YOU SHOULD BE CONSCIENTIOUS OF THIS POSSIBLY DANGEROUS DRUG INTERACTION.
The majority of Americans frequently take at least one prescription. However, it happens frequently that additional medications—whether they be over-the-counter (OTC) drugs or another prescription drug—come into play. Drug interactions can have negative effects in any scenario, which is why it’s crucial to understand how any medications you’re taking potentially interact and discuss any potential issues with your doctor. Doctors are now cautioning patients to exercise caution after a recent study exposed the dangers of mixing two widely used drugs. Discover which drug interactions could harm your liver by reading on.
The FDA alerts citizens of the United States of potential medication interactions.
You have access to innumerable pharmaceuticals, and there are limitless possible drug combinations. In light of this, the U.S. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cautions that combining two or more prescription medications or a prescription medication and an over-the-counter medication can be dangerous. If you’re not careful, this “may do more harm than good,” the FDA warns.
When two or more medications—whether they are prescribed or over-the-counter (OTC)—are taken together and interact with one another, the FDA states that a drug-drug interaction has taken place. The organization states that “certain drug interactions can make the drug you take less effective.” “And some medicine combinations can be harmful.”
A significant interaction that doctors were previously unaware of has recently been identified by a new study.
When combined, these medications have the potential to have negative effects.
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Depending on the other medications you’re taking in addition to the prescription you’re taking to treat COVID, you may be at risk. The risky drug interactions that Paxlovid, an oral COVID antiviral made by Pfizer, can have with other prescription drugs were emphasized in a recent study that was published on October 12 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The medicine COVID may have undesirable effects when combined with widely prescribed cardiovascular drugs, claims the study.
According to a news release from senior author of the study Sarju Ganatra, MD, director of the cardio-oncology division at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Massachusetts, “knowledge of the presence of drug-drug interactions of Paxlovid with popular cardiovascular medicines is crucial.” Drug-drug interactions could be included in electronic medical records as system-level treatments to assist prevent linked adverse events.
Your liver may be in jeopardy.
Patients should be especially aware of potential dangers when taking Paxlovid if they have been prescribed certain statins. According to the Mayo Clinic, statins are frequently used to decrease cholesterol and prevent heart attack and stroke. However, the recent study found that pairing some statins with Paxlovid may result in an interaction that is harmful to the liver.
According to additional information provided by the American College of Cardiology (ACC), the study’s researchers discovered two statins, simvastatin and lovastatin, may be responsible for this potentially harmful interaction. The ACC warned that taking these statins at the same time as Paxlovid “may result in elevated plasma levels and subsequently myopathy and rhabdomyolysis.” Rhabdomyolysis and myopathy are two types of muscle injury connected to liver illness.
Doctors advise against taking Paxlovid and these statins simultaneously.
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Simvastatin and lovastatin should be stopped before a patient starts taking Paxlovid, according to the ACC. At the same time, the organizations suggested that the dosages of the statin medications atorvastatin and rosuvastatin be decreased if the COVID medication was being used concurrently. The ACC continued, “The other statins are regarded safe when administered simultaneously with Paxlovid.”
Sometimes it may be more crucial for a patient to continue taking their prescribed statins than it is for them to receive Paxlovid treatment. Dr. Jayne Morgan, a cardiologist and clinical director of the Covid Task Force at Piedmont Hospital/Healthcare in Atlanta who was not involved in the new report, told CNN that there are some medications that you simply will not be able to stop taking.
