Drug disease interaction
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| Certain drugs have the capability to exacerbate acute and/or chronic disorders. Beta-adrenergic blocking agents can precipitate and exacerbate diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and peripheral vascular disease. These drugs can also blunt the typical signs and symptoms of a hypoglycemic reaction in diabetic patients and alter insulin utilization in the body. These drugs and calcium channel modulators, particularly verapamil, have negative inotropic and negative chronotropic effects on the heart and can exacerbate diseases such as congestive heart failure. Prednisone can aggravate congestive heart failure and cause fluid overload. Because a number of these interactions may have an insidious onset, continuous long-term monitoring of patients may be needed. • Some common examples of drug-disease interactions are: • Furosemide (Lasix®) and Steroids may cause hyperglycemia, a problem more serious among diabetics, also Beta blockers may mask signs of hypoglycemia, a problem more serious among diabetics. • Digoxin (Lanoxin®) toxicity is more common among people with hypothyroidism, but inadequate therapeutic response to digoxin (Lanoxin®) is more common with hyperthyroidism. • Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs) increase the risk of bleeding, a problem more serious among people with histories of GI bleeding. |