Saturday, January 19, 2008

Natural May Not Always Be Safe

Many people take herbal supplements because they are natural. But, are you aware that certain supplements contain ingredients that affect some prescription or over the counter medications?
According to "Focus" magazine provided by Horizon Blue Cross, here is a list of some common drug-herbal supplement interactions:

Possible Drug Interactions
HERBDO NOT TAKE WITHWHY?
Garlic Coumadin (warfarin)Risk of increased bleeding
Ginseng Coumadin (warfarin)May prevent warfarin from working properly
Ginko Biloba Coumadin (warfarin)Aspirin Motrin Advil(ibuprofen)PlavixRisk of increased bleeding
Kava KavaSleeping aids such as: Valium or Xanax and certain antidepressantsMay cause increased sleepiness
St John's WortAnitdepressants oral contraceptives sleeping aids and transplant drugsMay increase the side effects of antidepressants and sleeping aids such as blood pressure sweating and drowsiness May also prevent oral contraceptives and transplant drugs from working properly


Be sure to speak to your doctor or pharmacist about any prescriptions or over the counter drugs you are taking when considering herbal supplements.

2 comments:

Bobby Revell said...

All true! Nutrition, herbs, vitamins, etc. have been a lifelong study for me. Most herbs are really unnecessary but you know how people think they need something and the companies know how to sell it.

I take only a few supplements. People on any medication need to know this stuff!

BTW...I don't know why you can't leave a comment. It could be that you are using the IE browser instead of firefox?

AC Associates said...

Hi Bobby,
Thanks so much for visiting. Yes, there are interactions that people need to know about. They hear herb or natural,but don't realize even so...they can cause a reaction to the other medications, vitamins they are taking.
My father always taught me to 'read up' before taking anything. He believed in natural and vitamins/minerals. He took a ton!

 
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