Psychiatric Drugs and Antibiotics. When Two Worlds Collide

Abstract

Background: Both psychotropic medication and antibiotic therapy are extensively prescribed. In many cases, these medications are concurrent and the necessity to analyze this particular drug interaction appears.

Aims: To identify in specialized medical databases what these interactions are, which is their biochemical substrate, and which is the optimal method to avoid unwanted drug associations.

Method: Abstracts of PubMed database were automatically filtered using a specific search tool, the keyword data being drug interactions psychotropics, antibiotics and their synonyms, and websites dedicated to drug interactions were interrogated on the same subject.

Results and Discussion: Given that there is not enough clear data, especially for new developed medicines, it seems that drug interactions between antibiotics and psychotropic drugs are generally benign. Even if specialized web applications to identify drug interactions already exist, their results often differ or are not consistent.

Conclusion:  Although interactions between psychotropic and antibiotic drugs appear to be generally benign, more valid data are needed to properly assess their impact on treatment efficiency and the patient’s quality of life. Antibiotics must be prescribed when necessary and it is advisable to avoid antibiotic classes with the most documented drug interactions: Fluoroquinolones, Macrolides and Anti-tuberculosis drugs.