Meds & Interactions...

I, like many people, especially those who are +, have to take a handful of meds throughout the day.  I do use some herbal supplements & vitamins.  My Dr. recommended a multi-vitamin & B complex.  I take cinnamon for help with aches & sugar.  I tried a combo omega fatty pill & it left me on the toilet way too often.  When my system settles down, I may try a different omega, but not right now.  

There are many great supplements out there, but there a lot that can be dangerous, especially if you're already on other meds.  St. John's Wort & garlic are two I have to avoid, because they can both alter how my meds work. I came across a blog entry today on the merits of ginger for inflammation & pain.  My roomie has deal with a fair amount of both, so I read the article thoroughly.  It sounded great, until I went & researched the supplement & found out about some of its qualities & possible interactions.  The main one is that ginger can interact with many drugs to cause thinning of the blood & a reduction of coagulation.  This would not be a good thing for people on meds or supplements that can already do that.  You could literally bleed out.

If you are considering taking a supplement, then educate yourself on the attributes of the substance in question.  What will it do?  What can it do?  Does it interact with any of my meds?  Start by reading the label thoroughly.  Then google it & research everything you can about it, there are a ton of places that will help you with that.  Talk to your Dr. about anything you're taking & I do mean anything.  Most importantly develop a good relationship with your pharmacist.

Your pharmacist can help you navigate through all the ?'s you might have about your meds & how they might interact with other substances including other meds, herbs or even foods.  Your meds & your health are your responsibility.  DO NOT depend on anyone else to get this information for you.  Your Dr. might not think to tell you or just might not know.  You can only halfway believe what you read on the net.  Those little drug inserts require pharmacology degrees to understand.  So, do your due diligence, ask your Dr. ?'s & talk to your pharmacists.  This will help you have some idea about your meds & how you will respond to them.

I hope this day finds you all as healthy as possible.