Posicor, a drug used to treat high blood pressure and angina (crushing chest pain), was voluntarily withdrawn from the market on June 8 after it was found to have potentially dangerous interactions with more than 25 other medications. The drug, known to scientists as mibefradil, is a calcium channel blocker that -- unlike other drugs in its class -- inhibits liver enzymes used to break down other medications. Therefore, drugs taken simultaneously may build up to dangerous levels in the body.
COMMENT: If you are currently on one of these drugs, you should switch immediately. I suspect that the rest of these drugs will be removed from the market within the near future.
Israeli investigators suspect that fluoxetine given concurrently with digoxin may lead to a potentially fatal increased serum digoxin level. This interaction has not previously been reported in the literature.
Arch Intern Med May 25, 1998;158:1152-1153.
COMMENT: When one uses chemicals to control a problem, there are generally complications to be concerned with. Digoxin is actually an herb from the foxglove plant used to control heart failure for many years. The Prozac is the chemical that is causing the problem. Please see the comments above for the new antidepressants regarding alternatives to Prozac