Posted on 02/08/2010 10:21:02 PM PST by neverdem
Researchers are warning that popular herbs and supplements, including St. John’s wort and even garlic and ginger, do not mix well with common heart drugs and can also be dangerous for patients taking statins, blood thinners and blood pressure medications.
St. John’s wort raises blood pressure and heart rate, and garlic and ginger increase the risk of bleeding in patients on blood thinners, the researchers said. Even grapefruit juice can be risky, increasing the effects of calcium-channel blockers and statins, they said.
“This is not new research, but there is a trend toward more and more use of these compounds, and patients often don’t discuss with their doctors the compounds they are using on their own,” said Dr. Arshad Jahangir, senior author of a paper being published in Tuesday’s issue of The Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
The paper includes a list of more than two dozen herbal products that patients should approach with caution, as well as a list of common drug-herb interactions. Among the products listed are ginkgo biloba, ginseng and echinacea, as well as some surprises like soy milk and green tea — both of which can decrease the effectiveness of warfarin — and even aloe vera and licorice...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
No kidding. I am a big pro-herb guy but I do my research beforehand.
When garlic, ginger and grapefruit juice are listed as contraindicated that’s a pretty clear picture of how dangerous and unpredictable the pharmaceutical in question is.
STOP LIVING, EVERYONE. NOW!!!!!!!
With Medicare cuts on the horizon seniors will turn more and more to these remedies.
The length of medicines that you shouldn't take with any citrus-based drink, but especially grapefruit juice are fairly numerous. Generally speaking, people don't pay enough attention to the warning labels on both prescription and OTC medications. And, guys like John Edwards live in really big houses because of it.
Who says tort reform isn’t needed in the current health care debate?
Wait... I guess it would be the Demorats.
“The paper includes a list of more than two dozen herbal products that patients should approach with caution...”
I wonder if the paper considered publishing a list of pharmaceutical combinations that Heath Ledger and Britany Murphy should have approached with caution.
I’m not paying $15.00 for this article.....
To be clear about my original statement it wasn't a criticism of these drugs but rather an observation. None of those herbs are particularly dangerous in and of themselves.
“...which can decrease the effectiveness of warfarin”
Warfarin is rat poison. So, if I had a choice, I would NOT be taking the rat poison and then not worry about all the herbs and good food that aren’t so dangerous.
I no longer take Simvastatin, for over a year.
I need to read/absorb this.
thanks for article.
Yes, this is all true. Once you start on Coumadin (a “thinner”), you become painted into a rather tiny corner. Especially if you want to keep everything stabilized. Coumadin can be lifesaving, and it is important to obsessively track towards the center of the INR (clotting range) that your physician specifies. If you track that center line, all is well. However, there are goblins at every turn. Add a statin (Crestor), and you can potentiate the effect of the Coumadin, thus shooting right out of the top of your range. I had this happen once, when the Coumadin clinic wasn’t paying attention. No immediate harm was done, but it showed that ANY medication that is added to the mix has the potential to bump the INR too high, or too low.
Foods are a big problem as well. Too much fish, and you can cause your INR to go out the bottom of your range. Clots are a bad thing. Too much licorice (an odd gotcha’) and it goes the other way. And the strangest thing of all is cranberries. I am told by my clinic that, “Cranberries are death! You will bleed out.”. Well, ......OK! I’ll warn my relatives at Thanksgiving and Christmas, or pack a lunch. There are books on the peculiarities of Coumadin and how food or medications can modify what it does.
If your LDL/TG and Total Cholesterol is low in the first place, you can do surprising things just by going vegan (albeit unwillingly on my part) along with your statin and fibric acid. Fortunately there is an easy diet to fall back on. A vegan-mediterranean regimen is ideal for my particular mix of drugs and dietary needs. You can actually live on it, and enjoy it at the same time. There are plenty of books at the library on this. You even start looking like you did in high school after awhile. It’s true!
While some think I’ve become something of a food/drug/lifestyle Nazi, the threat of imminent death does tend to motivate me in ways as never before. While my problem was caught early, it has to be taken quite seriously. It’s best to do what you’re told by the docs. There’s plenty of stuff available that wasn’t there even 10 years ago. A strict diet, exercise schedule and drug regimen can often keep you from getting stents, or grafting later on. I’d be happy with that.
“So, if I had a choice, I would NOT be taking the rat poison”
Sigh... But sometimes we do not have that choice. You either take the “rat poison”, or you will have a good chance of dying.
Let’s see, rat poison, death, rat poison, death. Eventually the choice becomes clear.
ping
That sounds like a triumph for you. If you can bring your condition down to a level where you don’t need these strong drugs then there must be a definite improvement.
I don't think that this is a case of either the pharmaceuticals or the herbs being "dangerous" in and of themselves. But, the interaction between some particular drugs and these herbs or other naturally occurring foodstuffs, can have some adverse effects - some of which might even be deadly.
I don't know what the INR is or why licorice would effect that but it is well known that licorice will increase blood pressure due to increased sodium retention. This refers to real licorice root (Glycrrhiza glabra) not necessarily licorice candy which is usually flavored with anise seeds instead of licorice root.
LOL - not "cranberries are amazingly effecive in lowering blood pressure," but rather, "cranberries are death because they're so effective, they make the prescription rat poison you're taking too powerful when combined with them - so, avoid the cranberries."
Can't make this sh!t up.
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