Supplements when on Meds

[pusska01]

Hello all, I was interested to know if anyone takes any supplements that has curcumin in it. It has been suggested by Health Shop naturopath that I take a Liver support supplement but a bit concerned about taking it with Apixaban. It has curcumin, St. Mary's Thistle and Dandelion. I am also on Flecainide and I know to not take supplements 2 hours either side of medications and I don't see my cardiologist for another month to check with her.

[BobD Volunteer]

We should not advise on such matters as we are not medically trained, but you pharmacist should be able to give you advice.

[CDreamer]

Sharp intake of breath - I take Tumeric in food but I would never take any supplement with Curcumin (active ingredient of Tumeric) whilst taking Apixaban because you really don’t know how they would interact as Curcumin is thought (not enough testing to tell for sure) to increase the anticoagulant affect of the Apixaban. Milk Thistle can also increase the affect on various meds, including statins and BP reducing drugs and has not been shown to be beneficial for liver. Dandelion also interferes with clotting process.,

I would be very wary - was this a full consultation with a trained naturopath and were they qualified to advise someone on such strong pharmaceutical drugs? Why the concern for your liver? Over and above the obvious one of taking these drugs which are known to have possible consequences. Are you having regular blood tests for liver function on Flec & Apixaban -every 6 months or so?

I am all for supplements with some demonstrated benefit but also be aware that health supplement companies are just as much out to make money as pharmaceutical companies and they are not regulated or controlled to the extent that pharmaceuticals are.

I’m not trained in any way although I have been interested in herbs and traditional healing methods and studied them for the last 40 years. There was a thread on this very subject quite recently were several of us concluded these were not safe options for those of us on anticoagulants, statins or BP drugs.

[pusska01 in reply to CDreamer]

Thanks for your reply CDreamer. You have made a lot of sense regarding my concern and I was apprenhensive about it. I have had AF for 2 1/2 years and it has never been suggested I have a blood test for either of the drugs. I had a high ggt reading after a stint in a hospital in Noumea after contracting pneumonia and I have been concerned about it since. I will ask my GP about another blood test when I see her again. I get a bit anxious about all this I'm afraid. Thanks again.

[David21]

I was advised not to take Turmeric with Apixaban for the reason CDreamer mentions

[Diver2]

I’ve been taking 4000 units of Turmeric and 4000 units if cinnamon for years. I take Coumadin and have not had a problem. I checked with my pharmacist for interactions of all the drugs before I started taking them. I test my INR levels at home and keep them right at 2.5. I’ve been told that many of the new coagulation drugs result in it being harder to control bleeds once they happen, which is why I stick with Coumadin. After 17 years with Afib I’ve had little bruising problems and no bleeding problems. My doctor does believe in eating foods with vit K. And using a bit more Coumadin vs staying away from foods with vit K