Healthy Living for Elders: Are You at Risk for Drug Interactions?¹

Jennifer Hillan²

Drugs (prescription medications and over-the-counter products) and dietary supplements (vitamins, minerals, or herbals) may interact with each other or the food you eat and cause harmful reactions. To see if you are at risk for drug interactions, circle Yes or No for the following questions.

Table 1.

1.	Do you take two or more medications each day?	Yes	No
2.	Do you purchase prescriptions at more than one pharmacy?	Yes	No
3.	Do you have prescriptions from more than one doctor?	Yes	No
4.	Do you ever take your medications with grapefruit juice?	Yes	No
5.	Do you take dietary supplements (vitamins, minerals, or herbals) that you haven't discussed with your doctor or pharmacist?	Yes	No
6.	Do you ever take medications without first reading the instructions and warning labels?	Yes	No
7.	Do you think that drugs bought without a prescription always are safe to use?	Yes	No
8.	Do you ever take a larger dose than the doctor recommends?	Yes	No
9.	Have you ever taken a drug prescribed for someone else?	Yes	No

If you answered Yes to any of the questions, you may be at risk for a drug interaction. The more “yes” answers you have, the greater your risk. Be sure to talk to your doctor or pharmacist about all the drugs you are taking to reduce your risk for harmful interactions.

Footnotes

This is document FCS 8621-ENG, one in a series of the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611. Origianl publication date: March 2004. Revised: June 2008 This leaflet was developed with funding from the Florida Department of Elder Affairs in partnership with state, county, and local agencies. Please visit the EDIS Web site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu

Jennifer Hillan, MSH, RD, LD/N, former ENAFS nutrition educator/trainer, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611. Reviewed by Linda B. Bobroff, PhD, RD, LD/N, professor, University of Florida.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Millie Ferrer, Interim Dean.

Healthy Living for Elders: Are You at Risk for Drug Interactions?1

Footnotes

Healthy Living for Elders: Are You at Risk for Drug Interactions?¹