A recent study exposes the dangers of mixing prescription medications with everyday substances.

The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and found that 1 in 15 U.S. adults are taking dangerous, possibly even fatal, drug combinations. The study focused on the top 20 prescription drugs, over the counter medications and dietary supplements.

Researchers found that almost half of the potential interactions could lead to bleeding problems. Warfarin, a blood thinner sold under the brand name Coumadin, had the most interactions. Lisinopril, an ACE inhibitor often used to treat hypertension, when combined with potassium was shown to increase the risk of dangerously high potassium levels which lead to heart attacks and even death (If you want to get off of your blood pressure medications, check out  Zona.com).

Other potentially dangerous combinations included warfin (Coumadin) and simvastatin (Zocor), niacin and either atorvastatin (Lipitor) or simvastatin (Zocor), ginkgo and asprin, as well as garlic pills and warfarin.

For more information see “5 Dangerous Drug Combinations You Need to Avoid” at http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/2008/12/23/5-dangerous-drug-combinations-you-need-to-avoid.html or “Dangerous drug combos pose risk for elderly” at http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081223/hl_nm/us_usa_drugs_interaction.