A Must-Know Guide to Drug-Drug Interactions Drug-drug
interactions can occur when you are taking more than one
medication or drug. One medication can interfere with or alter
the effects of one or more of the other medications you take.
Such interactions can be dangerous because they can alter the
way one or both of the drugs act in the body. They can also
cause unexpected side effects. Interactions can increase the
action of medications, decrease their actions, or result in a
different and less predictable effect from the combination of
drugs. A common misperception is that only prescription
medications have the potential to interact with each other. But
over-the-counter medicines also may result in drug-drug
interactions when combined with prescription medications or with
other over-the-counter medicines, vitamins or herbal products.
The following information can help you avoid drug-drug
interactions. Not all drug-drug interactions are alike.
Sometimes when drugs interact, the overall effect of one or more
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