Reasonable Rascal
07-01-03, 23:45
Herbal Products May Interfere With Migraine Drugs
Reuters Health Information 2003. © 2003 Reuters Ltd.
By Alan Mozes
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jun 19 - Commonly prescribed migraine medications can potentially be rendered ineffective or even toxic when taken along with certain popular herbal supplements, according to researchers.
In addition, some supplements--including ginkgo biloba, ginseng, St. John's wort and valerian root--might actually trigger or worsen migraines in susceptible subjects, they reported on Thursday at the American Headache Society's annual meeting in Chicago.
According to the researchers, the triptan class of drugs and tricyclic antidepressants can interact with supplements such as gingko biloba, ginseng, echinacea and St. John's wort.
The herbs can slow the hepatic breakdown of these drugs, potentially leading to toxic levels, lead researcher Dr. Carla Rubingh, from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, and colleagues note.
"These supplements need to be recognized as medications," Dr. Rubingh told Reuters Health. "Patients need to tell their physicians they are taking them, and physicians need to ask if they are taking them and know how they might interact with medications."
In the new study, the researchers used data from the FDA and other sources to rank the top-selling herbal products in the US. They then reviewed past research on the herbs, focusing on the products' mechanisms of action and possible side effects to see how they might interact with migraine drugs or contribute to headaches.
For example, one action of ginkgo is to boost blood flow to the brain, which might worsen migraine or cluster headaches in some people.
Speaking at a press conference this week, Dr. Rubingh said that the number of headache patients who should be concerned about potential drug-herb interactions could be quite large.
Although the exact percentage of migraine and cluster-headache patients who take herbal supplements is not clear, Dr. Rubingh said the overlap is probably substantial since an estimated 40% of Americans have taken herbal supplements at some point.
Reuters Health Information 2003. © 2003 Reuters Ltd.
By Alan Mozes
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jun 19 - Commonly prescribed migraine medications can potentially be rendered ineffective or even toxic when taken along with certain popular herbal supplements, according to researchers.
In addition, some supplements--including ginkgo biloba, ginseng, St. John's wort and valerian root--might actually trigger or worsen migraines in susceptible subjects, they reported on Thursday at the American Headache Society's annual meeting in Chicago.
According to the researchers, the triptan class of drugs and tricyclic antidepressants can interact with supplements such as gingko biloba, ginseng, echinacea and St. John's wort.
The herbs can slow the hepatic breakdown of these drugs, potentially leading to toxic levels, lead researcher Dr. Carla Rubingh, from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, and colleagues note.
"These supplements need to be recognized as medications," Dr. Rubingh told Reuters Health. "Patients need to tell their physicians they are taking them, and physicians need to ask if they are taking them and know how they might interact with medications."
In the new study, the researchers used data from the FDA and other sources to rank the top-selling herbal products in the US. They then reviewed past research on the herbs, focusing on the products' mechanisms of action and possible side effects to see how they might interact with migraine drugs or contribute to headaches.
For example, one action of ginkgo is to boost blood flow to the brain, which might worsen migraine or cluster headaches in some people.
Speaking at a press conference this week, Dr. Rubingh said that the number of headache patients who should be concerned about potential drug-herb interactions could be quite large.
Although the exact percentage of migraine and cluster-headache patients who take herbal supplements is not clear, Dr. Rubingh said the overlap is probably substantial since an estimated 40% of Americans have taken herbal supplements at some point.