Practical prescribing with COVID-19 medications and psychotropics: a guide to pharmacokinetic interactions

BackgroundThe risks of pharmacological interactions increase significantly with the number of drugs a patient is prescribed. Patients with coronavirus (COVID-19) infection and mental disorders often receive several medications, and they may interact.MethodsWe examined the existing literature with the goal to: 1) review the bases of pharmacokinetic interactions between psychotropics and medications that are prescribed to treat COVID-19 infection and its complications; 2) examine the implications for clinical practice.ResultsPharmacokinetic interactions are possible and may cause adverse effects or decrease the efficacy of one or more of the medications a patient is taking.ConclusionsA thorough evaluation of the pharmacokinetic interactions is necessary when COVID-19 medications are prescribed to patients with mental disorders that are treated with psychotropic medications. The risk of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic interactions should inform treatment choice and may require dosing adjustments.