Nkansah discusses drug and alcohol interactions on Dr. Oz

In her latest appearance on The Dr. Oz Show, Nancy Nkansah, PharmD, discussed the dangers of mixing alcohol and certain medications, including prescription anti-anxiety drugs as well as some over-the-counter painkillers, antihistamines, and cough suppressants.

In a segment titled “When Safe Drugs Turn Deadly,” Nkansah, a faculty member in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy, UCSF School of Pharmacy, noted that about quarter of emergency room visits are due to combinations of medications and alcohol.

Nkansah advised Oz’s millions of viewers to follow all drug package warnings, and also to help avoid such interactions by waiting to take medications for “about an hour to an hour-and-half, to at least allow the alcohol to begin to clear your system. And that is per drink, assuming you are having some wine or just a small mixed drink.”

“Also, pay attention to your body, if you still are feeling the effects of the alcohol, then of course do not take the medicine with it,” she said in the segment, which was nationally broadcast on March 1, 2012.

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About the School: The UCSF School of Pharmacy aims to solve the most pressing health care problems and strives to ensure that each patient receives the safest, most effective treatments. Our discoveries seed the development of novel therapies, and our researchers consistently lead the nation in NIH funding. The School’s doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) degree program, with its unique emphasis on scientific thinking, prepares students to be critical thinkers and leaders in their field.