Polypharmacy and Beyond: A Review of Drug Interactions

Course overview

A patient walks into a pharmacy to pick up their half dozen prescription medications. Do they have any drug-drug or drug-food interactions? More likely than not, yes. One of the fundamental roles that we pharmacists serve is to be the medication experts, highlighted never more so than when interpreting drug interactions for severity or actual concern. With multiple drug interaction review databases available, and all with varying explanations for the same drug interactions, we, as healthcare professionals, are absolutely needed to decipher and explain tangible medication concerns. One of the most fundamental and pivotal roles of a pharmacist, and the entire pharmacy team, is performing a drug utilization review including a drug interaction check. Hands down, one of the defining efforts of our profession. However, pharmacists often juggle intense schedules and an overabundance of software-flagged drug interactions. In this discussion, we will review a multitude of CYP450, pharmacogenetic, transporter, and overlapping sedative drug interactions, along with concerning resultant symptoms, such as the infamous Serotonin Syndrome, relevant to patient care. Any licensed healthcare professional with a pulse is aware of various drug interactions such as opioids and benzos, but just how does one handle a patient scenario involving the two? Join us for a dynamic discussion on what to do with our hands and voices when it comes to many common and concerning drug interactions.