A recent article in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology on October 11, 2016 reveals concurrent use of Lansoprazole (brand name Prevacid), a proton-pump inhibitor, and ), a cephalosporin antibiotic, may increase the risk of acquired long QT syndrome (LQTS), a life-threatening arrhythmia.
The author notes that “QT-DDI’s (QT drug-drug interactions) are not routinely evaluated pre-clinically and can go undiscovered for years. For example, quetiapine (an antipsychotic agent) was on the market for nearly 10 years before reports of a QT-DDI with methadone (an analgesic agent) prompted investigation into a possible mechanism (7). It took 3 more years before a label change was made to caution against the use of quetiapine in combination with other drugs known to prolong the QT interval” and further, “acquired LQTS is of particular concern when it is not anticipated and occurs as the result of a QT interval-prolonging drug-drug interaction (QT-DDI) (2,6).”