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Subscribe To Our Syndicated NewsMixing Herbal Meds and Prescription Drugs Can be Harmful
Mixing Herbal Meds and Prescription Drugs Can be Harmful
-May 30, 2006
A new study found that older women who regularly mix over-the counter or herbal medications with prescription drugs may suffer increased health risks.
Furthermore, the study, published in the March issue of Geriatric Nursing, indicates that the health risks may go unnoticed since most women don't tell their doctors about all the drugs they take.
"Many of these older women do not consider over-the-counter and herbal medications real drugs, and therefore, do not report them," said lead researcher and assistant professor at the University of Florida College of Nursing, Saunjoo Yoon.
About half of Americans over 65 regularly take five or more medications, which include over-the-counter, herbal, and prescription drugs. The small study evaluated the possible dangers that could be caused by the consumption.
Researchers assessed 58 older women, who took both an herbal drug with at least one over-the-counter or prescription medication. According to Gold Standard Multimedia's Clinical Pharmacology Drug Interactions, a database that evaluates the interaction between thousands of drugs, 74 percent of the study participants were at a moderate to high risk of dangerous drug interactions.
Out of the 136 dangerous interactions found, 41 percent were high risk and 58 percent were of moderate risk, the researchers concluded.
The study found that the most common and harmful combinations involved more than two nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), or NSAIDS and the popular herbal drug ginko. In addition, mixing over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen with prescription medications were also dangerous.
"It's so important for health-care providers to take a careful medication history to evaluate all prescribed, over-the-counter and herbal drugs to monitor interactions in older women," Yoon said. "Prevention of possible interaction is the safest practice."
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