What Is the Medical Name for Drug Interaction?
Understanding medical terminology can increase your advocacy skills and boost participation in your own medical care. Knowing drug interaction terminology helps you manage your daily medications while avoiding dangerous medication combinations.
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Facts
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Drug interactions can involve three types, and each type has a name. Each type of interaction reflects the behavior of drug combinations. The names cover interactions between prescription medications, over-the-counter medications and combinations of both medication classes.
Alteration
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One medication may change the way your body metabolizes other medications. According to Merck Medical Library, some alterations stimulate the liver, causing the premature filtering of medications from the bloodstream.
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Antagonism
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One medication may partially block another medication's effects, and some combinations cancel each other out. Doctors may use a medication's antagonist to ease undesirable side effects.
Duplication
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Medications taken together and having the same effect are called duplications. If you take an over-the-counter medication containing acetaminophen with a prescribed nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug containing acetaminophen, you duplicate the effects that acetaminophen has on the body.
Considerations
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As people age and take more medications, drug interactions are more likely. Doctors and pharmacists should know a patient's daily medications, so undesirable and unnecessary interactions are avoided.
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