Enzyme inducers and inhibitors
๐งช Enzyme Inducers & Inhibitors
๐ Inducers โ speed up metabolism โ ๐ treatment failure.
๐ Inhibitors โ slow down metabolism โ โ ๏ธ drug toxicity.
๐ About
- Cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzymes are mainly found in the liver ๐ฅ.
- They mediate phase I metabolism (oxidation, reduction, hydrolysis).
- Different isoenzymes (e.g. CYP3A4, CYP2C9, CYP2D6) handle different drugs.
โ๏ธ Induction vs Inhibition
- ๐ Inducers: Increase CYP450 activity โ faster drug breakdown โ reduced plasma levels โ loss of effect.
- โ Inhibitors: Block CYP450 activity โ slower breakdown โ increased plasma levels โ toxicity risk.
๐ Warfarin as an Example
- โฌ๏ธ Inducers lower warfarin levels โ โ INR โ clotting risk (e.g. carbamazepine, phenytoin, rifampicin, St Johnโs Wort).
- โฌ๏ธ Inhibitors raise warfarin levels โ โ INR โ bleeding risk (e.g. macrolides, ciprofloxacin, amiodarone, azoles, cimetidine).
๐ฅ Common Enzyme Inducers (โ Drug Effect)
- ๐ Phenytoin
- ๐ Carbamazepine
- ๐ Barbiturates
- ๐ Rifampicin
- ๐บ Chronic alcohol use
- ๐ฟ St Johnโs wort
โ๏ธ Common Enzyme Inhibitors (โ Drug Toxicity)
- ๐ Allopurinol
- ๐ Omeprazole
- ๐ Disulfiram
- ๐ Erythromycin (and other macrolides)
- ๐ Valproate
- ๐ Isoniazid
- ๐ Ciprofloxacin
- ๐ Cimetidine
- ๐ท Acute alcohol intake
- ๐ Sulfonamides
๐ก Clinical Pearls
- Always consider CYP450 interactions when prescribing drugs with narrow therapeutic index (e.g. warfarin, ciclosporin, theophylline, digoxin, tacrolimus).
- Remember: CRAP GPS (Carbamazepine, Rifampicin, Alcohol (chronic), Phenytoin, Griseofulvin, Phenobarbital, St Johnโs wort) = classic inducers ๐.
- Think: SICKFACES.COM (Sodium valproate, Isoniazid, Cimetidine, Ketoconazole, Fluconazole, Alcohol (acute), Ciprofloxacin, Erythromycin, Sulfonamides, Chloramphenicol, Omeprazole, Metronidazole) = common inhibitors โ๏ธ.