Drug Interactions: A Comprehensive Update | Chapter 6 | Modern Advances in Pharmaceutical Research Vol. 1
Possibility of occurrence of drug interactions increases with the number of drugs administered. Drug interactions can be classified in a number of ways using different basis as well as terminology. Drugs may interact with other drugs, foods, beverages, contrast media, and herbs; outside or inside the body. The term “drug-condition interaction” is sometimes used when the existing medical condition makes certain drugs potentially harmful. Knowledge of In vitro interactions is essential to avoid loss of activity of drugs before administration. Although every theoretical drug interaction may not manifest in practice, “drug interactions” is a prominent cause of adverse or undesired events related to drug administration or treatment failure. Amongst the herbs, St. John’s wort has a potential of producing significant drug interactions due to its capacity to induce metabolism of number of drugs. In vivo interactions at pharmacokinetic level affect absorption, distribution, biotransformation...