How to Check Prescription Drug Interactions

When taking any type of medication, it is important to pay careful attention to its potential for drug interactions. Today, many people take a combination of prescription and over-the-counter medications to treat a variety of illnesses. While these medications are helpful for treating many different symptoms, it is essential to stay on guard for potential problems such as an allergic reaction or dangerous drug interaction that can lead to life-threatening symptoms in the patients who take the wrong medications together. Here, are the best tips for those who need to know how to check prescription drug interactions.

Gather All Medications
The first step to knowing how to check prescription drug interactions is to gather all of the medications that a person takes in one place. This should include prescription medications, over-the-counter medications and any herbal supplements or vitamins that a person takes on a regular basis. When gathering medications, a person should also note any teas or other types of foods that contain a large amount of herbs because these can also cause a potential drug interaction.

Make a List
Once all of the medications have been gathered, it will be time to make a list of every medication and supplement that a person takes to treat a health condition. When making this list, it is important to note both the brand and generic name of the medication. If a person is not sure of the medication’s name, then they should consult their pharmacist to find out for sure. This important step is very helpful for knowing how to check prescription drug interactions.

Do an Online Search
After making a list of all known medications that a person takes, then it will be time to begin looking up more information regarding how to check prescription drug interactions. This can be done by entering the name of the medications into a search engine designed for helping people to recognize potential drug interactions. Generally, there will be a simple set of instructions for entering the medication names. After the names have been entered, a printable result list will then be generated.

Read the Results
After performing an online search, a person will be given a list of potential interactions. Reading and understanding this list is essential for preventing potentially dangerous drug interactions. Although most of this information will be self-explanatory, it is important for a person to note that any confusing information should always be directed to a person’s physician or pharmacist. This is especially true for anyone who discovers that the medications they take on a regular basis may have a dangerous interaction.

Talk to a Physician
When researching drug interactions, a person may discover that they are taking a dangerous combination of medications. In this case, they will need to contact their physician before making any changes to their dosage or medication schedule. This way, they can be certain that their health will be safeguarded during the transition.

Knowing how to check prescription drug interactions is essential for keeping a person safe and healthy. Many times, a person may unknowingly be taking a dangerous combination of medications that could have a negative interaction. By gathering a list of all of the medications that a person takes, including vitamins and herbal supplements, a person will be able to look up information to ensure that the medications they take will not have a dangerous interaction.

About this Angie’s List Expert: Cary Byrd is the president and founder of eDrugSearch.com. Based in San Antonio, eDrugSearch.com is a free cost comparison engine that helps consumers get safe access to affordable medications and advocates licensed online pharmacies as a widely accepted alternative.