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2. SOME ANTIBIOTICS _WHAT THEY ARE:_ Medicines used to fight and treat bacterial infections _EXAMPLE:_ Nitrofurantoin (Macrobid) _WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: _Nitrofurantoin is an antibiotic
often prescribed to treat and prevent urinary tract infections. The drug can cause interstitial lung disease, but that reaction is rare, occurring in about 1 percent of patients, according
to research published in _Respirology Case Reports_. 3. HEART MEDICINES _WHAT THEY ARE:_ Medications used to prevent and treat various forms of heart disease _EXAMPLES:_ Beta blockers,
Amiodarone _WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:_ Beta blockers, which are prescribed to treat high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation (AFib), and heart failure can cause the airways to tighten in people
with underlying asthma or COPD. Amiodarone, commonly used to treat irregular heartbeat such as AFib, is the drug most commonly associated with lung problems. Research suggests DIILD affects
as many as 2 percent of those on lower doses of amiodarone; it’s more frequent in men and those with preexisting lung disease may be more susceptible. 4. CANCER TREATMENTS _WHAT THEY ARE:_
Chemotherapy medications _EXAMPLES: _Any chemotherapy drug can harm the lungs, but the ones most commonly implicated are Bleomycin, Carmustine, Busulfan, and Cyclophosphamide. _WHAT YOU NEED
TO KNOW:_ Research suggests that cancer drugs are the most common cause of DIILD. Experts concede it’s challenging to pinpoint specific culprits in oncology since drugs are given in
combination regimens or along with radiation, which is itself associated with lung damage and scarring. 5. ANTIRHEUMATIC DRUGS _WHAT THEY ARE:_ Drugs for rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis
drugs _EXAMPLE:_ Methotrexate _WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:_ Methotrexate can cause lung problems — including acute inflammation of the lungs and DIILD, Wu says — but the same can also be said of
some of the conditions it treats, such as rheumatoid arthritis. “In many cases, it’s hard to know if you’re dealing with the natural course of the disease or if it’s the drug that’s causing
the problem,” Schachter says. “There’s no single test that we can do in most cases that says OK this is a toxic reaction to a specific drug.” WHAT CAN PATIENTS DO? All medications come with
side effects, which is why any time you begin a new drug it’s important that you ask your health care provider what those effects could be, so that together you can discuss the risks and
benefits. It’s not always the case, but your doctor may be able to prescribe an alternative medication that doesn’t carry the same side effects. “In particular, if you’re susceptible to
lung injury, you should ask about lung toxicity and about potential symptoms you should look for,” Schachter says. And if you experience any of those symptoms, reach out to your doctor.