People use nutritional supplements to increase the dietary intake of a particular vitamin, mineral or other nutrient to avoid deficiencies, reduce risks of diseases or manage conditions. People use prescription drugs to treat diseases, disorders and medical conditions. The use of supplements and prescription drugs can help you improve your health, but when taken together may also counteract the effectiveness of each. Consult your doctor or pharmacist about your consumption of supplements and prescription drugs.
Supplements
Nutritional supplements include dietary ingredients that the Food and Drug Administration defines as vitamins, minerals, herbs, botanicals, amino acids, enzymes or tissues from organs or glands, metabolite, concentrate extract or constituents. Manufacturers supply various forms of supplements that you ingest that include tablets, capsules, powder or liquid. Nutritional supplements are intended to add extra amounts of a particular nutrient or nutrients -- not to act as a substitute for food. Taking mega-doses of nutrients in supplements can be dangerous for your health.
Prescription Drugs
Prescription drugs are substances that can treat diseases, reduce symptoms and save lives. Only physicians and certain other health professionals can write a prescription for the use of a drug. The Food and Drug Administration defines drug as an "article intended for the use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease." The FDA also oversees the entire prescription drug approval process and regulates the use of drugs before and after approval to market. If a drug has serious side effects, the FDA may warrant a black box warning on the written prescription information and product labels to alert users about the inherent risks. Certain drugs, particularly narcotic painkillers and psychotherapeutics that treat mental health disorders, can be addictive and increase the risk of abuse.
Disease Prevention
You can use both supplements and prescription drugs to reduce the risk and prevent disease. Taking calcium supplements can prevent osteoporosis, a bone disease that can increase your risk of fractures. Statins are drugs physicians prescribe to reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke.
Drug Nutrient Interactions
Prescription drugs can interfere with the metabolism of certain nutrients, and nutrients can interfere with the effectiveness and safety of drugs. Warfarin is an anticoagulant prescription drug physicians often prescribe for patients at a high risk of blood clots and stroke. Consuming foods or vitamins with vitamin K can interfere with the effectiveness of warfarin.
References
- Food and Drug Administration; Overview of Dietary Supplements; October 14 2009
- MayoClinic.com; Dietary Supplements: Nutrition in a Pill?; 2010
- Food and Drug Administration; Sec. 201. [21 U.S.C. 321] Chapter Ii---Definitions 1; 2009
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Calcium; 2010
- Pfizer; Lipitor Prescribing Information; 2009
- The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists; Warfarin; 2008
