Drug Interactions

• Get all medications at the same pharmacy. In this way the computer system can detect all your drug interactions by having access to your medication history.
• Give your pharmacist a list of all prescription and non-prescription medications you are taking if you do go to another pharmacy.
• Do not buy non-prescription medications or herbal therapies without first talking to your pharmacist or physician.
• Keep a list of the medications you are taking in your purse or wallet so it is available for all your health care providers, i.e. specialists, dentist, physician, pharmacist, nurse, nutritionist etc.
• Take medications exactly as prescribed.
• Be sure to go for all prescribed blood work. Sometimes the most appropriate response to a drug-drug interaction is to select a different medication. At other times the best choice is to use the two medications but carefully monitor the effects of the combination through blood work and urinalysis.
• Avoid grapefruit juice when taking atorvastatin, lovastatin, and simvastatin,
• Resins can decrease the absorbtion of other medications. Take other medications one hour before or four hours after taking cholestyramine or colestipol. Colesevelam is less likely to cause this problem.
• The use of fibrates (fenofibrate and gemfibrozil) with ezetimibe increases the risk for gallstones and is not recommended.
• Omacor, fenofibrate and gemfibrozil, fluvastatin, lovastatin, rosuvastatin and simvastatin may increase bleeding risk when taken with anticoagulants or antiplatelet agents. Caution should be exercised.