Adverse drug reactions to antibiotics and major antibiotic drug interactions.

Adverse drug reaction and drug interactions represent negative consequences of pharmacotherapy. A thorough knowledge of how the adverse reactions and drug interactions occur will aid in our ability to provide the best patient care possible. Adverse drug reactions and drug interactions are defined and mechanisms of their occurrence are discussed; ways to identify, assess, manage, and report these reactions are presented. The importance of postmarketing surveillance is highlighted. A thorough understanding of the mechanism of adverse drug reactions and drug interaction is essential for the health care practitioner. Improved patient care can be achieved by applying this knowledge to the individual patient. When drugs are administered to patients, many things can go wrong. The magnitude of this problem warrants spending sufficient resources to establish programs to identify, assess, and manage these reactions. Having effective reporting programs will help prevent many reactions and will provide earlier detection of adverse reactions to new drugs.