Concomitant Use of Dietary Supplements and Medicines in Patients due to Miscommunication with Physicians in Japan

Abstract

We previously reported that some patients used dietary supplements with their medication without consulting with physicians. Dietary supplements and medicines may interact with each other when used concomitantly, resulting in health problems. An Internet survey was conducted on 2109 people who concomitantly took dietary supplements and medicines in order to address dietary supplement usage in people who regularly take medicines in Japan. A total of 1508 patients (two admitted patients and 1506 ambulatory patients) and 601 non-patients, who were not consulting with physicians, participated in this study. Purpose for dietary supplement use was different among ages. Dietary supplements were used to treat diseases in 4.0% of non-patients and 11.9% of patients, while 10.8% of patients used dietary supplements to treat the same diseases as their medication. However, 70.3% of patients did not declare dietary supplement use to their physicians or pharmacists because they considered the concomitant use of dietary supplements and medicines to be safe. A total of 8.4% of all subjects realized the potential for adverse effects associated with dietary supplements. The incidence of adverse events was higher in patients who used dietary supplements to treat their disease. Communication between patients and physicians is important for avoiding the adverse effects associated with the concomitant use of dietary supplements and medicines.

Monitoring of essential and toxic elements in multi-ingredient food supplements produced in European Union

“…Importantly, some of these products are currently used not only to improve nutritional status per se but also promoted for their therapeutic properties (Rzymski et al 2016;Krasińska et al 2017). A number of FS are targeted to support weight loss, reproduction, neurological function or attractive appearance (Chiba et al 2015). However, such ''health claims'' are strictly regulated in the EU and all of them must be approved by European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).…”

“…Consumers of FS do not always consult physicians with regard to their intake (Chiba et al 2015;Rzymski and Jaśkiewicz 2017). Such behaviour may lead to significant adverse health effects resulting from: (1) excessive consumption of minerals and/or vitamins; (2) supplementation of compounds inadequate for the consumer (e.g.…”

Concomitant Use of Dietary Supplements and Medicines Among Preschool and School-Aged Children in Japan

“…Most of mothers who did not consult with a health professional believed that dietary supplements are safe and do not interfere with medications. This recognition was almost the same in a survey of adults who used dietary supplements alone [5]. However, children are more affected not only by medicines, but also by dietary supplements.…”

“…In Japan, about 30% of healthy people use dietary supplements [4]. In addition to vitamins and minerals, people also use non-vitamin and non-mineral supplements such as fish oil, probiotics, and herbal products [5]. Dietary supplements are not regulated by law in Japan and their safety and effectiveness is not strictly evaluated, as medicines are.…”

“…Dietary supplements are not regulated by law in Japan and their safety and effectiveness is not strictly evaluated, as medicines are. However, sometimes dietary supplements are used among patients to treat their diseases [5][6][7]. As various ingredients are concentrated in dietary supplements into tablets or capsules, the potential adverse effects are cause for concern.…”