Jennifer Raley
Cumberland Times-News
August 07, 2006 10:56 am
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CUMBERLAND - Prescription bottles are labeled with do not take with alcohol and do not take on an empty stomach stickers, but do not take with herbs stickers are seldom seen.
"People should tell their pharmacist what they're taking because they (herbs) can alter some drug levels," said pharmacist Keith Broome of Pharmacare of Cumberland.
"I would advise people to tell their pharmacist what (herbs) they're taking," said pharmacist Ernie Gregg of Gregg's Pharmacy in Oakland.
Certain herbs can affect pharmaceutical drugs in a variety of ways, said Gregg. Taking St. John's wort with an antibiotic may make an antibiotic lose its affect in four hours instead of the scheduled six hours, said Gregg.
Conversely, some herbs have the potential to make pharmaceutical drugs last longer than intended, according to Gregg.
"They can slow up the body's ability to clear the medication," said Broom.
According to a recent study conducted by Dr. Christopher Gorski of the Indiana University of Medicine, St. John's wort and Echinacea speed up the body's metabolism in ways that prematurely expel approximately one-fourth of all pharmaceutical drugs on the market today.
"Patients and clinicians need to be aware of possible reductions in the systemic bioavailability, and thus lowered therapeutic value of conventional drugs, both prescription and over the counter, when taken at the same time as St. John's wort, Echinacea and possibly other herbal preparations," said Gorski.
People who take a gingko with the a common blood-thinner may also experience problems, said Gregg. Taking the herb with the drug can cause the blood to become too thin.
An adverse affect of mixing medications and herbs, such as internal bleeding, may go unnoticed by patients, said Gregg.
The interaction of some herbs and drugs could be life-threanening, said Gregg.
"I think the potential severity is there - I would advise people to tell their pharmacist what (herbs) they're taking," said Gregg.
While the potential for serious complications exists, Gregg has found that, generally, people do ask about taking pharmaceutical drugs with herbs.
Broome said many of his customers ask about the interaction of herbs and pharmaceutical drugs. People should also be selective about the source of their herbal information, said Broome.
Pharmacist Brad Thomas of National Pharmacy in LaVale advises people to be careful about what herbs they purchase because he said some companies do not use the proper species of herbs needed to achieve the intended effect.
Herbal remedies regulated as foods to sustain or maintain health are not tested for drug interactions, and most problems have only become known when patients report adverse effects, according to Gorski.
When scanning for possible drugs interactions, herbs are not listed with other medications, said Broome.
Both Gregg and Broome have seen an increase in the number of people taking herbs on a regular basis. Broome said that when he first became a pharmacist, the use of herbs was not as common as it is today.
It has been known for some time that St. John's wort can cause drugs to be cleared faster then they should be to achieve maximum benefit; Gorski's study shows that the herb increases the activity of an enzyme found in the liver and intestine that is active in breaking down pharmaceutical drugs.
Scripps Howard News Service contributed to this story.
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