Many people think that herbal supplements are natural, so they must be safe, right? No, that is not true all the time; in fact, herbal supplements can strongly affect the body. Some of the herbal supplements do not work well with prescription medicines. This is called a herbal medicine-prescription drug interaction. Herbal supplements can interact with prescription medicines, which are used to treat heart and blood vessel conditions such as high blood pressure and heart failure.
According to research published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacy, herbal remedies including St. John’s wort, green tea and ginseng may affect the properties of prescription medicines. Also, researchers investigating electronic databases such as PubMed for randomised or non-randomised clinical studies found interactions between herbal medicines and drugs, including antidepressants, medication for HIV, and heart disease.
The researchers found 49 case reports and two observational studies in which 31% of the cases were associated with cardiovascular disease, 22% with cancer and 16% with renal transplant. In these, 15 cases of adverse drug reactions were recorded, and most of the side effects were liver enzyme, gastrointestinal and kidney damage; apart from that, many herbal supplements that people use interact with the blood thinner warfarin. However, it is important that you talk to your health care provider before you take herbal supplements if you are also taking prescription medicines.
Herbal Supplements And Drug Interaction Guide
Many common herbal supplements can interact with prescribed medicines, and before taking any herbal supplement, you should talk with your healthcare provider if you are already taking any prescription medicine. Some herbal supplements that can have interactions include:
- Danshen: Danshen is a herbal supplement that can interact with some heart medicines, including:
- Blood Thinner: If you are taking warfarin or other blood thinner medicines such as Plavix or aspirin with danshen, then danshen may increase the risk of bleeding.
- Blood Pressure Medicine: If you take any prescribed drug to lower your blood pressure combined with danshen, then the herbal supplement danshen can lower your blood pressure.
- Digoxin: Danshen can interact with digoxin and raise the risk of irregular heartbeat, also known as arrhythmia. Digoxin is a medicine that is used to treat heart-related diseases.
- Evening Primrose Oil: It can cause blood thinning, and there may be a high risk of bleeding for people who take the blood-thinning warfarin medicine. Moreover, there have been reports that evening primrose oil can trigger seizures in people with epilepsy.
- Garlic: It has a natural blood-thinning effect; if it is combined with prescription anticoagulants, it can increase the risk of bleeding. Garlic can also interact with certain HIV medicines such as saquinavir, making them less effective.
- Ginkgo Biloba: It is one of the oldest living tree types, and most often it comes as a tablet, capsule or tea. If ginkgo is taken with anxiety medicine, it can prevent it from working well, and ginkgo also can raise the risk of bleeding, especially when combined with antiplatelet or anticoagulant drugs.
- Ginseng: Ginseng can affect prescription drugs such as warfarin, diabetes medicines, and blood pressure drugs. It can lower your blood sugar level too much and have anticoagulant effects if you combine them.
- Licorice Root: This can interact with prescription medicines such as blood pressure medicine, corticosteroids, and oral contraceptives. This herb can lower potassium, raise blood pressure, etc if taken with prescribed medicines.
Interactions between prescribed medicines and herbal supplements can cause different types of harmful effects. But to highlight one of the serious risks of bleeding that can occur if people combine:
Warfarin with evening primrose, ginkgo, or licorice herbal supplements and the risk of bleeding increases when people take ginkgo along with aspirin, ibuprofen and other prescribed drugs.
Conclusion:
Do you take some type of herbal supplements combined with medicines? You are not the only one; many people do. There are nearly 1500 documented interactions between prescription drugs and herbal supplements. If herbal supplements are combined with prescribed drugs, it can cause harmful effects, since it can alter the way prescription medicine works in the body.
Some common prescription drugs are warfarin, insulin, and aspirin, and the most common herbs and supplements are St. John’s wort, magnesium, calcium and iron. Taking them combined can cause dangerous effects, including bleeding and an irregular heart rate.
If you are taking any prescribed drug, whether for heart disease, diabetes, or any other complicated health illness. You should consult your health care provider before taking any herbal supplement because taking supplements combined with medicines can cause serious health issues.
If you are struggling with sex-related problems and looking for effective herbal treatment, then you can book your appointments with Sanjiwani Health Centre. Here, Dr. S.S. Jawahar has more than 35 years of experience, and he is a certified herbal specialist offering natural treatment for sex related problems without side effects.
FAQs
Are herbal supplements tested and approved like prescription drugs?
No, under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, there is no need for FDA approval by the maker for safety and effectiveness before selling supplements.
Are herbal supplements safe during pregnancy or breastfeeding?
No, not all herbal supplements are safe; some natural herbs have estrogen-like effects, and chaste berries can inhibit milk supply during breastfeeding.
Is it necessary to tell my doctors about herbs even if I feel fine?
Yes, many people mix herbs and prescription drugs without consulting a doctor; you should bring a list of pills, gummies or doses to every visit.
What happens when herbal supplements interact with prescription medicines?
There can be harmful effects if you take herbal supplements with prescription medicines, such as bleeding, risk of irregular heartbeat, etc.
References & Data Sources
Mayo clinics
The Pharmaceutical Journal
Poison Control