Interactions with Complementary Medicine

NPS MedicineWise has advised consumers to “take complementary medicines with care,” following a Four Corners episode shown on ABC TV Monday night.  The program was based on a joint investigation between the New York Times and America’s PBS Frontline show, and claims to raise “troubling questions about the quality and safety of vitamins and dietary supplements”.  NPS MedicineWise ceo Dr Lynn Weekes said more than half of all calls to Medicines Line about complementary medicines relate to drug interactions, with the most enquiries regarding Vitamin D and calcium preparations, multivitamin products, fish oil, glucosamine products and St John’s wort. 

“Although complementary medicines can have benefits, they can still have side effects, interactions and cause allergic reactions, and they also undergo less testing in general compared to other types of medicines so they still need to be used with care”.  Weekes said with complementary medicines in the spotlight NPS MedicineWise is urging people to be open with their health professional and tell them about all medicines they are taking. 

“Talk to your pharmacist or doctor in the first instance to find out whether a complementary medicine might be the right course of treatment for you,” she said.

For more information on locally researched, evidence based interactions with over 800 recommendation on food-drug, supplement drug and herb-drug interactions, go to www.imgateway.net.  Information on IMgateway has been developed in partnership with the University of Sydney, School of Pharmacy.

Source: pharmacydaily.com.au, Tuesday 17 May 2016