Drug General Information (ID: DDI5EQ6MR3)
Drug Name			Interferon alfa-2a, Recombinant		Drug Info		Ginkgo biloba		Drug Info
Drug Type		Interferons				Natural product
Therapeutic Class		Interferons				Herbal Products

Mechanism of Interferon alfa-2a, Recombinant-Ginkgo biloba Interaction (Severity Level: Moderate)
Increased risk of lowers seizure threshold Click to Show/Hide Mechanism Graph
Drug Name		Interferon alfa-2a, Recombinant				Ginkgo biloba
Mechanism		Lower seizure threshold				Lower seizure threshold
Key Mechanism Factor 1
		Factor Name		Lowers seizure threshold
		Factor Description		The combination of medications that lower the seizure threshold is a factor that makes people with epilepsy more likely to have seizures. A seizure is a sudden, uncontrolled electrical disturbance in the brain that can cause changes in your behavior, movements or sensations, and level of consciousness.
Mechanism Description		Increased risk of lowers seizure threshold by the combination of Interferon alfa-2a, Recombinant and Ginkgo biloba

Recommended Action
Management		Patients should consult a healthcare provider before taking any herbal or alternative medicine. Because of inconsistencies in formulation and potency of commercial herbal preparations, there is no way to verify without laboratory testing if and in what quantity 4'-O-methylpyridoxine may be present in a given ginkgo preparation. Patients treated with agents that can lower the seizure threshold should preferably avoid the use of products containing ginkgo biloba.

References
1	Granger AS "Ginkgo biloba precipitating epileptic seizures." Age Ageing 30 (2001): 523-5. [PMID: 11742783]
2	Kajiyama Y, Fujii K, Takeuchi H, Manabe Y "Ginkgo seed poisoning." Pediatrics 109 (2002): 325-7. [PMID: 11826216]
3	Miller LG "Herbal medicinals: selected clinical considerations focusing on known or potential drug-herb interactions." Arch Intern Med 158 (1998): 2200-11. [PMID: 9818800]