Drug-nutrient interactions occur when a drug and one or more nutrients interact, potentially preventing the medication from working properly. It can also decrease or increase the amount of the nutrient in the body. If you are taking prescription medications, it is important to be aware of potential interactions with vitamins and supplements. To ensure your line of drugs, vitamins and supplements is safe, you need to know how they can interact.
Certain drugs are known to interact with vitamins, such as anisindione, bortezomib, capecitabine, ceftibutene, cephalexin, cephradine, cholestyramine, and colesevelam. If you are taking these medications in combination with supplements, it is essential to inform your doctor so that they can monitor you closely. For a short course of treatment, it is usually possible to discontinue the vitamin until the therapy is complete. It is also important to be aware that a single 20 mEq tablet of a prescription drug contains 780 mg of potassium. Therefore, if a patient uses a salt substitute while taking medications that retain potassium, they can easily accumulate it and should be warned not to consume these products.
Pharmacists are in a unique position to talk to patients taking these medications and recommend an adequate intake of calcium and supplements, especially for those with other risk factors for osteoporosis. If you take natural dietary supplements to supplement your diet or to alleviate the symptoms of conditions such as menopause or depression, you could be changing the way the medications you're taking work inside your body. Even naturally occurring herbal supplements can have powerful active ingredients and dangerous interactions with medications, other supplements, and certain foods and beverages. In addition, pharmacists should encourage software providers and employers to provide fields in their profile systems for over-the-counter drugs and supplements, as these products can affect care and cause easily avoidable drug interactions that could put the patient at risk of poor outcomes or adverse effects. Before beginning any vitamin or supplement regimen, it is important to speak with your doctor or pharmacist about their safety and potential drug interactions. To make sure your line of drugs, vitamins and supplements is safe, you need to know how they can interact.
