Medicine abuse

Medicine interactions

The modern reception of two or more medicines can lead to an interaction that will have as consequence the reduction or the increase of action of one of them.

The interactions are divided in two categories:

a) Those that influence the benefit of medicine in its place of action in the organism (pharmacokinetics) and

b) Those that change the correspondence of organism (pharmacodynamics).

A) Pharmacokinetics interactions

The passage of medicine in the organism passes from the stages of reception, absorption (gastrointerine), metabolism (liver) and kidneys. Interaction with other medicines in these stages can cause increase or reduction of quantity of medicine that reaches in the place of action.

Interactions that cause reduction of medicine in the organism can emanate:

a) From decreased absorption by the gastrointerine tube. This reduction can decrease the therapeutic result. An example is the simultaneous reception of iron and tetracycline which shape chemical unions and their absorption is decreased.

b) From the induction of hepatic ferments that metabolize the medicines. The induction of hepatic ferments is translated in increase of rhythm of metabolism and reduction of availability of the inductive medicine in the organism. Known inductions are smoking and chronic alcoholism. Medicines, of which the concentrations in plasma are decreased with the mechanism of induction, can at the interruption of reception of the inductive medicine increase dramatically even up to toxic limits.

c) From the suspension of the medicine from the target-cells.

Interactions that cause increase of medicine in the organism can emanate:

a) From the suspension of hepatic ferments that metabolize the medicines. The suspension is translated in increased and extended duration concentrations of medicine that can cause serious undesirable side effects.

b) From the suspension of kidney discharge that can lead to increased concentrations of medicine to the organism.

c) From the deportation of medicine from the plasma proteins. The places of connection of medicines with the plasma proteins are not special and a medicine can displace another increasing the quantity of non-aligned medicine in the plasma.

B) Pharmacodynamic interactions

They are concerned with the pharmacological action of medicines and happen between medicines with similar or competitive action. They are the most frequent interactions that can be presented in patients. Favorable ones can be used in therapeutics for the achievement of better therapeutic result. However, there are undesirable ones that can be serious. For example the modern use of aspirin and anticoagulants increases the danger of bleeding.

Interactions with alcohol

For those medicines which interact with alcohol (report above) even with the tiniest quantity of alcohol in the blood, the consequences can be serious and involve heavy clinical symptomatology.

The importance of interactions

The knowledge of serious interactions of medicines in the therapeutics is very important. It requires attention and it is essential the doctor and your pharmacist to know which medicines you receive before they grant other, because the gravity of interactions varies from patient to patient.

Particular attention is required in the issuing of medicines in the following cases:

• Patients with chronic diseases as hypertension, diabetes, cardiopathy etc
• Old people and patients with hepatic and kidney dysfunction
• Patients that receive psychiatric medicines and depressives of the KNS
• Patients that receive anti-allergic medicines
• Patients that receive antibiotics, anti-fungi
• Patients that receive anticoagulants
• Patients in hormonal treatment