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| Hopitals concerned about herb-drug interactions Hospitals are becoming increasingly concerned about consumers bringing their vitamins, minerals and herbal remedies with them to the hospital, and many are considering an outright ban on these products. continued below... |
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Other hospitals have adopted a more enlightened policy of asking consumers if they are bringing any supplements or other medications into the hospital.
The hospitals have a legitimate reason for being concerned about this practice, because some of these products can interfere with the action of prescription medications. However, with the assistance of hospital pharmacists, many of these potential problems can be minimized if not entirely eliminated.
We wanted to get the scoop on what consumers need to know before bringing their vitamins, minerals and herbs with them to the hospital, so we spoke with Forrest Batz, ., a natural medicines information pharmacist based in Santa Rosa, California.
He tells us that potential problems can be minimized through a three-step process. First, the hospital must perform a good intake interview prior to admission. Instead of asking a person if he or she takes supplements, ask, "Are you taking any vitamin, mineral or herbal product." Next, it's important that doctors and hospital pharmacists be knowledgeable about the major interactions between prescription medications and natural products. He acknowledges that health professionals can't be expected to know everything, but they should be aware of interactions involving the more popular products such as St. John's wort. And finally, doctors and pharmacists should have access to a resource that provides them current information on a whole range of natural products. Batz suggests the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, which is available in printed and electronic form at the Web site .com.
His last bit of advice to consumers? "If you encounter a health professional who can't answer your questions about natural products and prescription medications, find someone who can." Batz recommends two resources for consumers: The Natural Pharmacist at .com (phone 800-637-7784) and Harvard Health Online at . (phone 800-829-9045)..