Remember those high school science fair volcanoes we all used to make, where you mixed some household chemicals (like baking soda and vinegar), and they would “explode”?
Credit: Mashable
Or how about the bombs that Simon made in Die Hard With A Vengeance, by mixing two chemicals together? (If you have not watched this movie, I reckon you should, because it’s awesome).
In both cases, two substances are innocuous when by themselves but, when put together, yield explosive results. The same can happen to your body when you mix two or more medications, including over-the-counter drugs. That’s why it’s always a good idea to consult an online interactions checker to learn about medication interactions, before you take the meds.
What’s An Interactions Checker?
It’s just a website where you input a list of medications, and it tells you about their potential interactions. It’s not a substitute for getting this information from your doctor. However, it’s a great layer of added protection, because:
- Doctors can make mistakes
- You can forget to tell a doctor about a drug you’re taking
- New research and warnings can come up between the time you talk to the doctor and the time you take the meds
- You might have not talked to a doctor at all, if you are only taking over the counter drugs or herbal supplements
Where Can I Find A Good Interactions Checker?
There are several websites that will tell you about medication interactions. Some of the best-know are:
The drugs.com checker
Summing It Up
Whether you are taking prescription meds, over the counter drugs, supplements, or a combination thereof, it’s always a good idea to take a minute or two for the extra step of consulting an online medication interactions checker. It’s a free tool that could potentially save your life.
Have you had any experiences with medication interactions, or interaction checkers?
This is very timely for me as I just was prescribed today for some eye medication. I will check the refernces you provided for interactions. 🙂
Awesome, so glad to be of help! I hope your eye gets better 🙂
This is great! Medication interactions or adverse reactions are one of the main reasons why people end up in emergency departments. Lots of things can interact with meds and meds can interact with each other. A lot of people take supplements thinking that they are natural but a lot of the time they can interact with prescription medications.
Thanks GYM! Yup, I always try to run the interactions check, it’s free and can save a life!
Do the sites you mention include medicine interaction with alcohol? This has always been a source of curiosity for me as I’ve had conflicting information.
Hi! I believe at least drugs.com does. It will usually list it as an interaction with food. Once you input the medications, it will not only list their interactions with each other, but with food (including alcohol) as well.
It’s definitely important to check out drug interactions before taking them. Although most prescription medications will come with some type of pamphlet detailing any possible side-effects, interactions, etc., I’m not sure how many people care to read through them.
Hi Enoch! The pamphlets are definitely helpful, although I also use the interactions checkers in case they have newer information and to make sure I’m not missing anything 🙂
Will check from now on, thanks!!!
You’re welcome!
Not only is this a good idea to do once, but regularly if you take maintenance medicines. Sometimes new interactions are discovered.
Totally agree, since medical information is updated all the time. Thanks!
Ha! You’re the healthcare I’ve been hoping for when I retire early! 😉
I work in the healthcare insurance industry and I can tell you this is like the holy grail – to take the data of the individuals scripts and run sophisticated machine learning to identify “bad cocktails”, since a number of MDs and providers just don’t talk to each other and have no big data powers at hand.
Hey Cubert!
Thanks! I had no idea that such was a way to find medication interactions, that’s fascinating!
I’ve come to use the interactions checkers every time I take a new medication (even OTC), just because I’ve had it happen that doctors have prescribed meds and not told me that they interact with each other.