Cannabinoids might affect activity of other pharmaceuticals

Kent Vrana, professor and chair of pharmacology at the College of Medication, and Paul Kocis, a pharmacist at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, assembled a list of 57 medications that may not work as planned when used with medical cannabinoids, CBD oil (hemp oil) and medical or leisure cannabis. The list was published in the journal Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids

The medications on the list have a narrow therapeutic index, suggesting they are prescribed at specific dosages– adequate to be effective, but insufficient to cause damage. Vrana says it’s important for physician to think about the list when prescribing medical cannabinoids and how it may affect other medications a patient is taking.

To develop the list, the researchers took a look at the prescribing information for four prescription cannabinoid medications. This information consisted of a list of enzymes in the body that process the active ingredients in those medications, which can include delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). They compared this info against recommending details from typical medications utilizing details available from regulative agencies like the U.S. Fda to recognize where there may be overlap, called a drug-drug interaction.

The list contains a variety of drugs from heart medications to prescription antibiotics and antifungals. As one example, scientists recognized warfarin, a common anticoagulant that prevents harmful blood clots from forming, as having a prospective drug-drug interaction with cannabinoid products. Typically prescribed for patients with atrial fibrillation or following cardiac valve replacement, the drug has a narrow therapeutic index, and Vrana cautions that doctor consider this prospective drug-drug interaction both when prescribing warfarin to patients on prescription cannabinoids or prescribing cannabinoids to a client taking warfarin.

The researchers state that doctor must also think about client use of CBD oil items and medical and leisure cannabis when utilizing or prescribing drugs on the recognized list. Most of those items lack federal government guideline and there is little to no prescribing or drug-drug interaction info for those products.

” Uncontrolled products typically include the very same active components as medical cannabinoids, though they may exist in different concentrations,” Vrana said. “The drug-drug interaction details from medical cannabinoids might work as medical professionals think about the possible effect of over the counter or illicit cannabinoid products.”

Vrana recommends that clients be truthful with their healthcare companies about their use of cannabinoid items– from non-prescription items to leisure cannabis. He states that doing so can assist guarantee the safe and efficient use of recommended medications.

In addition to the identified list of 57 prescription medications with a narrow restorative index that is possibly impacted by concomitant cannabinoid use, an extensive list of 139 medications that could have a potential drug-drug interaction with a cannabinoid is available online. Vrana and Kocis plan to routinely upgrade this drug-drug interaction list as more recent medications are approved and real-world evidence collects.

Kent Vrana received a sponsored research study contract from PA Alternatives for Health, a medical marijuana supplier and scientific registrant in Pennsylvania, and this research was supported in part by the agreement. The College of Medication and PA Options for Health have a 10- year research study arrangement created to assist doctors and patients make much better notified clinical decisions related to cannabinoids.

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