Drug-drug interactions in antirheumatic treatment

Clinically relevant drug-drug interactions contribute considerably to potentially dangerous drug side-effects and are frequently the reason for hospitalization. Nevertheless they are often overlooked in daily practice. For most antirheumatic drugs a vast number of interactions have been described but only a minority with clinical relevance. Several potentially important drug interactions exist for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), methotrexate, azathioprine, mycophenolate-mofetil and especially for cyclosporin A. Most importantly co-medication with methotrexate and sulfmethoxazole trimethoprim as well as azathioprine and allopurinol carries the risk of severe, sometimes life-threatening consequences. Nevertheless, besides these well-known high-risk combinations in each case of polypharmacy with antirheumatic drugs it is necessary to bear in mind the possibility of drug interactions. As polypharmacy is a common therapeutic practice in older patients with rheumatic diseases, they are at special risk.