By Benjamin Lynch
I found a great drug-drug interaction resource site today while in clinic. There is no reason why you cannot use the same reference. So many times people are on drugs, herbs or vitamins which interact with each other in harmful ways.
This drug interaction resource has the following types of drug interactions:
* Vitamin-Drug Interaction
* Herb-Drug Interaction
* Drug-Drug Interaction
* Alcohol-Drug Interaction
* Food-Drug Interaction
If you find something suspicious or not sounding that good, do not adjust your own medications. If you think you can, you cannot. If you change some prescription drugs too quickly, a serious side effect can occur causing death or a serious medical condition.
So - use this site as a reference - not to self-medicate and adjust your meds.
Drug Digest is an awesome easy to use tool that allows one to check two or more possible drug interactions. Simply search for a drug, vitamin or herb, add it to the drug interaction list and search for another. Keep doing this as needed. Once all drugs, herbs and vitamins are added to the drug interaction list, simply hit the button 'check interactions'
The drug interaction database will think for a moment and then spit out the possible interactions with explanations.
Again - do not self adjust your medications. Ever.
I discovered in clinic today that a patient's aspirin was altering his blood pressure medications. Aspirin works by limiting prostaglandin release and some blood pressure meds work by prostaglandins. Prostaglandins allow blood vessels to relax which is also what inflammation does. As aspirin decreases inflammation, this specific blood pressure med got affected. The outcome: he still had very high blood pressure.
Did I say don't adjust your meds? Good.
To give an example - if this patient did, he would be dead or suffer a large heart attack.
Here is the drug interaction website: Drug Digest [http://www.drugdigest.org/DD/Interaction/ChooseDrugs/1,4109,,00.html]
Enjoy the database. Tell your physician about it. They will love it.
In health,
Benjamin Lynch has a BS degree in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Washington. Currently, he is obtaining his doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine at Bastyr University. Visit Ben's natural health product store, HealthE Goods where one can use our free health information service [http://www.healthegoods.com/content/health_tips.htm] where one may ask specific health questions. We provide physician-grade non-prescription natural health products. Wholesale spa products are available to all that qualify. Do visit our Healthy Lifestyle and Wellness Blog [http://www.healthegoods.com/blog.html]. We are here to help serve the public with proper health information and effective products. Products described in the article are available at HealthE Goods.
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