Expert: Eric Brandt - 12/5/2010

Question
Hello! I was wondering if Fo-Ti root, Horsetail, Stinging Nettle, Oregon Grape, Burdock, Red Clover, Citrus Peel, Ginger, or Hawthorne Berry Extract have any serious interactions I should worry about. These ingredients are in a Hair/Skin/Nail Vitamin supplement and an L-Lysine/L-Proline supplement that I would like to take along with my Collagen/MSM/Glucosamine/Chondroitin/HA supplement. I am on several prescription medications including Synthroid, Pentasa (Crohn's Diseas), Spironolactone (potassium loss), Buproprion, Nexium, and Compazine along with 2000 IU Vitamin D3 and 4 B-Complex vitamins. I know this is a lot to take in, but no one in my pharmacy will give me a straight answer on whether what I am doing is going to interact. An allergy to yeast means that I have to be super selective about what I am taking, and all of these supplements are deemed to be yeast free, so I would like to keep to this plan if possible. I am hoping that the herbs will help my joint pain and arthritis (Crohn's-related) naturally (and without NSAIDS or other prescriptiont pain meds like Celebrex, gabapentin, etc.) while just generally giving me a boost of energy as well. Thank you so very, very much in advance for your time and help! :)

Answer
Hi Stephanie,
No one is going to be able to give you definite answer regarding drug interactions with herbal supplements. The reason is that herbals are not systematically studied for interactions as ttraditional meds are. All we can go by is anecdotal reports. All you can do is try catiously and be on the lookout for any effects that can not be otherwise explained.
Thank you for using Allexperts
Sincerely,
Eric Brandt, BSc. Pharm