Evaluation of the incidence of drug interactions in elderly patients with

hypertension
Roxana Lupei, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Victor Babes, Timisoara
Faculty of Pharmacy, 5th year, group 6

Introduction: Polypathological elderly patients present to the general practitioner for a

prescription, to attenuate the symptoms and slower the progression of the disease. For these
purposes several medications are prescribed and some have the potential to interact, resulting
different side effects. Drug interactions can occur between molecules from different classes of
antihypertensives or antihypertensives and other classes of drugs. This can lead to serious side
effects, such as: poor hypertension control, arrhythmias, orthostatic hypotension and renal
impairment. The number of drug-drug interactions grows proportionally with the number of
drugs prescribed.
Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to outline the drug-drug interactions found in a number of
recipes prescribed in Timisoara, in the period August - November and the possible consequences
upon patients.
Materials and methods: The prescriptions were collected from two pharmacies and one
hospital, located in Timisoara, between August and November 2012. All the data was organized
in Excel files and processed with the Interactions Checker program provided by
www.drugs.com. Further, a statistical program will be used to determine the most prescribed
antihypertensive drugs, the most common interactions with clinically important effects on
patients and the prevalence of the most dangerous interactions.
Results: The results were classified in three categories: major, moderate and minor depending on
the gravity of the effects on the patient. Most interactions are classified as moderate. In this case,
it is advised to monitor the patient and dosage adjustments may be required.
Conclusion: This study outlines the most often drug misassociations presented in practice and
the potentially clinically significant side effects derived from this association.