Communicate with your physician - Disclose What You Take
Kenneth H. Cooper, M.D., M.P.H.

DONT BE SHY!
Here is a statistic that recently caught my attention. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, a quarter of adult Americans, and more than 40 percent of those age 65 or older, take five or more medicines a week. That should raise some red flags for a number of reasons.

As you probably know, the possibility of drug interactions increases with the number of medications one is taking. Because the pharmaceutical industry continues to introduce new products at a rapid rate, it is challenging for health care providers to stay ahead of the curve.

It is vital that you, as a patient, communicate with your doctors. Let them know everything you are taking; that includes prescription medications as well as any over-the-counter products including aspirin, vitamins, minerals, and herbal supplements.

Studies have shown that many patients are hesitant to inform their physician that they are using alternative therapies, i.e. herbal supplements, because they expect to get scolded for using non-traditional approaches. That is a huge mistake. If your doctor balks at using vitamins or herbs, then I suggest you find a new doctor.

Less than 6 percent of physicians have any training in nutrition, but it is still imperative that they know what you are taking. For instance, St. Johns Wort, a popular herb for the treatment of mild depression, can potentially negate the effect of birth control pills.

We also know that Lipitor, the anti-cholesterol medication that happens to be the top-selling prescription drug in the world, can potentially block the anti-clotting effects of Plavix, which is used to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

These are just a few of the thousands of potential interactions.

MY SUGGESTIONS
As indicated, please make sure you communicate with all of your health care providers. If you have multiple doctors, let each of them know everything you take, both prescription and non-prescription. Also, and this is very important, try and use the same pharmacy to fill all of your prescriptions. All of the major pharmacies now have sophisticated computer software that can automatically alert them if there is a potential problem. If you keep everything under the same account, then it will minimize your risk of something dangerous occurring.

As a physician, I know the benefits of prescription drugs, over-the-counter products, and supplements. However, there are also life-threatening interactions that can occur if you are not proactive in communicating with your health care providers.

Stay well and be active.

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