Study: Users Hide Herbal Drugs

The combination of non-vitamin dietary supplements and prescription medicines is often dangerous, but many patients fail to inform their healthcare provider that they are taking the supplements, according to a study published last month by researchers at the Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

The study was published in the Oct. 9 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

It found that more than one in five people who take prescription medicines also take non-vitamin dietary supplements, and almost 70 percent of those people do not report the supplements to their doctors.

The study is one of the few that looks at the concurrent use of supplements and prescription medication and is the largest survey examining the prevalence of such practice, according to Harvard Medical School instructor Robert E. Graham, one of the authors of the study.

According to the survey, echinacea, ginseng, and ginkgo are among the most commonly used supplements.

Patients with mild but chronic problems like menopausal or gastrointestinal disorders were most likely to use the supplements with prescription medicines.

However, the practice was less common among those who are elderly, or who have serious conditions like coronary heart disease.

The combination is dangerous because some supplements can “both nullify and interact with the effects of prescription medicines,” Graham said.

Concurrent use of supplements and prescription medicine is particularly dangerous for high-risk patients, such as those with liver or kidney disease, who are less capable of metabolizing non-vitamin dietary supplements.

Graham said there needs to be more doctor-patient communication to help prevent potential herb-drug interactions.

“This may lead to better outcomes and ultimately better care for patients,” he said.