A drug interaction occurs when a drug interacts with another drug, food or supplement or when it is taken while you have certain medical conditions. It is estimated that 3-26% of all adverse drug reactions may require hospitalisation due to drug-drug interactions (DDI) .
Poly-pharmacy is becoming very prevent especially among the elderly. For poly-pharmacy the number of drugs ranges from 5 to 10. The combined medications may result in undesired pharmacodynamic or pharmacokinetic interactions, leading to under-treatment or harmful effects.
In developing countries one study showed that the most common drugs that potentially contribute to DDI were ciprofloxacin, theophylline, warfarin, aminophylline, alprazolam, levothyroxine and selegiline.
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