Drug Interactions Their Types, Examples and Role of Hospital Pharmacist To Avoid Drug Interactions
Drug Interactions Their Types, Examples and Role of Hospital Pharmacist To Avoid Drug Interactions
Drug Interactions Their Types, Examples and Role of Hospital Pharmacist To Avoid Drug Interactions
By
Yousra Ashraf
(PHM –D)
Introduction
A drug interaction is a situation in which a substance affects the activity
of a drug when both are administered together. This action can be
synergistic (when the drug's effect is increased) or antagonistic (when
the drug's effect is decreased) or a new effect can be produced that
neither produces on its own.
Drug interactions may be the result of various processes. These
processes may include alterations in the pharmacokinetics of the drug,
such as alterations in the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and
excretion of a drug. Alternatively, drug interactions may be the result of
the pharmacodynamic properties of the drug, e.g. the co-administration
of a receptor antagonist and an agonist for the same receptor
Definition
It is defined as “an alternation in the duration or magnitude of
pharmacological effects of one drug produced by another drug, food, or
any other substance”.
Types
Typically, interactions between drugs come to mind (drug-drug
interaction). However, interactions may also exist between drugs and
foods (drug-food interactions), as well as drugs and medicinal plants or
herbs (drug-plant interactions) and also (drug-disease interactions). But
there are essentially two types of drug interactions
Pharmacodynamic
Pharmacokinetic
Pharmacodynamic
Pharmacodynamic interactions are those in which the effect of one drug is
changed by the presence of another drug acting at the same biochemical or
molecular site (e.g., drug receptor or second messenger system), on the
same target organ, or on a different target but one that is associated with a
common physiological process essentially when one drug modulates the
pharmacologic effect of another by producing additive, synergistic or
antagonistic effects.
Conti…..
Additive effect
An effect in which two substances or actions used in
Combination produce total affect the same as the
sum of the individual effects.
synergistic effect