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DRUG INDUCED TOXICITYNAVANEETH AMSc Environmental Technology CUSAT

Physicians prescribe drugs to prevent or treat disease. Those same drugs can be toxic to certain patients, this toxicity is due to the pharmacologic effect that are not necessary for the achievement of desired action of drug

It must be recognized that no drug is entirely specific. All drugs have both primary intended effects and secondary unintended effects, the latter known as side effects

Adverse effects can range in severity from nuisance to life threatening. Drug toxicology focuses on the harmful effects of drugs in the animal and human bodyINTRODUCTION

HARMFUL IMMUNE RESPONSESDrugs are xenobiotics that can be recognized by the immune system as foreign substances If a drug is sufficiently large (e.g., a therapeutic peptide or protein), it may directly activate the immune system. The two principal immune mechanisms by which drugs can produce damage are hypersensitivity responses (allergic responses) and autoimmune reactions.

Autoimmunity results when the organisms immune system attacks its own cells. Several drugs and a number of other chemicals can initiate autoimmune reactions. Methyldopa can cause hemolytic anemia by eliciting an autoimmune reaction against the Rhesus antigens (Rh factors).

Types of hyper sensitivity

DRUG-DRUG INTERACTIONS As the population has aged and increasing numbers of patients have been prescribed multiple medications, the potential for drug-drug interactions has grown. Numerous adverse interactions have been identified, and the mechanisms often involve pharmacokinetic or pharmacodynamic effects. Drug-herb interactions are also an important subset of drug-drug interactions.

References https://www.slideshare.net/rview-of-drug-toxicity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combined_drug_intoxication https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20978361Loomiss Essentials of Toxicology