antoinettev3 Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 Anyone taking these two drugs together? My oncologist's office felt there should be no problem taking the two but recommended I speak with my pharmacist. I decided to just call Genentech figuring I'd get it straight from the horse's mouth. Unfortunately they weren't terribly helpful and suggested that I speak to my pharamacist as well. Their reasoning being that since they did not specifically test for interactions between Neurontin and Tarceva they could not say if there would be a problem or not. They did test other anti-convulsants but not this one. Now, I may be way off base here but wouldn't you think that if the manufacturer of the medication cannot say, one way or another, if it is safe to take these two pills, that my local pharamacist won't have a clue either? I mean where does the PDR get it's information about the drugs they list? Also, not all pharmacists are created equal. What if the one at my local drug store graduated at the bottom of his class? Am I to trust the "expertise" of this professional without knowing his background? Sorry to go off on a rant over a simple question. I had a rough night and I guess I'm still cranky. I'd appreciate any info. Thanks, Antoinette Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 Anyone taking these two drugs together?My oncologist's office felt there should be no problem taking the two but recommended I speak with my pharmacist. I decided to just call Genentech figuring I'd get it straight from the horse's mouth. Unfortunately they weren't terribly helpful and suggested that I speak to my pharamacist as well. Their reasoning being that since they did not specifically test for interactions between Neurontin and Tarceva they could not say if there would be a problem or not. They did test other anti-convulsants but not this one. Now, I may be way off base here but wouldn't you think that if the manufacturer of the medication cannot say, one way or another, if it is safe to take these two pills, that my local pharamacist won't have a clue either? I mean where does the PDR get it's information about the drugs they list? Also, not all pharmacists are created equal. What if the one at my local drug store graduated at the bottom of his class? Am I to trust the "expertise" of this professional without knowing his background? Sorry to go off on a rant over a simple question. I had a rough night and I guess I'm still cranky. I'd appreciate any info. Thanks, Antoinette A : As I've recommended in other posts, you have to ask the right pharmacist. When it comes to more complicated clinical questions you should ask to speak with the hospital's clinical pharmacist. He or she is the indepth drug expert. For basic product info, pricing, etc. re: outpatient meds any retail pharmacist is fine. For the same type of inpatient info ask a hospital pharmacist. B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antoinettev3 Posted April 25, 2006 Author Share Posted April 25, 2006 Bill, Thank you for the guidance I really appreciate it. I will contact my hospital's clinical pharmacist and see what they have to say. Antoinette Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cindi o'h Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 Hello. Many colleges of pharmacy have moved on to graduating PharmD's only. ie. Doctors of Pharmacy. It is a more indepth program and most of the graduates will work in the hospital or clinical setting. However, here at the UofM, the pharmacy program has been eliminated and only the PharmD program exists, therefore, the PharmD's are "reduced" to working in the dispensing pharmacies. The drug manufacturer is correct in telling you what they did if their drug was not formally tested with the neurontin. Good luck finding an answer to your question. I wonder too how many drug interactions that I have. I take so many medications, there are bound to some interfacings among them. Cindi o'h Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadstimeon Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 Found this, hope it helps. http://www.drugdigest.org/DD/Interactio ... 9,,00.html (Check potential interactions* between two or more drugs) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antoinettev3 Posted April 26, 2006 Author Share Posted April 26, 2006 Cindy o'h, Thanks for the info. I was not aware of the shift to the PharmD program. Makes me feel a bit more confident. I will inquire as to the education of my local pharmacist. God Bless Antoinette Rich, Thanks for reminding me of that link. I forgot about that source even though I have it bookmarked in my list of favorites. I checked all the drugs I'm taking (mostly OTC) and according to the site there is no interaction w/ my combo of drugs. On a side note, how long were you on Tarceva before the side effects started showing up? I've been holding off taking it for a few days because I have a couple of important meetings and appts. scheduled for this week and didn't want to have any problems or "interruptions" (if you know what I mean ). Thanks in advance. God Bless. Antoinette Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadstimeon Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 Hi Antoinette, Yes I know what you mean. It took about a week or two for me for the side effects to show up. The diarrhea I could not get rid of regardless of what I took so they dropped it from 150MG to 100MG and that cleared it up. The rash lasted about 2 or 3 months and that just went away. Also avoid Grapefruit and grapefruit juice while on Tarceva. Hope this helps. Prayers for the best. Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpawelski Posted April 27, 2006 Share Posted April 27, 2006 http://www.pharmacy.umn.edu/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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