Drug Interaction Checker

Free online checkers

• Drugs.com Interaction Checker — biggest, most-trusted. Type in EVERY medication, vitamin, supplement, and OTC. Shows interactions, severity, food/alcohol notes.
• MedlinePlus (medlineplus.gov) — official US government drug info. Plain-English drug summaries.
• WebMD Interaction Checker — similar to Drugs.com.
• Apple Health Medications — built into iOS Health app. Add your meds, get warnings.

Best resource — your pharmacist

Your pharmacist is a real medication expert. CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Costco — all offer FREE consultations. Walk in with a complete list of every medication, supplement, and over-the-counter drug you take. Ask: "Are any of these working against each other?"

Better still — use ONE pharmacy for all your prescriptions. Their system flags dangerous combinations automatically.

Common dangerous interactions

• Warfarin (blood thinner) + many things — vitamin K, NSAIDs, certain antibiotics. Big bleeding risk.
• Statins (cholesterol) + grapefruit — drives statin levels too high.
• SSRIs (antidepressants) + tramadol or migraine triptans — risk of serotonin syndrome.
• Sleeping pills (Ambien, Lunesta) + alcohol or benzos — falls, breathing problems.
• Blood pressure meds + over-the-counter cold meds with pseudoephedrine — BP spikes.
• Diabetes meds + alcohol — dangerous low blood sugar.
• Many meds + St. John\'s Wort (supplement) — reduces effectiveness.

If you take any of these, double-check with your pharmacist.

Annual medication review

Once a year, ask your primary care doctor for a "deprescribing review". They look at every medication and ask: do you still need it? Studies show seniors safely come off 30-40% of their meds with this review. Less polypharmacy = fewer falls, less confusion.