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        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2003 >> Herbal Supplements + Meegraine Meds Can Be Deadly
        
(Message started by: Frank on Jun 19^th, 2003, 8:19am)

Title: Herbal Supplements + Meegraine Meds Can Be Deadly
Post by Frank on Jun 19^th, 2003, 8:19am

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/living/SciTech/herbalrisks_030619.html

Title: Re: Herbal Supplements + Meegraine Meds Can Be Dea
Post by cbolony on Jun 19^th, 2003, 10:51am

Good article Frank

Quote:

Part of the risk to ~~migrains~~ clusters sufferers may be that the combination of high costs for health care with the need for pain control drives many sufferers to turn to natural remedies for relief, says Saper, adding: "Desperate people do desperate things."

Title: Re: Herbal Supplements + Meegraine Meds Can Be Dea
Post by Ueli on Jun 19^th, 2003, 11:02am

At least it's a "natural" death.... ::)

Title: Re: Herbal Supplements + Meegraine Meds Can Be Dea
Post by cbolony on Jun 19^th, 2003, 11:06am

Quote:

Ueli believes only in scientifically sound methods

See Ueli you are right

Title: They forgot to mention Grapefruit
Post by floridian on Jun 19^th, 2003, 6:16pm

Grapefruit is a potent inhibitor of the p450 enzyme system, and can cause serotonin syndrome (potentially fatal) when taking some drugs that boost serotonin (including fluoxetine and sertraline). Blood levels of these drugs can quadruple in people that partake of grapefruit juice. Buspirone is another commonly prescribed anti-anxiety agent that is "put on steroids" by grapefruit juice.

As a true Floridian, it pains me to contemplate that we need more government regulation of citrus. All these years I thought it was a food, and now it turns out to be a pharmaceutical. Or maybe this whole idea that foods and medicines are mutually exclusive is as wrong as the idea that natural is always good, safe, or effective.

The article referenced above also contains outdated thinking about St. Johns wort - the idea that it contains a mild version of an older class of antidepressant medication (MAO Inhibitors) was abandoned five years ago - in fact, most of St. Johns wort activity is from flavones that act on the GABA system (as do neurontin and valium). In fact, according to the scientific research that most doctors ignore or deny, amentoflavone and chrysin are as powerful in relieving anxiety as valium, but don't cause the drowsiness or impair memory or coordination. Too bad they can't be patented!! Then they could be controlled and sold to the public at outrageous prices ....

So maybe this article does some good - there are real interactions between foods and pharmaceuticals, and herbs and pharmaceuticals. Good if the information saves someone's life. But it promotes the values of some doctors and the pharmaceutical industry that are more political than scientific.

'nuff said for now. I have a liter of a cold sweet, beverage laced with narangin that is calling my name. I think I better drink it before they turn it into prescription only.

Title: Re: They forgot to mention Grapefruit
Post by BlackDog on Jun 19^th, 2003, 6:49pm

on 06/19/03 at 18:16:51, floridian wrote:

I cannot pretend to understand completely what this means, but my Lipitor says not to take within 4 hours of any grapefruit juice. I drink lots of Fresca (grapefruit soda) almost daily in the afternoons, and take my lipitor in the morning. My CH started years after starting lipitor and drinking Fresca. Interesting. Thank you.
Darren

Title: Re: Herbal Supplements + Meegraine Meds Can Be Dea
Post by cbolony on Jun 20^th, 2003, 5:02am

BlackDog i been taking Cholesterol meds for over 25 years started taking Lipitor few years back i don't know if it has to do anything with CH but it's the best Cholesterol drug I ever took ;D