Supplements

Question 1

Botanical/Herbal supplements

Answer 1

Echinaecea 
Garlic
Ginkgo
Ginseng
Milk Thistle 
St. Johns Wort
Saw Palmetto

Question 2

Purified supplements

Answer 2

Coenzyme Q
Glucosamine
Melatonin

Question 3

Echinaecea

1. What do you use it for?
2. Adverse effects?
3. Drug interactions

Answer 3

1. Improves immune function and decreases inflammation. Antibacterial, anti fungal, antiviral and antioxidant effects.
2. Flu like symptoms, unpleasant taste, GI, rash
3. Avoid in patients with immune deficiencies or auto immune diseases.

Question 4

Garlic

1. What do you use it for?
2. Adverse effects?
3. Drug interactions

Answer 4

1. Cardiovascular: Decrease cholesterol, platelets, and blood pressure.
   Antibiotic effects
2. Nausea, hyportension (bc decreasing BP), allergy, blood thinner/bleeding (decrease platelets)
3. Avoid in patients taking a blood thinner (anti-clotting medication). Monitor BP

Question 5

Ginkgo

1. What do you use it for?
2. Adverse effects?
3. Drug interactions

Answer 5

1. Cardiovascular. Increases blood flow and vasodilation. Antioxidant. Central nervous system change in receptor densities. Improvement in cognition/concentration.
2. Nausea, headache, stomach upset, insomnia
3. Avoid in pts taking anti platelet or anti coagulant medications. Avoid in patients with seizure disorders due to CNS effects.

Question 6

Ginseng

1. What do you use it for?
2. Adverse effects?
3. Drug interactions

Answer 6

1. Does a TON. Improves immune function.
Increases CNS levels of Ach, serotonin, NE and dopamine. 
Antioxidant.
Anti-inflammatory. 
Anti stress. 
Anti platelet (blood thinner) 
Improved glucose homeostasis. 
Anti cancer. 

2. Bleeding, insomnia, nervousness, hypertension
3. Caution in patients taking psychiatric or blood thinning medications. Caution in patients with immune diseases.

Question 7

Milk thistle

1. What do you use it for?
2. Adverse effects?
3. Drug interactions

Answer 7

1. Decreases liver disease.
   Chemotherapeautic effects: Reduce tumor initiation in skin cancer by inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest.
   Lactaction induced
2. GI upset and HA
3. NKD interactions

Question 8

St. John’s Wort

1. What do you use it for?
2. Adverse effects?
3. Drug interactions

Answer 8

1. Antidepressant. Inhibits serotonin, NE, dopamine re-uptake. Increase expression of serotonin expression. Will improve mood.
   Antiviral and anti carcinogenic effects.
2. Photosensitization and mood swings (comes along with anti depressant)
3. Avoid in patients using antidepressants. Will induce CYP enzymes, which will reduce levels of other drugs including birth control, NNRT, warfarin.

Question 9

Saw Palmetto

1. What do you use it for?
2. Adverse effects?
3. Drug interactions

Answer 9

1. Treatment of BPH. Reduces DHT synthesis and DTH binding to androgen receptors.
2. Abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, HA
3. NKD interactions

Question 10

Coenzyme Q

1. What do you use it for?
2. Adverse effects?
3. Drug interactions

Answer 10

1. Found in mitochondria of several organs. Potent antioxidant that can be used for:
   Hypertension (vasodilation causes decrease BP)
   Heart failure
   Ischemic heart disease
   Prevention of statin induced muscle soreness
2. GI upset in very few people
3. May decrease the effects of warfarin

Question 11

Glucosamine

1. What do you use it for?
2. Adverse effects?
3. Drug interactions

Answer 11

Found in human tissue. Substrate for production of cartilage. Derived from crabs and crustaceans.

1. Increase cartilage building blocks
2. Very well tolerated. Mild GI symptoms and don’t take if shellfish allergy.
3. Increase effect of warfarin.

Question 12

Melatonin

1. What do you use it for?
2. Adverse effects?
3. Drug interactions

Answer 12

Serotonin derivative

1. Regulates sleep/wake cycle.
2. Next day drowsiness, fatigue, dizziness, HA, irritability, may increase or decrease BP
3. Not studied. Maybe with NSAIDS, antidepressants, warfarin.