If you are taking any kind of prescription medication, over-the-counter medication, vitamin or natural supplement, it is important to make sure you know if it is safe to take them at the same time A drug interaction occurs when a medication’s actions or effectiveness is affected or altered by another substance, such as another medication or supplement, or even food or drink. In other words, there are some medications that you should not take while taking other medications. Here are some simple tips to help you be as safe as possible.
1 – Avoid taking natural supplements if you do not know if they will cause interactions with your prescription medications.
2- Know WHY and HOW to take our medications. Should they be taken on an empty stomach? Do they need to be taken at a certain time of day, or spaced a certain number of hours before or after taking a supplement?
3 – Fill your prescription with the same pharmacy or same Canadian pharmacy service to ensure that there is a single, complete record of all of your prescription medications. This will help make sure any potential interactions and conflicts are flagged.
4 – Know which foods and drinks might interact with your medications. Some drinks like cranberry juice or grapefruit juice or alcohol, which may interact with some of your medications. Ask your pharmacist about what to avoid.
5 – Consult with your doctor and pharmacist! When you are given a new prescription medication it usually comes with an information sheet which lists, among other things, drug interactions to be aware of. Tell your doctor and pharmacist about any other medications or supplements you might be taking and ASK them if it is safe to take your new prescription with them.
