Garlic And Otc Or Rx Blood Thinners
Garlic thins out the blood, and if you take a daily baby aspirin or a blood thinner such as Coumadin , it could be risky, Dr. Glatter says. It can cause bleeding episodes after a fall or injury, and theres a high risk of internal bleeding, he says. His advice: Be careful and make sure your doctor knows exactly what you are taking and why. Just because something is natural doesnt mean it is risk-free. Garlic isnt the only supplement that can up your bleeding risk. Ginkgo biloba, fish oil, ginger, feverfew, vitamin E, and white willow bark are also on the list. Make sure you know the super-important questions to ask before you take prescription medications.
What Are The Possible Side Effects Of Multivitamins
Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction:hives difficulty breathing swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
When taken as directed, multivitamins are not expected to cause serious side effects. Common side effects may include:
- headache or
- unusual or unpleasant taste in your mouth.
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
Coq10 And Your Diabetes Meds
CoQ10 is a powerful compound that helps your heart. Dr. Glatter warns that CoQ10 can also lower blood sugar, and if you are taking other diabetes drugs, you run the risk of developing low blood sugar, he says. CoQ10 can also lower blood pressure. In combination with blood pressure medications, this can cause dangerously low blood pressure, he says. This can happen out of the blue, often after you have been taking CoQ10 for six to eight weeks, and it could precipitate a fall or head injury. Watch out for these other symptoms of low blood pressure.
You May Like: What Antibiotic Is Best For Diverticulitis
Take Probiotics During And After Treatment
Taking antibiotics can alter the gut microbiota, which can lead to antibiotic-associated diarrhea, especially in children.
Fortunately, a number of studies have shown that taking probiotics, or live healthy bacteria, can reduce the risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhea .
One review of 23 studies including nearly 400 children found that taking probiotics at the same time as antibiotics could reduce the risk of diarrhea by more than 50% .
A larger review of 82 studies including over 11,000 people found similar results in adults, as well as children .
These studies showed that Lactobacilli and Saccharomyces probiotics were particularly effective.
However, given that probiotics are usually bacteria themselves, they can also be killed by antibiotics if taken together. Thus, it is important to take antibiotics and probiotics a few hours apart.
Probiotics should also be taken after a course of antibiotics in order to restore some of the healthy bacteria in the intestines that may have been killed.
One study showed that probiotics can restore the microbiota to its original state after a disruptive event, such as taking antibiotics .
If taking probiotics after antibiotics, it may be better to take one that contains a mixture of different species of probiotics, rather than just one.
Lay The Foundation For Good Gut Health With Your Dietary Habits
Traditionally, we consumed much less of the above, and we included more foods that naturally replenished our microbiome regularly in the diet. But over the last several generations, much of this has changed for the worse. However, we can bring back many good foods and habits simply by improving awareness and incorporating them back into our routine. Foods that have naturally occurring probiotics include:
- Fresh, organic produce that hasnt been thoroughly washed
- Raw sauerkraut, miso, kimchi, kvass and other fermented veggies/fruits
- Fermented dairy including yogurt, kefir, skyr and filmjolk
- Kombucha
These foods have traditionally helped give us a reinnoculation of these good bacteria that over time naturally die and get damaged in the gut due to common exposures I mentioned previously as well as general age-related senescence.
In recent years, taking probiotics as a supplement has also become much more popular and medically accepted. So, is there any concern with taking them when youre on a current antibiotic course?
Read Also: Non Penicillin Antibiotics For Dental Infections
What Should I Avoid While Taking Multivitamins
Avoid taking more than one multivitamin product at the same time unless your doctor tells you to. Taking similar vitamin products together can result in a vitamin overdose or serious side effects.
Avoid the regular use of salt substitutes in your diet if your multivitamin contains potassium. If you are on a low-salt diet, ask your doctor before taking a vitamin or mineral supplement.
Do not take multivitamins with milk, other dairy products, calcium supplements, or antacids that contain calcium. Calcium may make it harder for your body to absorb certain ingredients of the multivitamin.
Take Antibiotics Exactly As Prescribed If You Need Them
Dispose of Unused Medicines
If your doctor decides an antibiotic is the best treatment when youre sick:
- Take them exactly as your doctor tells you.
- Do not share your antibiotics with others.
- Do not save them for later. Talk to your pharmacist about safely discarding leftover medicines.
- Do not take antibiotics prescribed for someone else. This may delay the best treatment for you, make you even sicker, or cause side effects.
Talk with your doctor and pharmacist if you have any questions about your antibiotics.
Recommended Reading: Which Antibiotic For Dog Uti
Be Cautious Of These Combos
Even the most common supplements can have surprising interactions with drugs and other supplements.
“Things that are natural are not necessarily safe,” says David S. Seres, MD, director of medical nutrition and associate professor of medicine at Columbia Medical Center. He explains that much of the reasoning for taking different supplements comes from looking at large populations that consume these substances through diet and seem to have positive health outcomes as a result. However, when a substance is put in supplement form, it’s much more concentrated.
“Consumers should not be surprised that there is the potential for interactions and toxicity when it comes to supplements,” he says.
Here, a few supplements that can have potentially dangerous interactions with different medications and other herbal supplements.
Mixing Vitamin C With Antibiotics Is Surprisingly Effective At Killing Off Cancer Stem Cells
Scientists have developed an unusual new way to fight cancer stem cells – combining antibiotics with vitamin C. Not only could the compound help treat tumours, it could also reduce the chance of the cancer returning.
Therapies mixing doxycycline and vitamin C were up to 100 times more effective at killing off CSCs in the lab when compared with another anti-cancer agent being tested, 2-Deoxy-D-glucose.
The new study actually builds on previous work by the same team from the University of Salford in the UK, which looked at how vitamin C could be used to kill off CSCs by stopping cell mitochondria from producing energy.
First the antibiotic stops the cancerous cells from switching between different types of energy source to stay alive, forcing them to rely solely on glucose. In technical terms, it makes the cells metabolically inflexible, and it’s enough to kill some cancer cells on its own.
It doesn’t take all of them though, and scientists think this is why certain tumours become drug-resistant – they switch to an alternative source of nutrients to keep growing in the body.
With that restriction in place, the vitamin C then comes in and acts as a “second punch”, removing the source of that glucose and effectively starving the CSCs to death.
“In this scenario, vitamin C behaves as an inhibitor of glycolysis, which fuels energy production in mitochondria, the ‘powerhouse’ of the cell,” says one of the team, Federica Sotgia.
Read Also: Can Bronchitis Be Treated Without Antibiotics
Red Yeast Rice And Niacin
If you are one of the 95 million Americans with high cholesterol, you might like the idea of taking a natural supplement to lower your levels. Two possible pills that lower cholesterol levelsred yeast rice and niacindont play well together. Doubling up doesnt increase the benefits and may be harmful to the liver, says Todd Sontag DO, a family medicine specialist with Orlando Health Physician Associates in Florida. When prescription cholesterol-lowering drugs are added to the mix, your risks can increase. Be sure youre aware of niacin flush and what you can do about this potential side effect.
Vitamin Interactions With Antidepressants
The combination of SSRI and antidepressant medications with supplements can be especially dangerous. If you have an anxiety disorder or depression, your doctor may prescribe a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor . Common SSRIs are Lexapro, Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft. These are safe for most people, but when taken with supplements or vitamins, the results can be risky. Brandi Cole, Pharm.D., a medical advisory board member for Persona Nutrition, explains why.
Most SSRIs are extensively metabolized by liver enzymes, and supplements that affect these enzymes could potentially change the way your body eliminates SSRIs, Cole says. For example St Johns Wort induces liver enzymesmeaning it makes the liver eliminate prescription drugs more quickly than normal. Translation: Your system clears SSRIs sooner than intended, and without the correct amount of medication in your system, your medication cant work.
Additionally, some supplements can cause medication to interact negatively with your bodys systems and processes. Supplements that affect the hearts rhythm could cause a dangerously irregular heartbeat when taken with SSRIs. Supplements that contain serotonin or alter serotonin metabolismsuch as 5HTP , SAMe, or St Johns Wort can cause serotonin syndrome when taken with SSRIs.
Read Also: Does Urgent Care Prescribe Antibiotics
How Should I Take Multivitamins
Use exactly as directed on the label, or as prescribed by your doctor.
Never take more than the recommended dose of a multivitamin. Avoid taking more than one multivitamin product at the same time unless your doctor tells you to. Taking similar vitamin products together can result in a vitamin overdose or serious side effects.
Many multivitamin products also contain minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc. Minerals can cause side effects such as tooth staining, increased urination, stomach bleeding, uneven heart rate, confusion, and muscle weakness or limp feeling. Read the label of any multivitamin product you take to make sure you are aware of what it contains.
Take your multivitamin with a full glass of water.
You must chew the chewable tablet before you swallow it.
Place the sublingual tablet under your tongue and allow it to dissolve completely. Do not chew a sublingual tablet or swallow it whole.
Measure liquid medicine carefully. Use the dosing syringe provided, or use a medicine dose-measuring device .
Use multivitamins regularly to get the most benefit.
Store at room temperature away from moisture and heat. Do not freeze.
Store multivitamins in their original container. Storing multivitamins in a glass container can ruin the medication.
The General Antibiotic Prescription Pattern At The Immunodeficiency Unit
To obtain a measure of the general antibiotic prescription pattern at the Immunodeficiency Unit during the study period, we retrieved information on all prescriptions during 2012, 2013 and 2014 from the Strategic Programme Against Antibiotic Resistance , that registers all antibiotic prescriptions in Sweden . Before the study started , there were 38 prescriptions of respiratory antibiotics per month. After the inclusion was completed , there were 40 prescriptions per month of respiratory antibiotics. Importantly, these figures indicate that there was no general decrease in the prescription patterns during the study period, rather the numbers increased slightly. For non-respiratory antibiotics, the figures were 17 prescriptions per month before and 22 per months after .
Also Check: Over The Counter Antibiotics For Infected Tattoo
Vitamin Combinations To Avoid
Vitamin C with vitamin B-12
Vitamin C is an essential antioxidant for immune system health. Vitamin B-12 helps maintain your nervous system and form red blood cells. Studies show that taking these two supplements at the same time may reduce the amount of vitamin B-12 that you receive. So, experts recommend taking these supplements at least two hours apart.
Vitamin A supplement with vitamin A-rich foods
Since vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin, any excess is stored in the body. So, you don’t need to take vitamin A every single day. Too much vitamin A can lead to weaker bones and more bone fractures as you age. It can also be harmful to unborn babies.
If you are pregnant or take a vitamin A supplement, avoid eating liver or liver paté. These foods are so high in vitamin A that even if you do not take a vitamin A supplement, you should only eat them once a week to avoid consuming too much.
Folic acid and vitamin B12
While both of these B vitamins are important, taking too much folic acid or folate can actually hide the symptoms of a vitamin B12 deficiency. So, speak to your doctor to verify your vitamin levels before adding these supplements to your regimen.
It is well documented that vitamin E supplementation can lead to increased bleeding in some people. Some doctors prescribe a vitamin K supplement to help with blood clotting. Taking vitamin E at the same time can counteract the effects of vitamin K.
Timing The Dosing Of Your Probiotics
When I have a client on an antibiotic regimen, I typically suggest that to minimize the killing of the probiotic species, to take the antibiotics and the probiotics at least five hours apart. I have found that clinically to work well*. Unfortunately, there is very little research on this unique issue.
However, research does illustrate that starting probiotics at the start of an antibiotic regimen vs. waiting until later does minimize potential adverse side effects from the antibiotic regimen*. The time of day is not typically a big issue, but youll want to keep in mind what times your antibiotic will be dosed as that will dictate the times you can optimally take your probiotic!
Also Check: Over The Counter Antibiotics For Piercing Infections
Iron Supplements And Antibiotics
Taking iron alongside antibiotics, such as ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, and minocycline, may decrease your bodys absorption rate of the antibiotic prescription. Additionally, those taking synthetic thyroid hormone replacement such as Levothyroxine should be sure to avoid all supplements that contain soy, iron, and calcium, which, if taken within four hours of taking a synthetic thyroid hormone, may reduce the absorption rate, Dr. Cole says.
Iron supplements may also interact with blood pressure medications called ACE-inhibitors and decrease their absorption.
These are a few examples of how supplements and medications can negatively impact one another, but how certain vitamin interactions can happen is largely a case-by-case basis. So always chat with your doctor or pharmacist before starting any new medication, vitamin, or supplement.
Prescription medications can deplete nutrients from the body or provide additional nutrients based on the makeup of the medications youre takingand that can be helpful or hurtful, Dr. Cole says. Thats why its important to have an understanding of drug-nutrient interactions if youre taking both supplements and prescription medications.
Fish Oil And Gingko Biloba
Omega-3 fish oil supplements may tame inflammation and improve your mood, but when you take these supplements with herbs that thin the bloodsuch as ginkgo biloba or garlicthey may prevent clotting and can lead to uncontrolled bleeding, Dr. Cooperman says. To be safe, split them up by at least two hours. Find out which vitamins are a waste of money and could even be dangerous.
You May Like: Are Antibiotics Hard On The Kidneys
What You Should Eat During And After Antibiotics
Antibiotics are a powerful line of defense against bacterial infections.
However, they can sometimes cause side effects, such as diarrhea and liver damage.
Some foods can reduce these side effects, while others may make them worse.
This article explains what you should and shouldnt eat during and after antibiotics.
Multivitamins And Aspirin Can Make You Antibiotic Resistant Lead To Incorrect Lab Results
Do you have the habit of popping over-the-counter drugs such as multivitamins, multiminerals, and aspirin? Besides making you antibiotic resistant and causing other healthissues, it may also affect lab test results, leading to possibly incorrect diagnoses, researchers have warned. The study showed that dietary supplements and OTC drugs were more frequently used by middle-aged patients, especially women.
These compounds, if consumed shortly before blood sampling, may cause changes in lab test results, thus leading to interpretation difficulties and possibly incorrect diagnoses, the researchers noted. Moreover, the patients were also reluctant or did not feel the need to disclose the use of these drugs to medical or laboratory staff.
We hope that our survey helps to raise awareness about the need to educate patients about the potential effect of OTC drugs and dietary supplements on lab test results, said Ana-Maria Simundic, Professor at the Sveti Duh Clinical Hospital in Croatia. We would encourage clinicians and lab staff to engage more with their patients and ask them to direct questions about the use of various self-prescribed products, she added.
The researchers stressed on the need of a multifaceted approach to draw attention to the issue using educational interventions which target both healthcare professionals and patients.
Follow for more
Don’t Miss: Can You Get Bv After Antibiotics
Instead Of Taking Antibiotics Take Vitamin D To Boost The Immune System
You may choose to forego the use of pharmaceutical drugs altogether and strengthen your immune system with vitamin D instead.
Vitamin D performs many functions in the human body. Perhaps its most important role is to support the immune system. A robust immune response ensures that a person will not fall prey to disease.
Many people do not get enough of this vitamin each day. The deficiency gets worse during winter due to the colder temperatures and weaker amounts of sunlight that help the body produce vitamin D. Due to the lack of ultraviolet light and other sources of the nutrient, their immune system weakens, rendering them more vulnerable to illnesses.
As such, preppers and survivalists need to make sure they get enough vitamin D for their immune system. It holds doubly true during times when there is not much in the way of sunlight.
For those who want to use antibiotics and vitamins together, remember to avoid general supplements. One of the nutrients in a multivitamin may interfere with the antibacterial effect. Instead, take a specialized supplement that contains only the needed vitamin and stick to that course until recovery.
Also, use the correct antibiotic and do not skimp on the dosage. That means getting a medical reference that shows the appropriate drug, dosage, and treatment period for a disease.
