Common drug combination could have lethal effects
A common drug combination – taken by millions of people every day – can cause blood sugar levels to rise to dangerous levels, a new study has discovered.
The drugs – paroxetine, an antidepressant, and pravastatin, a cholesterol-lowering therapy – could be lethal when they are taken together, researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine have discovered.
They cause unexpected and sudden increases in blood glucose levels, and diabetics – whose levels are already high – are especially at risk.
Neither drug on its own has this effect, say the researchers, but they have estimated that at least 1 million people in America alone are taking the combination.
(Source: Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 2011; doi: 10.1038/clpt.2011.83).