NEWS: The Age 23 Nov 05: Aspirin dangers revealed

[BigTrancer]

Aspirin dangers revealed
By Carol Nader
November 23, 2005

ASPIRIN has emerged as the drug with the greatest potential to cause problems if it interacts adversely with other drugs.

An analysis of emergency department presentations reveals that while aspirin is not a prescription drug, doctors often prescribe it to patients with cardiac disease or to prevent stroke.

Previous research suggests about 1 per cent of all hospital admissions are due to patients suffering the adverse effects of drug interaction.

A study of 409 patients who attended the Royal Melbourne Hospital's emergency department and who were taking two or more drugs has identified 855 potential drug interactions. Aspirin was involved in 237 interactions. About 62 per cent of patients who were taking multiple medication could have had a potential interaction.

The hospital's director of emergency medicine research, Associate Professor David Taylor, said 15.3 per cent of the total number of potential interactions were "major" — where someone could become seriously ill or die. About 71 per cent were moderate, and 13.5 per cent minor.

While none of those in the study actually suffered adverse reactions, a computer software program was used to detect potential interactions between drugs the patients were taking.

The research, conducted between November last year and March this year, will be presented at an emergency medicine conference in Melbourne tomorrow.

Professor Taylor said the more drugs people took, the greater the potential of drug interaction and that doctors needed to be cautious when prescribing. "There can be a change in the potency or efficiency in one drug that's affected by the other one. One drug might increase the effect of the other drug or one drug might decrease the effect of the other drug," he said.

Professor Taylor said the fact that no one in the study suffered an adverse reaction suggested the risk of the interactions might be small, and the benefits of taking the drugs outweighed the risks.

From: http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/aspirin-dangers-revealed/2005/11/22/1132421665964.html

BigTrancer

 

[phase_dancer]

Just when aspirin is yet claimed to have a possible role in curing some cancers.

I'm not at all surprised there are so many adverse reactions related to multi-drug interactions. It would be interesting to see the results of the software program. It would also be nice to think that one day all GP's will have such a convenient tool at their disposal. At the "touch of a button" a patient about to be prescribed drug X could have his currently prescribed medications crosschecked for possible interactions.

 

[nanobrain]

did they mix up aspirin with paracetamol?

 

[charlesbronson]

It would also be nice to think that one day all GP's will have such a convenient tool at their disposal. At the "touch of a button" a patient about to be prescribed drug X could have his currently prescribed medications crosschecked for possible interactions.

That kind of software is nothing new; the obligation to use it and to detect potential interactions should rest with the pharmacist moreso than the GP. I think most dispensing software incorporates automatic drug interaction screening (well it ought to anyway), crosschecking against prior dispensing records for a given patient. But drug-interaction software is readily available at the moment.

As the article states about aspirin, many of the potential interactions arise with OTC and prescription drug combinations, and often the OTC therapies aren't recorded in patient files. In cases like that, the GP and pharmacist should be the ones inquiring about any other drugs or supplements that the patient is using, but communication is rarely fluid and efficient enough to convey all necessary info.

Similar oversights also occur when patients are on multiple medications but aren't collecting them all at a single pharmacy, and information about all drugs being used is not exchanged between patient and healthcare provider.

Just when aspirin is yet claimed to have a possible role in curing some cancers.

publicity is never too slow to shift the tone of opinion ey!

 

[happygirl]

its also the pharmacist job to help with interactions. But this only happens if a patient goes to the same pharmacy