Specifically, drugs that slow down breathing rate, such as opioids, alcohol, antihistamines, CNS depressants, or general anesthetics, should not be taken together because these combinations increase the risk of life-threatening respiratory depression.
Risks of Taking Multiple Medicines
There are several risks when taking multiple medicines. You may be more likely to have side effects. Because most medicines can have side effects, the more medicines you take, the more likely you will have side effects. Taking certain medicines can also increase the risk for falls.
Drug-drug interactions occur when two or more drugs react with each other. This drug-drug interaction may cause you to experience an unexpected side effect.
A drug interaction is a reaction between two (or more) drugs or between a drug and a food, beverage, or supplement. Taking a drug while having certain medical conditions can also cause a drug interaction.
It's safe to take ibuprofen with paracetamol or codeine. But do not take ibuprofen with similar painkillers like aspirin or naproxen without talking to a pharmacist or doctor. Ibuprofen, aspirin and naproxen belong to the same group of medicines called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
1. The more meds you take, the higher the risk of harmful drug interactions. Having multiple meds in your system can cause them to work differently than they're supposed to—and may even make them less effective.
To avoid the interaction you may need to space the timing of your doses, taking each drug 2 hours before or 4 hours after the other drug.
Pharmacodynamic effects can also cause medication interactions. When two or more drugs are combined they may cancel each other out, which may cause one or all of the drugs to have no benefit.
If you take a drug that was meant for someone else, you could experience an allergic reaction, an interaction with other medications or serious side effects. The person who shared the drug may also experience side effects from not taking the intended amount of medication or for the prescribed timeframe.
Taking more than five medications is called polypharmacy. The risk of harmful effects, drug interactions and hospitalizations increase when you take more medications.
Overmedication is an overutilization of medication wherein a patient takes voluntarily, or is prescribed, unnecessary or excessive medications. While not strictly a medical condition, common symptoms may include: slurred speech, drowsiness, confusion, and poor motor skills.
A medicine written 4 times daily should roughly be taken 4 or 5 hours apart while you are awake assuming you wake up at 7 am and go to bed at 10 pm, for example: 7 am (when you wake up) 12 noon (midday) 4 pm (late afternoon)
Examples: Acetazolamide (Diamox), carbamazepine (Tegretol), gabapentin (Neurontin), lamotrigine (Lamictal), levetiracetam (Keppra), oxcarbazepine (Trileptal), pregabalin (Lyrica), rufinamide (Banzel), topiramate (Topamax), valproic acid (Depakote) and zonisamide (Zonegran).
Traditionally, the “elderly” are considered to be those persons age 65 and older.
Benefits and risks.
Acetaminophen is generally considered safer than other pain relievers. It doesn't cause side effects such as stomach pain and bleeding. However, taking more than the recommended dose or taking acetaminophen with alcohol increases the risk of kidney damage and liver failure over time.
What painkiller does not affect the liver? Acetaminophen (paracetamol), when taken in reduced doses (maximum 2–3 grams per day), is generally considered to be the safest pain relief option for your liver.
What is the safest painkiller to use? Paracetamol tends to have fewer side-effects than other over-the-counter painkillers. Ibuprofen and aspirin can cause stomach problems. Paracetamol is often better for people with conditions that cause bleeding.
Some common types of OTC medicines you may need to avoid include: Decongestants, such as those that contain pseudoephedrine. Pain medicines (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen and naproxen. Cold and influenza (flu) medicines.
People taking ACE inhibitors or ARBs should limit their intake of high-potassium foods like bananas, oranges, avocados, tomatoes, white and sweet potatoes and dried fruits —, especially apricots.
John's wort, garcinia cambogia, L-tryptophan (or 5-HTP) and SAMe (S-adenosyl-methionine) supplements with your antidepressant. Consumer Labs says they can increase your risk of experiencing serotonin syndrome.