Many of us rely on certain medications at some point in our lives. These can be common over-the-counter drugs such as painkillers like paracetamol or ibuprofen to assist with headaches or back pain, or something more specialist like blood pressure medications or certain antidepressants.
Whatever the medication you take they will come with some level of caution around how to safely use them.
Some may also be risky when combined with other drugs, an expert has warned.
Pharmacist Abbas Kanani, from Chemist Click, warned of five drug combinations you should avoid as they could be dangerous.
“Combining medications can put your health at risk and may increase side effects or cause more severe health issues,” he explained. “Sometimes new symptoms can emerge from drug interactions, which might be mistaken for a new condition.
“The opposite can also happen where the effectiveness is reduced which can put you at risk of not having the correct dosage for your condition.”
Medicine interactions can be as serious as affecting your blood pressure or heart rate, he said.
Abbas continued: “Organ damage particularly if the medications are metabolised by the same organs, such as liver or kidney damage can also occur when there is chronic use of interacting medications.
“You may also increase your risk of an allergic reaction, which can be anything from mild rashes to severe anaphylaxis, a life threatening condition.”
With this in mind he shared the five medicinal combinations to avoid.
1. Over the counter anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen and naproxen with blood thinners, such as warfarin
According to Abbas, this can lead to an increased risk of bleeding.
He said: “Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can increase the risk of bleeding when taken with blood thinners. Both medications affect blood clotting and gastrointestinal bleeding can occur when taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs”.
2. Certain antibiotics such as erythromycin and clarithromycin with statins
He advised that these have an increased risk of muscle damage, known as rhabdomyolysis.
“Antibiotics can increase the concentration of statins in the blood,” he added.
3. Migraine medication and antidepressants
Abbas said: “Triptans used to treat acute migraines and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors used to treat depression increase serotonin levels”.
Too much serotonin can be known as serotonin syndrome and causes signs and symptoms that can range from mild (shivering and diarrhoea) to severe (muscle rigidity, fever and seizures).
4. Oral contraceptives and some antibiotics, such as rifampin
“Some antibiotics can decrease the effectiveness of birth control tablets,” he warned.
5. Antacids and some antibiotics such as tetracycline and ciprofloxacin
He advised: “Antacids can prevent the absorption of antibiotics because they bind to them. Take antibiotics two hours before, or four hours after acid reflux medication”
Abbas added: “You should always speak to your GP or pharmacist if you wish to take two different medicines at the same time. Having regular check-ups and blood tests will help to monitor the effects of drug combinations and if necessary adjustments to dosages can be made.”