Heart patients, have you told your doctor that you take herbal or vitamin supplements?
To be safe, let your doctor know. Anything you take into your body has an effect – whether good or bad – and herbs and vitamin supplements are no different. They could interact with your prescription medications, possibly worsening your cardiovascular problems or increasing the drugs’ side effects. By that same token, replacing prescription medications with supplements may put you at an even greater risk.
“Supplements are perceived by some people as being safe, natural and pure, and prescription drugs are looked at as less safe. A lot of people believe that if it comes from nature, then it must be safe. They see all the side effects of prescription drugs listed in ads, and the bottles for over-the-counter supplements aren’t required to list any side effects,” said Perry J. Weinstock, MD, FACC, Head of the Division of Cardiovascular Disease and Director of Clinical Cardiology at Cooper University Hospital. “The herbal supplements that patients consume can have many effects which could result in a negative impact on blood pressure, cholesterol, heart rhythm and blood clotting,” Dr. Weinstock said. Read the full story
