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selected drug is a primary subject of discussion.
September 2024
Learn about the clinically important and potentially dangerous drug interactions for the widely used anticoagulant apixaban (ELIQUIS). The most concerning interactions are with drugs that enhance the action of apixaban (causing bleeding) or diminish its effects (causing thrombotic events).
March 2024
Metformin is a recommended first-line treatment for patients with type 2 diabetes who are not able to control their blood sugar through diet and exercise alone. Metformin, however, has important drug interactions and can cause a serious condition called lactic acidosis, a buildup of lactic acid in the blood. Learn about metformin’s drug interactions.
January 2024
Osteoporosis occurs when there is a decrease in bone mineral density and bone quality that can weaken bones, making them susceptible to fracture easily. Learn about drugs that are associated with osteoporosis and related fractures.
August 2023
Patients taking the stomach-acid–suppressing drug cimetidine, which is available over the counter as a generic, should be aware of its clinically important interactions with many other prescription medications.
May 2023
Patients taking the antifungal drug voriconazole (VFEND), which is marketed in both oral and injectable forms, should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription medications.
March 2023
Patients taking the widely prescribed hypothyroidism drug levothyroxine should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription and over-the-counter medications, dietary supplements and even certain foods.
November 2022
Learn about the numerous prescription medications and some over-the-counter drugs that can cause psychotic symptoms, including hallucinations.
August 2022
Patients taking the oral combination antiviral drug PAXLOVID (nirmatrelvir and ritonavir), which is used to treat COVID-19, should be aware that it has clinically important and potentially dangerous interactions with many other prescription medications.
August 2021
Patients taking the widely prescribed calcium channel blocker nifedipine (PROCARDIA, PROCARDIA XL) should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription medications.
July 2021
Patients taking the commonly prescribed abnormal heart rhythm drug amiodarone should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription medications.
March 2021
In this month’s Question & Answer feature, we respond to a reader’s question about whether the stomach-acid–suppressing drug esomeprazole (NEXIUM, NEXIUM 24HR, VIMOVO) has the same drug interactions as the closely related drug omeprazole (PRILOSEC, PRILOSEC OTC, ZEGERID).
March 2021
Patients taking the commonly prescribed epilepsy drug carbamazepine (CARBATROL, EPITOL, EQUETRO, TEGRETOL, TERIL) should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with numerous other prescription and over-the-counter medications.
October 2020
Patients taking the commonly used stomach-acid–suppressing drug omeprazole should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription medications.
September 2020
Although impaired driving usu¬ally is caused by alcohol or marijuana, many commonly used prescription and over-the-counter medications also can impair one’s ability to drive safely. Learn about several classes of medications that can cause this serious problem to protect yourself, your passengers and others who share the road with you.
September 2020
Medications are the mainstay of treatment for most patients with seizure disorders, and more than two dozen such drugs have been approved by the FDA. We review one of the oldest seizure drugs, phe¬nytoin (DILANTIN, PHENYTEK). Patients using the drug need to be aware of its many potentially serious adverse effects.
August 2020
Patients taking the commonly used blood thinner warfarin (COUMADIN, JANTOVEN) should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with numerous other prescription and over-the-counter medications, as well as some dietary supplements.
May 2020
There are more than 1,000 prescription and over-the-counter medications, as well as certain herbal and dietary supplements, that are implicated in liver injury, and the list continues to grow.
January 2020
Patients taking the commonly prescribed drug methotrexate, which is used to treat certain autoimmune diseases and several types of cancer, should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription and over-the-counter medications.
December 2019
Patients taking the commonly prescribed antifungal drug fluconazole (DIFLUCAN) should be aware that it has clinically important interactions with many other prescription medications. Some of these interactions can lead to an increased risk of fatal heart rhythm abnormalities.
September 2019
Patients taking the commonly prescribed epilepsy drug phenytoin (DILANTIN, PHENYTEK), one of the oldest epilepsy drugs, should be aware that it has clinically impor¬tant interactions with many other prescription and over-the-counter medications. Some of these interactions can lead to phenytoin toxicity, and others can lead to ineffective seizure control.
August 2019
Most U.S. adults drink alcohol at least occasionally. Many also take prescription or over-the-counter drugs that have the potential to inter¬act adversely with alcohol. Avoid serious harm by knowing which drugs should not be taken in combination with alcohol.
April 2019
Drugs are the most frequent cause of taste disturbances. In this article, we identify more than 60 commonly used prescription medications that have been linked to problems with taste.
November 2018
Read about the numerous medications that can interact with digoxin, a drug commonly prescribed for heart failure and atrial fibrillation. These interactions can result in either digoxin toxicity or decreased digoxin effectiveness depending on the other drug being used concomitantly.
September 2018
Read about the more than two dozen medications that can have clinically important interactions with aripiprazole, one of the widely used newer atypical antipsychotic drugs that is approved by the FDA for treatment of several disorders including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression.
March 2018
Last year, the FDA warned that a drug used to treat high blood potassium levels can interfere with the absorption of many other oral medications. Learn the name of this drug and how to take it safely when using other drugs.
July 2015
Recent research revealed that many patients consume alcohol while using drugs that may can cause dangerous side effects when combined with alcohol. Read this article to learn about the many ways alcohol can adversely interact with prescription and over-the-counter medications.
November 2010
This article discusses 36 drugs that, when used by people also using a corticosteroid, can either cause toxic interactions with the steroid or decrease the steroid's effectiveness.
April 2010
The article lists 53 drugs that can interact with the psychiatric drug ABILIFY to either increase the amount in the body, which can lead to toxicity, or decrease the amount rendering the drug less effective.
March 2010
The article lists 35 different interacting drugs that can either increase blood levels of digoxin, leading to the serious problem of digitalis toxicity or decrease blood levels, causing the drug to be less effective.
February 2010
Quetiapine (SEROQUEL) can interact with 26 different drugs, increasing its blood levels and causing dangerous side effects such as slowed breathing, dizziness and fainting. The article also lists 10 other interacting drugs that can result in lower blood levels, rendering the drug less effective.
September 2009
The article lists 24 drugs that can increase the toxicity of oxycodone if taken together with the drug and 11 other drugs that can weaken its effectiveness as a painkiller if they are simutaneously used.
April 2009
This second article about drug-induced dementia or delirium lists and discusses an additional 79 drugs that can cause these reversible kinds of mental deterioration. The two articles collectively review 136 drugs that can cause these serious side effects, especially in older people.
October 2008
Tizanidine (ZANAFLEX) is a muscle relaxant for which more than 3.8 million prescriptions were filled in the U.S. last year. The article lists more than 64 drugs with which it can have dangerous interactions resulting in excess sedation, difficulty breathing or dangerously low blood pressure that can result in falling.
October 2002
This is the first of a two part series on drug induced psychiatric symptoms that is based on the July 8, 2002 issue of The Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics. Regular readers of Worst Pills, Best Pills News will recognize The Medical Letter as a reference source written for physicians and pharmacists that we often use because of its reputation as an objective and independent source of drug information. The article lists the drugs and their psychiatric adverse effects.