Drug Interaction Course

Lesson 1 • Pharmacokinetic Principles Review

Covers absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion as targets for interactions. Connects ADME processes to mechanistic explanations used throughout the course.

Lesson 2 • Classification of Drug Interactions

Organizes interactions into pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and pharmaceutical categories. Gives students a taxonomy for systematic identification and analysis.

Lesson 3 • Pharmacodynamic Principles Review

Explains receptor theory, agonism, antagonism, and additive versus synergistic effects. Provides the mechanistic language needed to analyze pharmacodynamic interactions.

Lesson 1 • Enzyme Inhibition Mechanisms

Distinguishes reversible, irreversible, and mechanism-based inhibition with clinical examples. Enables students to predict plasma level changes when inhibitors are co-administered.

Lesson 2 • Non-CYP Metabolic Pathways

Covers UGT, MAO, and other phase II enzymes as interaction sites. Expands the metabolic interaction framework beyond CYP-focused analysis.

Lesson 3 • Cytochrome P450 Enzyme System

Details the major CYP isoforms, their substrates, and their role in first-pass metabolism. Builds the enzymatic foundation required for understanding inhibition and induction.

Lesson 4 • Predicting Metabolic Interaction Outcomes

Applies inhibition and induction principles to forecast AUC and Cmax changes. Prepares students to use in vitro data and drug labeling for clinical decision-making.

Lesson 1 • OATP, OAT, and OCT Transporters

Covers solute carrier transporters critical for hepatic uptake and renal secretion of drugs. Explains how inhibition of these transporters elevates systemic drug exposure.

Lesson 2 • Overview of Drug Transporters

Introduces influx and efflux transporter families and their tissue locations. Establishes why transporters are critical interaction sites alongside metabolic enzymes.

Lesson 3 • Regulatory Guidance on Transporter Studies

Summarizes regulatory agency expectations for in vitro transporter evaluation during drug development. Connects guidance requirements to clinical study design decisions.

Lesson 1 • CNS Depression and Sedation Interactions

Focuses on combined CNS depressant effects from opioids, benzodiazepines, alcohol, and sedatives. Quantifies respiratory depression risk and guides monitoring protocols.

Lesson 2 • Antagonistic Pharmacodynamic Interactions

Examines competitive and functional antagonism that reduces therapeutic efficacy. Guides students in identifying drug pairs that undermine treatment goals.

Lesson 3 • Cardiovascular Pharmacodynamic Interactions

Addresses QT prolongation, hypotension, and bradycardia from combined cardiovascular agents. Connects electrophysiological mechanisms to ECG monitoring requirements.

Lesson 4 • Serotonin and Adrenergic Syndromes

Explains serotonin syndrome and hypertensive crisis as life-threatening pharmacodynamic interactions. Trains students to recognize precipitating drug combinations and emergency responses.

Lesson 1 • Food and Nutrient Interactions

Analyzes how food components, grapefruit, and dietary supplements modify drug bioavailability. Provides counseling points for patient education on food-drug timing.

Lesson 2 • Gastrointestinal Absorption Interactions

Covers chelation, pH changes, and motility effects that alter oral drug absorption. Connects GI physiology to practical dosing separation strategies.

Lesson 3 • Volume of Distribution Alterations

Explains how tissue binding changes and pH shifts alter drug distribution volumes. Links Vd changes to loading dose adjustments in clinical practice.

Lesson 1 • Urinary pH and Drug Excretion

Explains how urinary acidification or alkalinization traps ionized drugs in the tubule. Applies ion trapping principles to overdose management and interaction prediction.

Lesson 2 • Biliary Excretion and Enterohepatic Cycling

Addresses biliary drug secretion and the recycling loop created by enterohepatic circulation. Explains how antibiotics disrupt cycling and reduce drug efficacy.

Lesson 3 • Hepatic Blood Flow and Clearance

Distinguishes high- and low-extraction drugs and their sensitivity to hepatic blood flow changes. Predicts how vasodilators and vasoconstrictors alter first-pass extraction.

Lesson 1 • Narrow Therapeutic Index Drugs

Identifies drugs where small exposure changes cause toxicity or treatment failure. Prioritizes interaction monitoring for anticoagulants, antiepileptics, and immunosuppressants.

Lesson 2 • Pediatric Pharmacology Considerations

Addresses developmental differences in enzyme maturation and body composition affecting interactions. Guides dose individualization for neonates, infants, and children.

Lesson 3 • Polypharmacy in Older Adults

Examines age-related pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic changes that amplify interaction risk. Applies screening tools to deprescribing and interaction management in elderly patients.

Lesson 4 • Renal and Hepatic Impairment

Quantifies how organ dysfunction alters drug clearance and magnifies interaction severity. Provides dose adjustment frameworks for impaired patients on interacting drugs.

Lesson 1 • Interaction Databases and Decision Tools

Evaluates major drug interaction databases for accuracy, currency, and clinical utility. Trains students to critically appraise database alerts and avoid alert fatigue.

Lesson 2 • Risk-Benefit Analysis Framework

Structures clinical decisions when avoiding an interaction is not feasible or desirable. Applies probability, severity, and reversibility criteria to interaction management choices.

Lesson 3 • Medication Reconciliation Processes

Applies systematic reconciliation at care transitions to detect and resolve interaction risks. Connects reconciliation workflows to error prevention and patient safety outcomes.

Lesson 4 • Documenting and Reporting Interactions

Establishes standards for documenting interaction assessments in medical records and reporting adverse events. Links documentation quality to liability reduction and pharmacovigilance systems.