July is Herbal/Prescription Awareness Month

Herbs are just plants, so they’re safe to take with my medicines, right?

Wrong—sometimes deadly wrong.

Thousands of Americans use herbs for various purposes—memory, energy, sleep, digestion, weight loss. They’re in every drug store, supermarket, and fitness magazine. They’re available without prescription, so most people consider them benign.

The truth is some drug/herb combinations are dangerous. The effect of the drug might be stronger, weaker, or eliminated altogether. Here are some examples:
If you’re taking Coumadin (Warfarin), a blood thinner, use of ginkgo, garlic, dong quai, and several other herbs may cause bleeding.
Taking St. John’s Wort with certain antidepressants may interfere with the action of Digoxin, taken to help the heart contract, or Theophylline, taken for breathing conditions.
Taking ginseng with Digoxin will make it difficult to measure blood levels of the Digoxin, causing problems for the physician in properly prescribing the drug. Digoxin is effective at certain levels and toxic at others.
Licorice, used for indigestion, interferes with Digoxin and with Spirinolactone, a drug for high blood pressure, making them less effective.
It is very important to tell your physician about everything you’re taking. That includes herbs, over-the-counter remedies, and medications ordered by other physicians. Your pharmacist is an excellent source of information about herb and medicine combinations, too. A good place for information on the web is found at http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/drug-information/DrugHerbIndex.