Abstract
Dietary supplements are regulated differently than prescription drugs. As a result, there is often very little reliable data about safety, effectiveness, or the potential for interactions with drugs. Despite the lack of data, the use of dietary supplements is very common. As many as 69% of patients in the U.S. report using a dietary supplement. In many cases, patients take dietary supplements along with prescription medication. This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of dietary supplement usage and to characterize the risk of potential drug-supplement interactions in a cardiovascular risk reduction population. A review of 55 patient charts revealed that 40 (72%) were taking at least one dietary supplement. The mean number of supplements taken per person was 2.2. The mean number of medications taken by those also taking a dietary supplement was 4.6. Screening for drug-supplement interactions resulted in the identification of 297 potential interactions among this population. Of these, only 2% were considered “major” interactions, 81% were considered “moderate,” and 18% were considered minor. The majority of the interactions identified were pharmacodynamic in nature. These findings suggest that healthcare professionals should ask specific questions about their patient's use of dietary supplements. Additionally, screenings should be conducted to ensure patients are not taking a combination that could result in a serious adverse outcome.