https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/1611585/cancer-symptoms-blood-clots-first-clue-redness-swelling-warmth-pain
Showing posts with label Bleeding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bleeding. Show all posts
Tuesday, 17 May 2022
Cancer: The signs and symptoms to look out for (Image: EXPRESS.CO.UK)
https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/1611585/cancer-symptoms-blood-clots-first-clue-redness-swelling-warmth-pain
Friday, 6 May 2022
Painkiller Warning: Ibuprofen May Cause Heartburn, Ulcers, Bleeding Or Holes In Stomach
Painkillers are used for a variety of mild ailments on the body. The recommended dose per day is roughly 200–400 mg and maximum 1,200 mg per day. Over exposure is known to cause a number of serious stomach issues.
Ibuprofen can cause “stomach-related side effects”, the charity Versus Arthritis warned.
People who experience heartburn or indigestion while using ibuprofen are encouraged to “speak to [their] doctor”.
Long-term use of ibuprofen is not recommended, as it “increases the risk of problems with your heart of circulation”.
Such risk is more pronounced for those who tick off other risk factors for heart conditions.
“Ibuprofen can cause ulcers in your stomach or gut, especially if you take it by mouth for a long time or in big doses,” warns the NHS.
The national health body added: “If you need to take it for a long time your doctor may also prescribe a medicine to help protect your stomach.”
Other stomach issues from ibuprofen toxicity may include bleeding, or holes in the stomach or intestine.
To make sure ibuprofen tablets, capsules, granules or liquid is safe for you, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you:
- Have ever had bleeding in your stomach or a hole (perforation) in your stomach caused by an NSAID
- Have had a hole (perforation) in your stomach, bleeding in your Stomach or a stomach ulcer more than once
- Have a health problem that means you have an increased chance of bleeding
- Have severe heart failure, severe kidney failure or severe liver failure
- Are trying to get pregnant
- Have high blood pressure that’s not under control
- Have heart disease or mild to moderate heart failure, or have ever Had a stroke
- Have kidney or liver problems
- Have asthma, hay fever or allergies
- Have Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis
- Have chickenpox or shingles – taking ibuprofen can increase the chance of certain infections and skin reactions.
Monday, 5 October 2020
16 Cancer Symptoms And Signs You'll Probably Ignore
Cancer is the second most common cause of death. It's more curable when detected earlier.
Although some cancers develop completely without symptoms, some do have signs you are likely to ignore.
1. Unexplained Weight Loss
Weight loss for no known reason, not through exercise or changes in diet is a common sign of cancers related to lung, stomach or pancreas.
2. Fever
Fever may be a sign of early cancer in the blood like leukemia and lymphoma. Fever may also reveal kidney and colon cancer at an early stage.
3. Fatigue
Extreme fatigue that cannot get better after rest can be a symptom of several cancer types such as leukemia, colon cancer, and stomach cancer.
4. Pain
Sometimes bone cancer or testicular cancer can cause pain. A headache that doesn't get better after a long-time treatment may be a symptom of a brain tumor. Back pain may be a sign of cancer in the ovary or colon.
5. Unusual Bleeding
Coughing up blood may be a sign of lung cancer. Blood in the stool or urine can forecast colon cancer or kidney or bladder cancer. A bloody discharge from the nipple can indicate breast cancer.
6. Lump
A lump that is usually hard, not painful, irregularly shaped or firmly attached deep in the soft tissue or under the skin is often caused by cancer.
7. Nagging Cough
More than half of people who have a cough that just wouldn't go away are diagnosed with lung cancer. Excessive coughing is also common signs of laryngeal and thyroid cancer.
8. Shortness of Breath
Cancer in or near the lungs may cause a blockage of the tubes that carry air. Breathlessness is also common with breast cancer tumors, ovarian or liver cancer.
9. Difficulty Swallowing
Mouth or throat cancers can make the swallowing difficult. It's also a common sign of various head and neck cancers such as esophageal, oropharyngeal cancer, thyroid, and laryngeal cancers.
10. Heartburn
Heartburn that doesn't go away or gets worse could mean cancer of the throat, stomach, or ovaries. Excessive food, alcohol, or stress can cause serious heartburn.
11. Belly Pain and Depression
It rarely happens, but belly pain plus depression can be a sign of pancreatic cancer. But you don’t need to worry unless this disease runs deep in your family.
12. Skin Changes
Any freckle, mole or wart that changes color, shape, or size should be examined for skin cancer. Besides, darker looking skin, reddened skin, itching, yellowish eyes, and skin may also be linked to cancers.
13. Change in Bowel or Bladder Habits
Long-term diarrhea, constipation or a change in the size of the stool can be a symptom of rectal or colon cancer. Pain when passing or blood in urine can be related to bladder or prostate cancer.
14. White Patches Inside the Mouth
White patches inside the mouth can be leukoplakia, which is pre-cancerous and can become mouth cancer if it's not treated early.
15. Continued Itching
Precancerous conditions of the genital or anal areas can cause persistent itching. If the itching continues with over-the-counter topical medications, consult your doctor.
16. Non-healing Sores
Common sores usually heal quickly. If you have persistent sores in areas like your mouth, you may have cancer and should raise concerns and see a doctor.
https://www.buzzaura.com/12-cancer-symptoms-you-are-most-likely-to-ignore
Wednesday, 23 January 2019
Taking an aspirin each day does more HARM than good for healthy middle-aged adults because it raises their risk of major internal bleeding
- Aspirin, a blood thinner, is regularly given to healthy people in middle age
- But a study says the harms of major internal bleeding outweigh the benefits
- King's College London scientists reviewed 13 trials of 160,000 participants
Aspirin, which is a blood thinner, is regularly given to healthy people in middle age, to lower the risk of heart problems
Healthy people who take a daily aspirin to prevent heart attacks in later life may be doing more harm than good, research suggests.
Aspirin - which is a blood thinner - has for decades been given to people diagnosed with heart disease to stop heart attacks and strokes.
But many healthy people in middle age also take the pills as an 'insurance policy' against heart problems.
A major new study, which includes data from more than 160,000 people, concludes the risk of major internal bleeding significantly outweighs the benefit of aspirin among those with no history of heart disease.
The review, led by experts at King's College London, reinforces growing evidence that aspirin should no longer be used for 'primary prevention' - the term for treatment of patients who have no symptoms of heart problems.
The researchers found among healthy people, use of aspirin saw risk of heart attack or a stroke drop 11 per cent.
But the risk of bleeding went up 43 per cent.
This means that 265 people would have to take aspirin for five years to prevent a single heart attack or stroke – but one in 210 would have a major bleed.
Study leader Dr Sean Zheng, academic clinical fellow in cardiology at King's College London, said: 'This study demonstrates that there is insufficient evidence to recommend routine aspirin use in the prevention of heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular deaths in people without cardiovascular disease.'
The team found the picture was more complicated for patients diabetes, who are at higher risk of heart disease and who are often prescribed aspirin.
Among these patients the risk of a heart attack or stroke also dropped 11 per cent - and the risk of bleeding went up 30 per cent.
Dr Zheng said: 'There has been more uncertainty surrounding what should be done in patients who are at higher risk of cardiovascular disease and in patients with diabetes.
'This study shows that while cardiovascular events may be reduced in these patients, these benefits are matched by an increased risk of major bleeding events.
'Aspirin use requires discussion between the patient and their physician, with the knowledge that any small potential cardiovascular benefits are weighed up against the real risk of severe bleeding.'
In the past low-dose aspirin, which is very cheap, was frequently prescribed for even healthy people in middle age to reduce heart disease.
Guidelines issued by several professional health bodies between 2005 and 2008 solidified this position, recommending routine use of aspirin for people aged 50 and older with type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure.
A decade ago a series of major studies started to reveal the risk of major bleeding, and guidelines were changed to remove the formal recommendation, but many doctors still prescribe the drugs.
Experts are also concerned many the 'worried well' who take the tablets without being aware of side-effects that can include internal bleeding.
Professor Jeremy Pearson associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation said: 'Current guidelines do not recommend aspirin for people who don't already have heart and circulatory diseases.
'This is because, while aspirin reduces these people's risk of heart attacks and strokes, any benefit is outweighed by an increased risk of bleeding.
'If you have a heart attack, your doctor will usually prescribe a daily aspirin to try and prevent a second attack. In this case, the reduced risk of a second life-threatening heart attack substantially outweighs the risk of side effects, such as bleeding.
'The risk of bleeding from aspirin is likely to differ between groups of people. Further research may well uncover subsets of people where benefits do outweigh risks, paving the way for personalised treatments.'
Professor Jane Armitage of the University of Oxford, said: 'The conclusion [in this paper] reinforces the message from those trials that, for healthy people, the small benefits of aspirin in preventing strokes and heart attacks are counter balanced by increases in the risk of serious bleeding.'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-6619267/Daily-aspirin-does-harm-good-worried-well.html
Monday, 19 June 2017
Daily low dose aspirin to prevent blood clots 'may be lethal for some over-75s'
Taking a daily low dose aspirin to prevent blood clots can be disabling or even lethal for people aged 75 and over with a history of heart attacks or strokes, scientists have warned.
Updated:
The risk of internal bleeding caused by swallowing the blood-thinning pills is far higher in this group of patients than was previously thought, new research shows.
Compared with younger patients, older aspirin users were 10 times more likely to experience disabling or fatal gastro-intestinal bleeding.
The proportion of study participants suffering bleeds requiring hospital admission rose from 1.5% per year for those under 65 to 3.5% for those aged 75 to 84, the research showed.
For very elderly patients over 85, the annual bleed rate reached 5%.
The researchers, whose findings appear in The Lancet medical journal, urged doctors to prescribe elderly patients taking daily aspirin after a stroke or heart attack proton-pump inhibitor drugs to reduce the risk of bleeding.
Professor Peter Rothwell, from Oxford University, said: "We have known for some time that aspirin increases the risk of bleeding for elderly patients. But our new study gives us a much clearer understanding of the size of the increased risk and of the severity and consequences of bleeds.
"Our findings raise questions about the balance of risk and benefit of long-term daily aspirin use in people aged 75 or over if a proton-pump inhibitor is not co-prescribed."
Proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) are commonly used to treat heart burn by reducing levels of stomach acid.
The Oxford Vascular Study recruited 3,166 patients who had previously had a stroke or heart attack and were being prescribed blood-thinning drugs that prevent platelets - blood clotting cells - clumping together. Most were treated with aspirin.
Half the patients were aged 75 or over at the start of the study, which followed the progress of participants over 10 years. During this time, a total of 314 patients were admitted to hospital for internal bleeding.
Older patients who suffered bleeds fared worse than younger patients. The proportion of survivors experiencing a new or worse disability rose from 3% for those under 75 to a quarter for those who were older.
For patients aged 75 or older, a major gastro-intestinal bleed as a result of taking aspirin was "at least as likely" to be disabling or fatal as a recurrent stroke, said the researchers.
Proton-pump inhibitors could reduce bleeding by 70% to 90% in patients receiving long-term anti-platelet treatment, they added.
Prof Rothwell said: "While there is some evidence that long-term PPI use might have some small risks, this study shows that the risk of bleeding without them at older ages is high, and the consequences significant.
"In other words, these new data should provide reassurance that the benefits of PPI use at older ages will outweigh the risks."
The research was not able to show that the observed increase in risk was entirely due to aspirin, the scientists pointed out. But previous trials had shown that at least half the bleeds occurring while taking aspirin are caused by the drug.
The vast majority of patients taking part in the study were taking low dose (75mg) aspirin, said the researchers. Only a few were being treated with a different anti-platelet drug, clopidogrel. It was not known if the findings applied to other blood-thinning drugs.
In a linked comment published in The Lancet, German expert Professor Hans-Christoph Diener, from the University of Duisburg-Essen, wrote: "The first consequence of (this) study is that the benefit-risk association in long-term anti-platelet therapy should be evaluated every three to five years in patients older than 75 years.
"The second consequence of (the) study is its support for the need to use PPIs in patients on anti-platelet therapy aged 75 years or older or in patients with a history of gastro-intestinal bleeds."
Dr Tim Chico, consultant cardiologist at the University of Sheffield, said: "Prescription of any drug is a balance between the benefits of the medication against its risks, and aspirin is no different.
"Certainly, people should not stop their aspirin if it has been prescribed by a doctor after a stroke or heart attack, since stopping it can cause another heart attack or stroke.
"However, I would strongly recommend that people who are considering taking aspirin to prevent potential future problems such as cancer or heart attack (ie not for secondary prevention) should discuss this with their doctor."
Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, medical director at the British Heart Foundation, which co-funded the research, said: "For some patients aspirin is an important part of our armoury to prevent heart attacks and strokes. But we have known for a long time that it is associated with an increased risk of bleeding, particularly from the stomach, and this can sometimes be very serious.
"This research is an important step forward as it shows that the risk of bleeding is substantially higher in people over 75 years and that older people who require aspirin may particularly benefit from also being routinely given heartburn drugs which protect the stomach."
http://www.aol.co.uk/living/2017/06/13/daily-low-dose-aspirin-to-prevent-blood-clots-may-be-lethal-for/
Saturday, 17 September 2016
Do pharmacists know enough about supplements and traditional medicines?
In the traditional sense of the words, a pharmacy is a place where medicinal drugs are sold and pharmacists are the healthcare professionals who dispense those drugs.
Knowledge on CM
The study also found that the top three information sources about CM products used by pharmacists were the manufacturer or brand owner’s own material or training (59%), the World Wide Web (49%), and professional seminars, conferences or lectures (43%).
While pharmacies in hospitals and clinics usually adhere strictly to this traditional definition, most retail or standalone pharmacies tend to sell far more products than just prescription and over-the-counter medicines.
According to a study conducted by Taylor’s University School of Pharmacy associate dean (learning and quality) Penny Wong Pei Nee, nearly three out of five Malaysian pharmacies (59%) stock a large variety of complementary medicines (CMs).
Only 1% say they don’t stock any CMs at all, while the remaining 40% report that they offer a limited variety of such products.
Wong showing the Meditag hologram decoder that helps to differentiate between real and fake holograms on medicines and supplements. Photo: The Star/Rohaizat Darus
This finding is probably due to the fact that over 90% of the pharmacists participating in the study agreed or strongly agreed that such products are an important part of a retail pharmacy’s finances.
They also agreed or strongly agreed that:
• Customers now expect more information about CM products from their pharmacist compared to five years ago;
• Pharmacists have a professional responsibility to counsel customers about CM products; and
• Pharmacists should play a greater role in providing customers with safety and drug interaction information about CM products.
Over 80% also thought that pharmacists should play a greater role in recommending CM products to their customers.
Complementary medicine in this study was defined as “herbal medicines, vitamin and mineral supplements, and other nutritional supplements” that “can be bought in a supermarket, pharmacy, health-food store, on the internet, from a mail-order company or from a T&CM (traditional and complementary medicine) practitioner”.
Local usage of CM
Says Wong: “The use of complementary medicines in Malaysia generally has three purposes for consumers.
“The first one is general health maintenance, like multivitamins; (the second is) treatment and prevention of minor ailments, such as when someone has a cold or flu and are recommended echinacea or vitamin C just to boost up the immune system; and for specific serious and chronic diseases, (for example) saw palmetto, black cohosh and things like that.”
She adds that while there are no specific statistics for CM, the Health Ministry’s Health Expenditure Report 1997-2013 published last year, estimated the sales of traditional and complementary medicines to be about RM1.7 billion in 2013.
“And this is only 7% less than pharmaceutical products,” she says.
According to Wong, CM products are regulated by the ministry’s Pharmaceutical Services Division and need to be registered with the Drug Control Authority.
“A registered product would be given a hologram, and also, a registration number.
“So, all CM products will have a registration number starting with MAL, and ending with the letter T or N – T represents traditional and N represents supplements (nutritional),” she says.
She adds that most pharmacies should have the Meditag hologram decoder issued by the ministry, which can help differentiate between a genuine hologram and a fake one on all registered CM and pharmaceutical products.
image: http://www1.star2.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/sfitx_anr_1109_top5CM.PDF.jpg
Knowledge on CM
Sponsored by the Blackmores Institute, the study called Survey of Integration and Usage of Complementary Medicines in Pharmacy was conducted between last April and December, and involved 453 community pharmacists from around the country.
Around 47% of them were from large-chain pharmacies (i.e. consisting of more than 10 outlets, like Guardian, Watsons and Caring), 41% from pharmacy chains with less than 10 outlets, and the remainder were from independent pharmacies.
More than half of them (54%) received their bachelor’s degree locally, while the rest graduated from a mix of both Asian and Western countries, especially the United Kingdom (26%) and Australia (12%).
Wong notes that the respondents mostly agreed that pharmacists need to provide integrative care, i.e. the combination of allopathic and complementary medicines.
Around 93% of them agreed or partly agreed that their personal practice of pharmacy centred around integrative care.
The factors that prevented the remaining 7% from practising integrative care included lack of sufficient knowledge, lack of information sources, limited opportunity or insufficient time to talk to customers, the ineffectiveness of the product, and because the promotion of CM products is the responsibility of other colleagues.
Three-quarters of the pharmacists learnt about CM products on their own, 60% through seminars from the product manufacturer, 37% each through seminars from a professional association and lectures during their undergraduate course, and 7% through formal studies like certificate or postgraduate courses.
Six percent said they had no training whatsoever about CM products.
image: http://www1.star2.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/sfitx_anr_1109_drugcminteraction.PDF.jpg
The study also found that the top three information sources about CM products used by pharmacists were the manufacturer or brand owner’s own material or training (59%), the World Wide Web (49%), and professional seminars, conferences or lectures (43%).
The top three factors that pharmacists consider when assessing information about CM products are: whether it has a scientific basis (68%), whether it contains both traditional and scientific information (49%), and whether it has been endorsed by a professional or educational organisation (46%).
The information they provide to customers is usually sourced from books or leaflets (65%); their own knowledge (63%); textbooks, journals and the Web (59%); manufacturers or brands (50%); and feedback from other customers (42%).
Explains Wong: “So, to ensure safe use of complementary medicines or conventional medicines, when customers present with a prescription, a brief medical history should be taken by the community pharmacist to see what medications they are taking so that safe drugs can be recommended.”
The study found that nearly three-quarters of pharmacists (74%) always or often ask their customers if they take CM when they present their drug prescriptions.
Fourteen of the pharmacies also currently employ a T&CM practitioner, while a similar number said they would consider employing one.
A T&CM practitioner in this study is defined as one who is registered with the Health Ministry. However, Wong cautions that registration for such local practitioners is currently voluntary, although compulsory for foreign practitioners.
While 17% of the respondents said they would definitely not employ a T&CM practitioner, the top three factors considered most important in employing such a practitioner for those considering doing so were tertiary qualifications (65%), increasing product sales (49%) and being a member of a professional association (43%).
Advice for patients
Wong says that the most important factors for those thinking of taking a CM product are ensuring that it is a registered product and knowing how to use it.
“It is a collaborative effort between pharmacist and patient.
“We know that the pharmacist has their professional role (in educating and providing information), but sometimes, customers need to know what kind of questions they need to ask,” she says.
Some of these questions should include the optimum dose of the product (in order to achieve the optimum effect), whether it is genuine or not, and whether it will interact with whatever medications they are currently taking.
Wong says that customers should also go back to their pharmacist and report if they have any adverse effects from the CM product they consume.
http://www.star2.com/health/wellness/2016/09/11/do-pharmacists-know-enough-about-supplements-and-traditional-medicines/
Saturday, 30 August 2014
Grapefruit not only food that can affect medication
Healthwise
From grapefruit to calcium to licorice, some foods and their nutrients can interfere with the way your medicines work.
From milk and cookies to chocolate and peanut butter, some foods make a tasty combination. But attention to medical labels, and not your taste buds, is needed when combining certain foods with medications.
Milk and other calcium products, for example, can block the absorption of certain antibiotics. And eating large quantities of chocolate while taking some antidepressants can cause a sharp rise in blood pressure. Even some licorice can reduce the effects of certain blood pressure drugs and diuretics.
A recently published review in the Canadian Medical Association Journal that found an increasing number of prescription drugs could have potentially dangerous interactions with grapefruit and grapefruit juice highlights the importance of consumers being aware of possible food and drug interactions.
It's been known for some time that grapefruit juice can "both increase or decrease the absorption of a small number of drugs," says Hartmut Derendorf, chairman of pharmaceutics at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy. Derendorf was not involved in the Canadian review.
"If the drug is metabolized in the gut wall to a large extent and this metabolism is blocked, then the concentrations in the blood will go up. An example is the lipid-lowering drug simvastatin (Zocor)," says Derendorf. "For other drugs such as the antihistamine fexofenadine (Allegra), grapefruit juice blocks the uptake into the bloodstream and the concentrations in blood will go down."
In all such cases there are alternative medications available that will not interact with grapefruit and the other citrus fruits that contain furanocoumarins, the culprit behind the "grapefruit juice effect," Derendorf says. These include Seville oranges (often used in marmalade), limes and tangelos, a cross between tangerines and grapefruit. Sweet oranges, such as navel and Valencia, do not contain furanocoumarins.
There's more attention than ever before being paid to reducing interactions between food and drugs, Derendorf says, and researchers are focused on finding safe alternatives, removing the chemical compounds that cause interactions, and in some cases, changing the genetic makeup of foods so that they do not interfere with medications.
In December, a team at the University of Florida's Citrus Research and Education Center published a paper about ongoing efforts to create a grapefruit hybrid with significantly reduced interaction risk.
Concerns about the interactions between foods and drugs are not limited to prescription medications. Dietary supplements (which also include vitamins, minerals and herbs) can likewise interfere with how some medications work.
"Often, people think that herbal supplements are benign and don't have interactions, and that's absolutely false," says Christine Gerbstadt, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. "Most supplements have the exact same chemicals and ingredients as pharmaceutical drugs but simply in a naturally occurring form or lower dose," she says.
Drugs, of course, can have negative interactions with other drugs, and the same can be true of supplements. Calcium supplements, for example, may decrease the absorption of dietary iron, which is why people at high risk for iron deficiency are encouraged to take calcium supplements at bedtime, instead of with meals.
When being prescribed any medication it's important to inform your physician of all medications you're currently taking — prescription, over-the-counter and dietary supplements — to read the patient information material that comes with the medication and to ask about potential interactions, Gerbstadt says.
"Your pharmacist and registered dietitian can also provide a wealth of information," she says. "No one person can know it all, but huge databases are available to help professionals get access to this information."
A sampling of the potential interactions between foods and medications, including some supplements, according to the Food and Drug Administration:
-- Grapefruit juice: Some statin drugs to lower cholesterol, such as simvastatin (Zocor), atorvastatin (Lipitor), and pravastatin (Pravachol); some blood pressure-lowering drugs, such as Nifediac and Afeditab ; some organ transplant rejection drugs, such as Sandimmune and Neoral (both cyclosporine); some anti-anxiety drugs, such as BuSpar (buspirone); some anti-arrhythmia drugs, such as Cordarone and Nexterone (both amiodarone); some antihistamines, such as Allegra (fexofenadine); the anti-malaria drugs Quinerva or Quinite (quinine); and Halcion (triazolam), a medication used to treat insomnia.
-- Licorice: The sweetening compound glycyrrhizin in black licorice may reduce the effects of some blood pressure drugs or urine-producing drugs including Hydrodiuril (hydrochlorothiazide) and Aldactone (spironolactone). It may increase the toxicity risks from Lanoxin (digoxin), used to treat congestive heart failure and abnormal heart rhythms.
-- Chocolate: Antidepressant Monoamine Oxidase (MAO) inhibitors (such as phenelzine (Nardil, Nardelzine) and tranylcypromine (Parnate) are just one category of drugs that shouldn't be consumed with excessive amounts of chocolate and other caffeinated foods. Caffeine can also interact with stimulant drugs such as Ritalin (methylphenidate), increasing their effect, or by decreasing the effect of sedative-hypnotics such as Ambien (zolpidem). Using bronchodilators with caffeinated foods and drinks can increase the chance of side effects, such as excitability, nervousness, and rapid heart beat.
-- Potassium-rich foods (such as bananas, oranges, and green leafy vegetables): Can add to high potassium levels in the body caused by ACE (Angiotensin Converting Enzyme) inhibitors including captopril (Capoten) and enalapril (Vasotec) prescribed to lower blood pressure or treat heart failure. Too much potassium can cause an irregular heartbeat and heart palpitations.
-- St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum): Can reduce concentrations of medications in the blood, including digoxin (Lanoxin), used to treat congestive heart failure and abnormal heart rhythms; the cholesterol-lowering drug lovastatin (Mevacor and Altocor), and the erectile dysfunction drug sildenafil (Viagra).
-- Vitamin E: Taken with a blood-thinning medication such as warfarin (Coumadin) can increase anti-clotting activity and may cause an increased risk of bleeding.
-- Ginseng: May increase the risk of bleeding when taken with anticoagulants (blood thinners such as warfarin and heparin). Can also increase the bleeding effects of aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, naproxen, and ketoprofen. Combined with MAO inhibitors such as Nardil or Parnate may cause headache, trouble sleeping, nervousness and hyperactivity.
-- Ginkgo biloba: High doses can decrease the effectiveness of anticonvulsant therapy in patients taking seizure-control medicines Tegretol, Equetro or Carbatrol (carbamazepine), and Depakote (valproic acid).
For more information:
-- Download Avoid Food-Drug Interactions, an online guide by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the National Consumers League
-- Download What You Should Know About Your Medications, an online guide by the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
-- View the list of medications that might interact with grapefruit cited in the Canadian Medical Association Journal article
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/01/20/food-drug-interactions/1827229/Other articles of interest:
http://healthticket.blogspot.my/2012/10/grapefruit-interferes-with-medication.html
http://healthticket.blogspot.my/2012/11/grapefruit-with-some-prescription-drugs.html
http://healthticket.blogspot.my/2014/08/grapefruit-not-only-food-that-can.html
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