Drugs and nutrient absorption.

From our present state of knowledge of drug effects on nutrient absorption, we are able to conclude that drugs may promote, retard, or inhibit nutrient uptake. Drug-nutrient interactions can be intraluminal and direct, or extraluminal with indirect influence of the drug on nutrient absorption. We have learned that drug-induced malabsorption becomes symptomatic and causes nutritional deficiencies with chronic use of drugs that have the potential to cause malabsorption, or with abuse of such drugs. Finally, we are impressed by predisposing factors, which include the disease for which the drug is administered, the time at which the drug is taken, alcohol intake, and preexistent malnutrition, and which can contribute to the etiology of the malabsorption state.