Definition: Drug interactions occur in several ways: When one drug you are taking interacts with another drug that you are taking, when your medications interact with what you eat or drink, or when a medication interacts with an existing health condition.
Examples:
Drug-Drug Interactions: Combining aspirin with a prescription blood thinner such as Plavix (clopidogrel) can cause excessive bleeding.
Drug-Food Interactions: Many drugs are affected by grapefruit juice, which inhibits an enzyme in the intestine that normally breaks down certain drugs and hence allows more of a medication to enter the blood stream.
Drug-Condition Interactions: Diuretics, such as Hydrodiuril (hydrochlorothiazide), can increase blood sugar in people with diabetes.
