A patient is prescribed a drug preparation that contains barbiturates to treat a medical condition. The patient is also being treated with medications for other medical conditions. After a few days of consuming the barbiturate-containing medication, the patient realizes that his other medical conditions have worsened. What is the most likely reason for this occurrence?

Question

Select one:

a.
The barbiturate medication is causing drug overdose.

b.
The previous medications are causing enzyme inhibition and blocking the effects of the barbiturate medication.

c.
The barbiturate medication is causing enzyme induction.

d.
The patient has developed tolerance to both the barbiturate medication and his previous medications.

Answer 1

The most likely reason for the worsening of the patient's other medical conditions after starting the barbiturate-containing medication is:

c. The barbiturate medication is causing enzyme induction.

Barbiturates are known to induce liver enzymes, which can lead to increased metabolism of other drugs the patient is taking. This means that the efficacy of those medications may be reduced due to faster clearance from the body, potentially worsening the patient's other medical conditions as their treatments become less effective.