Combination medications may come with risks if you do not know what you are taking. For example, the medication Lotrel is a combination product with two individual medications: benazepril (brand name Lotensin) and amlodipine (brand name Norvasc). If you take both Lotrel and Norvasc, you might end up getting too much of one medication because you would be getting amlodipine from two different prescriptions.

To avoid medication duplications, ask your physician and pharmacist if any of your medications are combination products. When your physician gives you a prescription for a new medication, ask if it is intended to replace a prior prescription.

—Jeannette Novatski, Pharm.D., clinical pharmacist, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey