Medicinal practices – especially traditional medicinal practices – have been around for ages. But “modern medicine” refers to the incredible advancements in our recent history.
With huge advances in scientific processes and technology – thanks to the industrial revolution – healthcare professionals have made great inroads. Starting with the stethoscope and the use of anesthesia in surgical procedures to microscopic surgeries and precise scans, targeted cell killers and life-saving drugs – modern medicines offer it all. But it’s a double-edged sword.
Medicines contain several biochemicals and how they interact in the body’s physiology and laboratory must be understood before combining two medicines.
Diuretics and RSA inhibitors are commonly prescribed together for people with hypertension and are available under various brand names. Pain relievers such as ibuprofen are available over-the-counter at most pharmacies and popular brand name stores.
University of Waterloo researchers used computer-simulated drug trials to model the interactions of the three drugs (ibuprofen and the 2 high blood pressure drugs – a diuretic and a renin-angiotensin system (RSA) inhibitor) ) and the impact on the kidney. They found that in people with certain medical profiles, the combination can cause acute kidney damage, which in some cases can be permanent.
It’s a risk not worth taking:
Not everyone’s body will experience an adverse reaction. “It’s not that everyone who takes this combination of drugs will have problems,” said Anita Layton, professor of applied mathematics at Waterloo and holder of the Canada 150 Research Chair in Mathematical Biology and Medicine. “But the research shows that’s enough of a problem that you should exercise caution.”
Computer-simulated drug trials can quickly produce results that would take much longer in human clinical trials. Layton and his team use math and computer science to give doctors a head start on issues like medication-related complications.
Drugs that can make a deadly cocktail, accidentally:
“Diuretics are a family of drugs that cause the body to retain less water,” Layton said. “Dehydration is a major contributor to acute kidney injury, and then the RAS inhibitor and ibuprofen hit the kidney with that triple whammy. to acetaminophen.”
The research appears under the title “Determining risk factors for acute triple whammy kidney injury,” in the journal Mathematical Biosciences.
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