Abstract
Drug interactions, resulting from multiple drug therapies, can be attributed to (i) physicochemical factors, e.g., incompatibility of pharmaceutical preparations, (ii) pharmacokinetic factors, e.g., interference of absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion, or due to (iii) pharmacodynamic factors, e.g., interference at the target site or the associated signaling mechanism. Drug interactions may also occur between drugs and other xenobiotics such as food constituents, environmental pollutants and herbal products. These drug interactions produce dichotomous clinical outcomes: one that is beneficial, and one that is harmful. In many acute conditions where patients have already ended up with some compromised organ functions, both pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic factors can exacerbate the drug interaction problem and potentially result in toxicity. Pharmaceutical incompatibility of drug injection solutions is another potential cause of adverse drug interactions which should not be overlooked. A lack of knowledge on the various drug interactions is a major contributing factor to adverse drug reactions or therapeutic failures.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Further Reading
Boucher BA, Wood GC, Swanson JM. Pharmacokinetic changes in critical illness. Crit Care Clin. 2006;22:255–71.
British National Formulary (BNF) 59. London: BMJ Group and Pharmaceutical Press; March 2010. Appendix 1: Interactions; pp. 771–859.
Brunton L, Blumenthal D, Buxton I, Parker K, editors. Goodman & Gilman manual of pharmacology and therapeutics. 11th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2008.
Hughes SG. Prescribing for the elderly patient: why do we need to exercise caution? Br J Clin Pharmacol. 1998;46:531–3.
Lynch T, Price A. The effect of cytochrome P450 metabolism on drug response, interactions, and adverse effects. Am Fam Physician. 2007;76:391–6.
Murney P. To mix or not to mix – compatibilities of parenteral drug solutions. Aust Prescr. 2008;31(4):98–101.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Sim, D.S.M., Tan, C.H. (2015). Drug Interactions. In: Chan, Y., Ng, K., Sim, D. (eds) Pharmacological Basis of Acute Care. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10386-0_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10386-0_10
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-10385-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-10386-0
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)