tions and calcium. Ask your Peoples Pharmacist for more information.
There are not too many vitamins that interact with prescription medications. People who take oral medications for acne should be wary of products containing high doses of Vitamin A. In theory, higher doses of vitamin C (1 gram) can increase the absorption of oral birth control medications. There have been no reported adverse reactions. These are the only two vitamin-drug interactions that I could find reference to.
.....Many people are unaware that some herbal supplements can also interact with prescription drugs. Perhaps the most problematic herbal supplement for drug interactions is St. John's Wort |
(Hypericum perforatum). The list of drug interactions with this herbal is quite long and includes: oral birth control pills, immunosuppresants, digoxin, alprazolam, warfarin, omeparazole and others. It might be best to first check with your Pharmacist if you decide to take this supplement. Some other popular herbal supplements might also interact with prescription drugs; the most problematic being the blood thinner warfarin. You should always check with your Doctor or Pharmacist before taking any vitamin, herbal or other supplement if you are also taking warfarin. Just a small list of the supplements that can interact with warfarin: Ginkgo, garlic, ginseng, vitamin E, St. John's Wort, essential |
fatty acids and many more.
.....Here are just a sampling of other herbal/drug interactions. Echinacea can interfere with the effectiveness of immunosupressing drugs and may also aggravate auto-immune diseases. .....Valerian and hops, both being sedative herbs, might increase the effects of prescription sedatives. Tea (green and black) can interfere with the absorption of iron and other minerals. Ginseng (American) and bitter melon can lower blood sugar, which may require dose changes of diabetes medications.
.....Grapefruit juice is an interesting food; not only does it taste good but it also has may drug interactions. The exact reason for this is
Ian Lloyd...Continued On Page 6 |
