Many people take a variety of nutritional supplements, herbal remedies and drug medications. Many of these substances interact with each other, sometimes interfering with the other’s function, depleting nutrients from the body and/or rendering the other ineffective.
Those taking Amlodipine, a drug used sometimes with other medications treats high blood pressure. It helps maintain normal blood pressure, prevents strokes, heart attacks as well as kidney problems. It belongs to a class of drugs known as calcium channel blockers. They work by relaxing the blood vessels so the blood flows easily. It’s used also for treating certain types of chest pains e.g. angina. It helps increase your ability to exercise and reduce the frequency of chest pains – but should not be used during an attack of chest pain. There are other medications e.g. sublingual nitroglycerin, placed under the tongue that treat such attacks.
Amlodipine, interacts with dietary supplements such as:
? DHEA/Dehydroepiandrosterone, a hormone made by the adrenal glands and the liver. DHEA converts to male and/or female sex hormone in the body. As we age, DHEA levels decline and may even be lower in people who are depressed and postmenopausal women. It treats vaginal tissue thinning. DHEA is banned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the International Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency. The banned DHEA is not to be confused with other nutrient forms of DHEA, which are not all the same.
? Pleurisy root is another herb Amlodipine interacts with. Pleurisy root contains cardiac glycosides and comes from the highly toxic foxglove plant. Examples of cardiac glycosides include: digitalis and digoxin – the most commonly prescribed cardiac glycoside. The interaction between cardio glycosides and pleurisy root can worsen the condition.
? When Amlopidine is taken with grapefruit and/or grapefruit juice it increases the absorption rate of the drug and others like it.
ACE inhibitors/Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme. ACE inhibitors are a type of medication used to treat hypertension/high blood pressure. Angiotensin constricts the blood vessels. ACE inhibitor medications prevent this action, thus preventing the rise in blood pressure. These drugs are also used to treat heart failure and kidney problems. ACE inhibitors increase the levels of iron and potassium.
Aminoglycoside medications are potent broad-spectrum antibiotics. They work by inhibiting the protein production of bacteria. Streptomycin is one such antibiotics. Introduced in the 1940s it was used to treat tuberculosis. In the 1980s there was a shift away from Aminoglycoside antibiotics in favour of other types of antibiotics e.g. cephalosporins, carbapenems and fluoroquinolones. These antibiotics are supposedly less toxic and provide a broader range of protection against bacteria. These antibiotics interact with such dietary supplements as:
? Probiotics, friendly gut bacteria e.g. Bifidobacterium longum, Acidophilus, casei, Saccharomyces boulardii and cerevisiae, are all destroyed by antibiotics. Good friendly gut bacteria benefit us by helping our immune function, keeping such bad guys like H.pylori, yeast, E. coli and others in check. Friendly gut bacteria also help the body process B vitamins.
? This class of antibiotics reduce the levels of vitamin K2 but doesn’t seem to affect K1 which remains at normal levels.
Amiodarone is used to treat certain types of serious, possibly fatal, irregular heartbeats e.g. tachycardia, which is when the heart’s ventricle is disturbed and begins to fibrillate or twitch irregularly. It’s used to restore the heartbeat to a regular, steady beat. Amiodarone works by blocking certain electrical signals in the heart that cause the irregular beat or fibrillation. The level of Amiodarone increases when it interacts with grapefruit juice, suggesting you do not take grapefruit juice if you are using this medication.
Amoxicillin and Ampicillin. These antibiotics interact with such dietary supplements as:
? Probiotics,your good friendly gut bacteria e.g. Bifidobacterium longum, acidophilus, casei, Saccharomyces boulardii and cerevisiae, are all destroyed by these antibiotics. In essence you are actually trading one condition for another, particularly when your friendly gut bacteria’ numbers are reduced.
? Amoxicillin reduces the levels of vitamin K2 needed for safe and appropriate blood clotting.
? The digestive enzyme bromelain increases the absorption of Amoxicillin and others antibiotics.
The same interactions occur with Ampicillin e.g. – it destroys the good friendly gut bacteria and reduces the levels of vitamins C & K2, essential for a healthy immune system, safe and appropriated clotting of blood, respectively. Vitamin K1 remains at normal levels.
Chemotherapy drugs interact with nutrient supplements. Antioxidant protect against the damage caused by chemotherapy drugs:
? Vitamins A, C, E, Beta-carotene are depleted by chemotherapy drugs.
? Vitamin E, N-acetyl cysteine & zinc may enhance the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs and protect against the ravages of chemotherapy.
? Glutamine, an amino acid, protects against the ravages of chemotherapy e.g. against mouth sores.
? Magnesium and potassium levels decrease by chemotherapy drugs.
? Spleen extract stabilises the damage to white blood cells caused by chemotherapy drugs.
? Many vitamins/minerals and the amino acids – taurine, L-carnitine – are depleted causing deficiencies.
? Thymosin with chemotherapy seem to improve survival rates. Thymostimulin reduces the ravages of chemotherapy.
? Echinacea boosts the immune system damaged by chemotherapy drugs.
? Eleuthero with Chemotherapy reduce the side effects of chemotherapy.
? Milk thistle protects against liver and kidney toxicity from chemotherapy.
? Ginger protects against the mouth sores caused by chemotherapy.
? Mushrooms stimulate the immune and protects against chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy drugs also interact with food and other compounds e.g. fruit juices – are one way of supplementing the diet when you lose your appetite as a result of chemotherapy. Grapefruit juice can reduce the availability of chemotherapy drug in the body.
To contact Dr. Stan Horne:
1-264-582-7045
1-784-531-1150
Email: naturopathyplus@yahoo.co.uk
