Muse Treatment: The Dangers of Mixing Medications: A Guide to Lethal Drug Interactions

Just about any drug or substance can cause potential side effects on its own, including the possibility of symptoms of drug overdoses. That’s why it’s crucial to closely follow your doctor’s orders when it comes to taking even the safest and least dangerous prescription medications and why illegal street drugs should be avoided entirely. However, the risks can greatly increase when substances are taken together or shortly after one another, and interactions can range from unpleasant feelings to life-threatening dangers that affect our breathing, blood pressure, cognitive functioning, and much more. Before we detail the possible combinations that make up the fatal drug interaction list, let’s explain what a drug interaction is and why it occurs.

According to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), drug interactions happen when some kind of substance and a drug react poorly to one another, which can cause the medication to work less effectively, too strongly, or even threaten the life of the user. Drug interactions are in one of three general categories, such as a drug-drug interaction, when two or more drugs react with each other and lead to side effects. Drugs can also interact with food or beverages, especially alcohol or even a common ingredient in a meal. Lastly, drug-condition interactions are possible when a person’s medical condition can make a drug more dangerous. Think of something like high blood pressure that becomes exacerbated by taking a decongestant, for example.

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What Are Some Serious Drug Interaction Side Effects?

As we said earlier, a drug taken alone can be dangerous enough. Consider, for example, the potential for toxic brain injury and other opioid overdose effects. However, when substances are combined, they can end up on the serious and even fatal drug interaction list. Let’s explore some of the more common effects that can come about from drug interactions, according to Drugs.com:

Fatigue
Dizziness, nausea, or vomiting
Diarrhea and upset stomach
Muscle aches or body pains
Depression or anxiety
Poor performance from a medication
Rashes
Increased or decreased heart rate or blood pressure

While many of these symptoms are unpleasant, others can truly threaten the lives of the person who is suffering from them—especially if a drug interaction affects their heart, brain, lungs, or other major organs.

Which Drug Interactions Are Dangerous?

When considering how to respond to an overdose of drugs or looking at the fatal drug interaction list, it’s particularly important to understand the types of drug interactions that can be especially dangerous. Many interactions can cause severe health problems. For example, taking two drugs at the same time that boost the level of serotonin in the brain can lead to a rare but potentially life-threatening condition known as serotonin syndrome. Some drugs taken together can be particularly hard for the body to metabolize or break down, leading to severe strain and even permanent damage to the liver or kidneys. Other interactions can greatly affect a person’s breathing or heart rate, either raising them to dangerously high levels or dropping levels so low that the person can lapse into a coma or stop breathing entirely. Another type of interaction is when two drugs react to amp up their performance, which can cause a safe and necessary medication like a blood thinner to be too powerful and cause dangerous bleeding.

fatal drug interaction list

What Are Two Drugs That Cannot Be Taken Together?

On the fatal drug interaction list, many illegal or illicit substances can cause severe problems if taken with another substance. Illegal fentanyl is especially dangerous because it is so potent, and users have no idea how much they’re consuming when they take an illicit pill or tablet. It can quickly affect how they breathe and lead to coma or even death as it interacts with other substances. Cocaine and heroin are another example of extremely dangerous drugs to take together. Alcohol and cocaine, also, can be a dangerous or fatal combination.

According to MedicineNet, there are seven specific dangerous combinations of medicines to avoid:

Alcohol and Opioids: Because alcohol and opioids both slow down brain functions, the combination of the two can slow the body too much, leading to slow breathing, coma, and even death.

Opioids and Benzodiazepines: Both drugs are sedatives, and this can make the user feel drowsy and eventually slow down the main functioning of the brain.

Warfarin and Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen: Warfarin, an anti-clotting medication, can interact poorly with common over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen or ibuprofen. If taken together, the user can experience life-threatening bleeding.

PDE-5 Inhibitors and Nitrates: PDE-5 inhibitors like Viagra and nitrates both dilate or expand blood vessels. If taken together, this can cause dangerously low blood pressure.

Statins and Amiodarone: Statins, which lower cholesterol levels, can be countered by this other drug that is used to treat irregular heartbeat. This means that the body can’t break down or metabolize the statins, and that can lead to a high rate of toxins in the liver.
ACE Inhibitors and Potassium: ACE inhibitors are an important tool for lowering blood pressure, and potassium supplements can help people who don’t have enough potassium in their diets. However, ACE inhibitors increase the level of potassium, and that’s why taking them at the same time as supplements can lead to a toxic amount of potassium in the system.

What Are the Top 10 Most Common Drug Interactions to Date?

It’s hard to definitively narrow down the list of the most common drug interactions, simply because this will vary depending on the population you’re considering. Older adults or young children, for example, can be especially susceptible to certain interactions that are less likely to cause problems in adults. However, there are some common interactions to look out for, according to Med Ed 101:

Warfarin and Bactrim: The level of blood thinner warfarin can increase too much if taken with the antibiotic Bactrim, which inhibits an enzyme that breaks down warfarin.
Amiodarone and Levofloxacin: The heart’s left ventricles can function dangerously slow if these two medications are taken together, leading to an irregular heart rhythm.
Phenytoin and Fluconazole: Taken together, these two medications can cause a toxic amount of phenytoin, which is used to control and prevent seizures.
Ciprofloxacin and Calcium: Some antibiotics, including ciprofloxacin, won’t be absorbed correctly if taken with calcium supplements.
NSAIDs and Warfarin: Taking over-the-counter pain relievers with blood thinners like warfarin can greatly increase the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding.
PDE-5 Inhibitors and Nitrates: As we said earlier, taking inhibitors such as Viagra with nitrates can dangerously lower blood pressure.
Benzodiazepines and Opioids: Both drugs slow down brain function, and when combined, a person can stop breathing.
Diphenhydramine and Donepezil: Dementia patients who take this medication with something like diphenhydramine for sleep can see the efficacy of their anti-dementia medication greatly decrease.
Ace OR ARB/Diuretics/NSAIDs: All of these medications affect our kidneys, and taken together, this can cause kidney failure or severe damage.
Citalopram and Omeprazole: The antidepressant citalopram can interact poorly with heartburn medication omeprazole, leading to heart problems or an irregular heartbeat.

Avoid the Fatal Drug Interaction List with Help from Muse Treatment

While the fatal drug interaction list is scary, many things can be done to minimize the risk of major problems. Most importantly, patients need to ensure their doctors know about everything they’re taking before starting a new medication. Even common herbal supplements or vitamins and over-the-counter medicines can interact with medications, so tell them everything you’re taking. Another crucial way of avoiding fatal drug interactions is to not use illegal or illicit drugs, which can greatly increase the risk of problems, organ damage, and overdoses.

If you or a loved one is struggling with drug or alcohol abuse and worried about the risks of drug interactions, help is available. In Los Angeles, Muse Treatment offers specialized programs to treat prescription drug addiction and other types of substance use disorders. Our compassionate team can help you be healthier and free of the risks of drug interactions. Learn more about how we can help by calling us at 800-426-1818 today.