Are Drug-Supplement Combos Safe?

Are Drug-Supplement Combos Safe?

PITTSBURGHThe majority of potential interactions between drugs andsupplements such as vitamins and minerals, garlic, Ginkgo biloba, saw palmettoand ginseng have insignificant adverse effects, according to a study publishedin the Archives of Internal Medicine (164, 6:630-6, 2004) (http://archinte.ama-assn.org).However, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy warnresearch supporting this finding is sparse, and health care providers shouldcontinue to inquire about supplement use and consider the potential forinteractions, regardless of their severity.

Approximately 450 outpatients who were taking prescription medications wereinvolved in the survey. Supplement use was selfreported and cross-referencedwith each subjects prescription medication list; medical literature searchesand tertiary sources were used to identify potential interactions. Forty-threepercent of the subjects were taking at least one dietary supplement, with themost common being vitamins and minerals, garlic, ginkgo, saw palmetto andginseng. And of the subjects taking supplements, 45 percent had the potentialfor a drug-dietary supplement interaction of any significancethe majority (94percent) were not serious, based on the limited available evidence,according to researchers. Possible drugdietary supplement interactions includeincreased serotonin levels (St. Johns wort and Paroxetine), loweredeffectiveness of diuretic (ginkgo and Thiazide diuretics), lowered absorption offluoroquinolone (calcium and Levofloxacin) and lowered platelet aggregation andincreased risk of bleeding (garlic and warfarin; ginkgo and warfarin, aspirinand ibuprofen).