Herbal and Dietary Supplements (HDS) Have Interactions with Prescription Drugs

Every day we hear about herb and dietary supplements advertised on television. Such ads feature people with reduced well-being who have gotten “better” by taking this and that.

In pharmacies and shops, you see such herbal and dietary supplements by the dozen, all claiming to help you feel better or less stressed or less whatever. 

Most people are interested in these products. Who does not want to feel rejuvenated anyway? Some even claim to help fight the signs of aging or help you lose weight or give you the vitamins and minerals that you need to keep you going through the day. We all want to feel good and energetic and don’t you just get interested on a product that might just help you live a better life?

Recent studies show that herbal and dietary supplements might actually interfere with prescription drugs. People who take medications for nervous and/or cardiovascular diseases are most affected by these drug interactions.

A review of 54 articles and 31 studies has been done by a research team from the College of Pharmacy, China Medical School, Taiwan. Their results have been published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice. They found out that herbal and dietary supplements containing St John's Wort, calcium, iron, ginkgo, and magnesium can cause drug interactions with prescription medicines.

It is undeniable that people these days patronize HDS because they can be relatively cheaper and claim to promote overall health. However, according to the study, insulin, warfarin and aspirin digoxin are among the drugs with the most interactions with HDS. Over 26% of the interactions are considered major reactions. Of the 152 contraindications, the systems that are commonly affected are
the gastrointestinal, neurological and genitourinary systems.

Dr Hsiang-Wen Lin, co-author of the study, said that there is high risk of drug interference when HDS and prescription medicines are combined. HDS changes the pharmacokinetics of medicines or the process by which the body breaks down, distributes and eliminates the drug. The interactions can be moderate to severe. Herbal and botanical supplements are found to have more contraindications than dietary supplements like minerals, amino acids and vitamins.

The study only raises the awareness on the possible health risks that HDS poses to consumers. Hootan Melamed, a premier pharmacist in Los Angeles (check this website), can only stress the importance of seeking the advice of your doctor before trying any form of herbal or dietary remedy. That is to prevent any development of moderate to severe diseases due to intake of these HDS.