How to Check Prescription Drug Interactions

Prescription drug interactions may be dangerous.

Prescription drug interactions can have serious consequences. Some medications may enhance or decrease the effectiveness of another drug. This can occur with over-the-counter medications as well as with vitamins, minerals, herbal supplements and even some foods or drinks. Learn how your medications interact.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Gather all of your prescription medications -- even those you take only occasionally.

2. Get together all of the over-the-counter, herbal supplements, vitamins and mineral supplements, and even any teas that you drink that are made from herbs. They can sometimes interact with prescription medications.

3. Make a list of the all the items you have gathered. If prescription labels include both the the name brand and generic drug name, write down both.

4. Open a Web browser on your computer and navigate to a website that provides prescription drug interaction information. Follow onscreen instructions to input everything on your list.

5. Read thoroughly the results of the potential drug interactions. Print and save your results. Each time something changes or you add or take away, make sure to update this information.

6. Look up a specific medication or supplement to find out if there is a potential drug interaction, especially if you are concerned about a particular medicine. If there is a question or concern about a medication, ask your pharmacist to run a comparison in their system.

7. Talk with your physician if anything arises that might concern you.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep the medication list available for future reference. Take it along at each doctor's visit.

• don't rely just on a website, if you are concerned contact your doctor or pharmacist

• this article does not substitute for medical advise

References

• WebMD.com: Avoiding Drug Interactions
• DoubleCheckMD
• Drugs.com: Drug Interactions Checker

Resources

• How to Use Suboxone