Drug Interaction Checker

When a medication works right, it boosts your health or helps you feel better. But a drug can bring on problems if it doesn't mix well with something else you put into your body, like another medication, a certain food, or alcohol.



drug interaction checker

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Drug-drug interaction. This is when a medication reacts with one or more other drugs. For example, taking a cough medicine (antitussive) and a drug to help you sleep (sedative) could cause the two medications to affect each other.


Drug-food/drink interaction. This is when something you eat or drink affects a drug. For instance, it can be dangerous to drink alcohol while you're on certain medications. Some vitamins and dietary supplements interact with medicines, too.


Drug-condition interaction. This is when you have a health problem that makes it risky for you to take certain meds. For example, if you have a condition like high blood pressure, taking a decongestant for a cold could drive up your blood pressure even more.


Two or more drugs that share an active ingredient. You could have side effects or an overdose. Active ingredients are the chemicals in medications that treat your condition or symptoms. Always check for them on the drug label.


Blood-thinning drugs with NSAIDs. Your odds for a dangerous bleed could go up. NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) are pain relievers like ibuprofen or naproxen. If you're on a blood thinner, ask your doctor to suggest a different type of over-the-counter pain medication and dose that's safer for you.


Grapefruit juice doesn't mix badly with every type of drug in these classes of medications. Check your drug's label or information pamphlet for any warnings about it. Also, ask your doctor or pharmacist if it's safe to have grapefruit or its juice in any amount with your specific drug. If they tell you to stop eating or drinking it, ask if any other fruits or juices might have similar effects on your medicine.






High-potassium foods and drinks, like bananas, salt substitutes, and orange juice. These can affect blood pressure drugs called ACE inhibitors. Your doctor will track your potassium levels, and they may tell you to cut back on foods with it.


St. John's wort. This herbal dietary supplement can affect many medications for heart disease, HIV, depression, and other conditions. It can also affect birth control pills and the cancer drugs irinotecan and imatinib.


Always get your doctor's or pharmacist's OK before you try a new supplement. It's also possible for a medication you take to interact with a health condition you have. Some common drug-condition interactions happen between:


It's important to take your medication as directed by your doctor or pharmacist. If two meds interact, spacing them apart during the day may not stop them from interacting and could lead to new or worse problems. To avoid an interaction, your doctor may need to change your dose or prescribe a different medication.


When two drugs can cause the same side effect and are used at the same time, they might cause more of that side effect. For example, if two drugs can each make you sleepy, taking them together can make you more or dangerously sleepy.


When the unwanted effects of one drug are the opposite of the desired effects of another drug, you might end up with less of the desired effects. For example, taking one medication that raises blood pressure as an unwanted effect may decrease the benefits of taking another medication to lower your blood pressure.


Most drugs that you swallow enter your blood through your intestines. Sometimes a drug or supplement can block or trap another drug in the intestine before it can be absorbed. For example, supplements like calcium and iron can prevent absorption of thyroid meds.


Your body has enzymes, such as the cytochrome p450 (CYP) and others, that process many types of medications. This is called metabolism. It also has a way to get rid of drugs, usually though your urine. Other drugs may speed up, slow down, or even completely block these functions. When this happens, the amount of drug in your body may increase (similar to taking too much) or decrease (similar to taking too little). Either way, this could cause serious problems.


Pharmacists are experts on medicine safety, and they can work with your doctors to help you avoid drug interactions. For example, if you have two doctors and they separately prescribe drugs that interact, your pharmacist can warn them -- and you -- before you have a problem.


Read labels carefully. Over-the-counter drug labels include information about possible drug interactions and the medication's active ingredients. Prescription medications usually come with a sheet that explains what the drug is and how to take it safely.


But most drug labels and patient handouts don't list every possible drug interaction. Talk to your pharmacist to get the full picture. They can also answer any questions about medical terms or jargon on the drug packages.


Drug-drug interactions: This is the most common type of drug interaction and involves one drug interacting with another. If you take many medicines, your chances for this type of interaction increases. For example, taking two medicines that cause drowsiness at the same time can increase this side effect.


Drug-food and drug-drink interactions: Food and drinks can change how medicines work or worsen side effects when they are combined. Examples include beverages like grapefruit juice and statins causing muscle pain, or alcohol and opioids leading to dangerously slowed breathing.


Drug-disease interactions: Your medical conditions can affect the way a drug works or lead to side effects. For example, taking a nasal decongestant like pseudoephedrine if you have high blood pressure may worsen your high blood pressure.


More and more medicines have interactions with food and drinks. Grapefruit and other juices can interfere with some medicines. In many cases it will cause the levels of drugs to increase in the blood, which can cause side effects.


Drug interactions with grapefruit juice are important because they occur with common medicines, like statins used to help lower cholesterol, drugs that help lower blood pressure or even treatments that fight cancer.


Your prescription bottle or other written information will explain if you should avoid grapefruit juice with your medicine. Your pharmacist may attach a special sticker to your bottle, or it may be found in printed instructions they give to you. If you have questions about food or drink interactions with your medicines, your pharmacist is a great resource.


Many medicines can have an interaction with alcohol, like wine, beer or spirits. This might interfere with your successful treatment or cause dangerous side effects. Mixing drugs like opioid pain medicines, sleeping pills or anxiety treatments with alcohol can be unsafe or even deadly. Always check to see if your medicines interact with alcohol before you combine the two.


Alcohol is itself a drug and may cause central nervous system side effects, like drowsiness, dizziness or fainting. When you combine it with other drugs that have similar side effects, your breathing may slow to dangerous or deadly levels. You might become unsteady and at risk for a fall or broken bone. Extra drowsiness can make it very dangerous for you to drive or perform hazardous activities.


Be sure to check your prescription drugs, as well as your over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, herbals, and dietary supplements like vitamins and minerals for alcohol interactions. Some cough and cold medicines may also contain alcohol, so be sure to check the labels.


While herbs and dietary supplements can be purchased over-the-counter (OTC) and may be labeled "all-natural", this does not always mean they are safe. Many of these products, just like prescription drugs, may have serious drug interactions.


For example, St. John's Wort, CoenzymeQ10, and even melatonin can interact with medicines like antidepressants, blood thinners like warfarin or even alcohol. These interactions can be just as serious as prescription medicines.


Because there's not always formal studies, some drug interactions with herbal products may not be known. Also, remember that herbal supplements are not subject to FDA review and have not usually been tested in clinical studies to prove their effectiveness or safety.


Your pharmacist can give you a better idea of what drug interactions may occur with any herbal or herbal dietary supplements you may be taking. Advice from your health care provider is your best option in preventing serious health effects from any drug interaction.


You can also use the Drugs.com Drug Interaction Checker to learn more. This tool explains what the interaction is, how it occurs, the level of importance and how to handle the drug interaction. It will also display any interactions between your chosen drugs, food, beverages, or a medical condition.


Keep an up-to-date list of your medications, over-the-counter products, vitamins, herbals, and medical conditions. Share this list with your doctor, pharmacist, and nurse at each visit so that they can also screen for possible drug interactions.


Be sure to let your healthcare team know about all of the medicines you take, including prescription drugs, OTC medicines, vitamins, and herbal and dietary supplements. Be sure not to stop taking any medicines without your doctor's approval first.


A drug-drug interaction describes a situation in which one drug affects the activity of another. Drugs may interact with each other to cause side effects that are unexpected or more severe than anticipated. Drugs may also interact and oppose the effects of one another, leading to one (or both) medications not having their intended effect.


Interactions can also occur between drugs and foods or drinks. Some medications benefit from being taken with food while others may work better on an empty stomach. There are some medications that cannot be taken alongside specific foods or drinks - such as metronidazole and alcohol - due to a risk of severe side effects.

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