April 4th, 2009
Understanding Drug-Drug Interactions
A drug-drug interaction involves one drug affecting the activity of another usually when both are concurrently administered. Such interactions can result in the reduced or enhanced activity of one or both drugs. While many forms of drug-drug interactions exist, most can be broadly classified into interactions that involve the travel of the drug once administered (pharmacokinetic) or the action of the drug on the body (pharmacodynamic).
Drug-drug interactions that affect the travel of drugs in the body can be further understood as those that affect absorption into the bloodstream, distribution within the body, breakdown into different products or removal from the body.