A Review on Drug-Drug and Drug-Food Interactions in Patients During the Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus

Drug interaction is defined as the modification of the effects of a drug (object drug) by the prior and/or the concomitant administration of another drug (precipitant drug). Drug interaction may either increase or decrease the intended effect of one or both drugs. It may transform the diagnostic, preventive or therapeutic activity of any drug. Drug-interactions can be an extremely main contributory factor for the incidence and occurrence of adverse drug reactions and adverse drug events. The rate of occurrence and incidence of drug interactions is much higher in patients receiving combinations of drugs or poly-pharmacy or suffered from co-morbidity of diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, peptic ulcer, fungal infections and neurodegenerative disorders, which require prolong and multi treatments and the risk of drug interaction will increase as they are treated with multi-therapies. It is concluded that diabetic patients are at higher risk for drug interaction as receiving a combination of therapies for diabetic complications as well, so that the rate of occurrence of drug interaction is rapidly amplifying. Diabetes mellitus has been considered as a foremost public health challenge around the world because of its high prevalence and associated increase in morbidity and mortality. The main objective of this review study is to highlights the various drug interactions likely drug-drug and drug-food interactions as well as reports unwanted effects of other treatment associated with antidiabetic agents in the diabetic patients.