may soon have a reason to cheer. That's because Florida researchers have bred a hybrid grapefruit that appears to be less likely to interact with medications. This sweeter a…
Meloxicam (Mobic) Side Effects & Complicati…
Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) are among the most popular drugs in the pharmacy. Millions of people swallow ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, etc) and naproxen (Aleve) that they buy without …
Cilantro May Counteract Coumadin Effect
Q. You recently published a letter from somebody eating a lot of cilantro to control psoriasis. Before others try this approach I want to offer a caution. My brother enjoyed using lots of cilantro in …
Grapefruit-Drug Interactions Can Be Serious
Q. Where can I find out more about grapefruit interactions with medicines? I would like to know which prescription drugs are negatively affected. My pharmacist couldn't tell me whether red yeast rice …
Will Food and Drink Affect Your Drug?
Everyone is in a hurry these days. This is especially true when it comes to prescriptions. Many doctors don't even hand you a paper prescription; they just transmit it electronically from their comput…
Many Drugs Interact with Grapefruit
Two decades ago, Canadian researchers reported an interaction between grapefruit juice and a blood pressure pill called felodipine. Many health professionals are still unaware of the serious nature of…
Are You Taking a Deadly Drug Combination?
Most people know not to mix bleach and ammonia. Combining these cleaning products creates deadly chlorine gas. Occasionally an overzealous housecleaner forgets to read a label or overlooks this intera…
Statin Interaction Proved Fatal
Q. At age 71, my mother was taking medicine for diabetes, high cholesterol and a few other conditions. Her doctor changed her statin drug but didn't modify the dose. Within a few months she lost the a…
Seniors Get Too Many Bad Prescriptions
Baby boomers once declared they would never trust anyone over 30. Needless to say, that was a long time ago. As this generation approaches Medicare eligibility, it may need to revise its watchword. To…
Food & Drug Interactions Can Be Deadly
It all began with cheese. Doctors didn't think very much about the possibility that drugs might interact with foods until one man had cheese and crackers for supper. This turned out to be a deadly din…
Herbs and Drugs Interact in Dangerous Ways
When the former Prime Minister of the tiny island of Fiji was finally released by rebels after two months of captivity, he sat down with his enemies and drank a cup of kava. This traditional Fijian ce…
Grapefruit Cuts Cost of Cancer Drug
The immune-suppressing drug sirolimus is a lifeline for patients with organ transplants. It prevents the body from rejecting the transplanted organ. Sirolimus is also being used experimentally to trea…
Don’t Let Food Destroy Your Medicine
The Case of the Bran Muffin Breakfast: Breakfast is hardly the usual suspect in a medical mystery. Yet the case of the bran muffins could have led to tragedy were it not for psychiatric sleuthing. Th…
Soothing Joint Pain Without Strong Drugs
Q. I can't take aspirin or other over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen or naproxen. They all make my stomach hurt! I am having trouble with joint pain, though, and wonder what you can sugg…
Drug Interactions Are ICU Problem
Drug interactions make hospital intensive care units dangerous places for patients. A month long study in a medical intensive care unit uncovered almost two drug-drug interactions per patient. At leas…
Antidepressant Interactions Can Be Deadly
Serotonin has become a household word, thanks to fluoxetine (Prozac). Millions of people take this popular antidepressant or related drugs such as sertraline (Zoloft) or paroxetine (Paxil) every day.…
Dad’s Drugs Behind Mental Decline
Q. Our father is taking medicine for an enlarged prostate, high blood pressure, heartburn, allergies, cough and postnasal drip. A partial list of his drugs include Avodart, doxazosin, hydroxyzine, ipr…
Potassium Plus Blood Pressure Pills A Deadly Mix
Do you know how your diet relates to your medication? Prescribers don't always mention dietary precautions when they hand out a prescription. But often they should discuss this to avoid a potential pr…
Botox May Cause Surgery Complications
Botox has become a household name. It stands for Botulinum neurotoxin type A and is used to eliminate facial wrinkles and frown lines. Other indications include excessive perspiration, chronic migrain…
Mixing Drinks with Drugs Could Be Lethal
Ethanol, also known as drinking alcohol or booze, may be the oldest and most popular drug in human history. In fact, there is strong evidence that alcohol was consumed before the dawn of history. Arch…
Be Wary of Drug Interactions with Simvastatin
Q. I had a heart attack 10 years ago, when I was 62, and I have had several stents put in my arteries since then. My doctor has me on a bunch of medicine for blood pressure and heart: amlodipine 5 mg …
Do Heartburn Drugs Deserve Strong Warning?
Is your heartburn drug harming you? Acid-suppressing drugs are among the most popular pills in the pharmacy. But evidence is growing that they may produce some unexpected and unpleasant complications.…
Clopidogrel (Plavix) Side Effects and Interactio…
It is estimated that more than half a million stents are placed in coronary arteries every year. Some experts say it's closer to 850,000. We won't get into the question of whether there are too many…
Caution Urged on Drug Combinations
Combining common medicines can be bad for brain power. Research in Great Britain reveals that older people taking drugs that affect the brain chemical acetylcholine are at higher risk for cognitive de…
Vitamin D Improves Response to Osteoporosis Drug…
Osteoporosis drugs like Actonel, Boniva, Fosamax and Reclast are prescribed to strengthen bones. They may not work as well as expected, however, if vitamin D levels are low. A study of 160 postmenopau…
Calcium Blocks Thyroid Absorption
Q. I was diagnosed as hypothyroid last year and my doctor said that once I started taking Synthroid I would feel great. Well, I don't. I am health conscious and walk at least a mile every day. I take …
Do Pain Relievers Undermine Antidepressants?
Popping pain relievers may hamper the effectiveness of many popular antidepressants. Surveys suggest that over 20 million Americans swallow nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs every day. These are me…
Seniors Suffer from Too Many Medicines
Geriatricians are in short supply. These physicians have spent years learning how to care for older patients. The scarcity of these specialists could not come at a worse time. Aging baby boomers are a…
Deadly Drug Interactions Are Preventable
What do you do when the red check-engine light comes on in your car? Most people realize that this is a warning of a potentially serious problem. They pull over right away to find out what's going on.…
Drug Interaction Disaster Waiting to Happen
Q. I take a lot of medicine. Even my doctors say I am a walking drugstore, and I am only 37. My husband's in the Army so I use the military hospital and rarely see the same doctor. I take Prozac for d…
Wife Cries Out for More Sex
Q. I am plagued with a shameful problem of not being able to sustain an erection, and therefore haven't been sexually active with my spouse for the past three years. My wife cries out for sex sometime…
Too Many Medicines Threaten Seniors’ Healt…
If you watch any prime-time network television you would have to conclude that America is a nation of sick old people. That's because so many of the commercials focus on conditions of aging. There's S…
Taking Thyroid Medicine Properly
Q. I've been taking levothyroxine for more than a dozen years. I just recently learned I've been taking it at the wrong time. I was taking it along with breakfast and coffee, not to mention vitamins, …
Dangerous Antibiotic Interactions
Potassium is an essential mineral, but it can be tricky. Having too much potassium in the system can be just as dangerous as having too little. A new study shows that some common medicines are linked …
Mixing Many Head Meds May Pose Risk
A new study suggests that psychiatrists frequently prescribe multiple medications to help people with mental disorders. The proportion of people who are taking at least two drugs for their psychiatric…
Celebrex Interferes with Aspirin Anti-Clotting P…
Aspirin is often used to reduce the risk of heart attacks in middle-aged and older people. A new study suggests that the anti-clotting benefits of aspirin might disappear if people also take a common …
Many Drugs May Interact with Plavix
The anti-clotting drug Plavix has been heavily advertised on television to reduce the risks of heart attacks and strokes. This medication is frequently prescribed to people who have had a stent placed…