I did something very stupid! Since that bad cold I had a few weeks ago, I've had a lingering cough. (Everytime I catch a cold, I end up coughing my head off for three or four months.) The last time this happened was back in March. My doctor had prescribed an Albuterol inhaler for me to use. Well, with the return of the cough from hell, I had pulled out the inhaler and since it was still in date, I've used it a couple of times.
So, last night I was on Medscape.com, checking out some of my DH's meds for him. I decided to check Albuterol and see how it works. As I was reading the side effects and other info, I came to the section on drug interactions.
Here's what I read:
Avoid taking ... tricyclic antidepressants (e.g., amitriptyline, nortriptyline) within 2 weeks before, during, and after treatment with this medication. In some cases a serious, possibly fatal drug interaction may occur.I've been taking nortriptyline for nerve pain since July!!! I could have killed myself taking both of these together!!!
The moral of this story is -
NEVER take old medications without checking with your doctor first!