Each time you are prescribed a new medication, ask your physician if it can be combined safely with your other therapies. Talk to your health care provider about making a 'medicine checkup' part of your regular visits, and discuss how best to monitor for potential drug interactions. Bring the Drug Interactions Fact Sheet with you to your appointment. Drug interactions can take various forms, occurring immediately or over several weeks. Some drugs simply should not be used together, while others can be combined only if accompanied by careful monitoring to detect emergency problems.
Interactions can also occur when one therapy alters the effect of another.
A common interaction can occur when two drugs have similar toxicity profiles. For example, both ddI and ddC can cause peripheral neuropathy, a tingling or pain in the legs, hands or feet. It is not recommended that they be used together because the similar side effects of the two drugs may increase the potential for neuropathy. Similarly, AZT and ganciclovir, a treatment for CMV, may both cause bone marrow suppression, resulting in anemia. In addition, higher blood levels of a drug increase the chance of potential toxicity.