What risks are associated with ingesting over-the-counter supplements? I have heard that some supplements can conflict with blood pressure medications because I take them.
Answer:
Yes, what you heard is true. When you have high blood pressure, several nutrients should be avoided. However, early research suggests that in your case, a few vitamins might be helpful.
Despite being marketed as “natural” and not requiring a prescription, supplements can have a variety of negative effects on the body. Supplements can have adverse effects, alter the body’s metabolism, and interfere with drugs. No matter how harmless they may seem, it is generally advised that you see your healthcare physician before taking any supplements.
The following supplements should be on your cautionary list if you have high blood pressure:
- St. John’s wort: This herb is used to treat depression and has the added benefit of accelerating the metabolism of certain drugs. Your blood pressure medicine may be digested so quickly that it no longer has the desired effect. There may be a rise in blood pressure as a result.
- Echinacea: Echinacea is thought to aid with cold and flu symptoms, but some research suggests that it also affects how drugs are digested.
- Ephedra: Due to safety concerns, this substance, which is utilized in weight-loss products, is prohibited in the US. Ephedra has been associated to major health issues such as high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes, and others.
- Bitter orange: In certain weight-loss products, ephedra left a void that is filled by this supplement. But that does not automatically imply that it is safer. Bitter orange has been associated with strokes and heart attacks and has been shown to raise blood pressure and heart rate.
- Yohimbine: Yohimbine has previously been promoted as a treatment for erectile dysfunction. Its popularity appears to be waning, possibly as a result of numerous negative consequences, such as an increase in blood pressure.
- Ginseng: Early research indicates that ginseng may reduce blood sugar, lessen fatigue, or strengthen the immune system. Additionally, it could change the blood pressure. For people with high or low blood pressure issues, ginseng is best avoided.
Fish oil and garlic are two supplements that have shown some promise in your situation.
According to studies, regularly consuming fatty fish like salmon, tuna, and trout can lower your chance of developing heart disease and passing away. When eating fatty fish twice a week, the heart benefits seem to be the greatest. An alternative for people who can’t or don’t enjoy fish is a fish oil supplement. According to some research, patients with mild hypertension who take a fish oil supplement (4 grams per day) see a slight reduction in blood pressure. However, there is insufficient evidence to fully support fish oil as a method of lowering blood pressure.
Garlic is well known for its possible heart health advantages, particularly for decreasing excessive blood cholesterol levels. Additionally, some data suggests that garlic may loosen blood vessels and smooth muscles. According to studies, ingesting a garlic extract (200–400 mg three times per day for one month) can somewhat lower blood pressure. This research is preliminary and insufficient to support the use of garlic as a sole blood pressure lowering agent.
When treating a medical condition, supplements are never the only option. I hope you and your doctor have also talked about the advantages of a balanced diet, exercise, and stress reduction in addition to medicine. I usually add the following to the list: Find ways to give your life more purpose through your work, relationships, volunteering, or other endeavors. No matter what disease you have, these four strategies form the foundation of excellent health in general.
Do your research when you hear of a fascinating supplement. Finding the research study that might be making headlines is simple thanks to the Internet. Look at the study’s size, if the supplement was put up against a placebo, and the specifics of the findings. Talk to your doctor about how the supplement might influence your health after gathering this information.
Echinacea and blood pressure medications: are they compatible?
There is no proof that echinacea would interact with diuretics, although several natural items, such as Siberian ginseng, St. Mary’s thistle, and grapefruit juice, have been reported to interfere with various types of blood-pressure medication.
What supplements should someone with high blood pressure stay away from?
Examples of herbal supplements that may interfere with blood pressure drugs or your blood pressure are as follows:
- Arnica (Arnica montana)
- Ephedra (ma-huang)
- Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius and Panax ginseng)
- Guarana (Paullinia cupana)
- Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra)
Can people with heart disease take echinacea?
The lead author, Dr. Arshad Jahangir, a cardiologist and professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, claims that “these products are not by themselves harmful.” However, a generally harmless chemical can turn harmful when combined with drugs for cardiovascular conditions.
The paper claims that several herbal treatments, including ginseng, ginkgo, garlic, black cohosh, St. John’s wort, hawthorn, saw palmetto, and echinacea, can weaken, aggravate, or worsen the negative effects of prescription heart medications, including blood thinners and cholesterol-lowering statins.
Some supplements may also raise blood pressure and heart rate, potentially complicating matters for people with cardiac conditions.
More than 25 herbal products, including 12 of the top 20 herbal supplements sold in the US, according to the American Botanical Council, are listed in the report, which was released this week and appears in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology’s February 9 issue.
What may result in unexpectedly high blood pressure?
Every doctor’s appointment begins with a blood pressure check for a reason. One in three American adults has high blood pressure, yet due to the condition’s lack of many symptoms, roughly 20% of people are unaware that they have it.
In reality, the majority of people learn they have high blood pressure at a routine doctor’s appointment.
Blood pressure is the amount of force that the heart’s blood flow exerts against the artery walls. When that pressure is too high and starts to hurt the body, it is known as high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. The heart and blood vessels will eventually suffer harm if untreated.
Two numbers are used to determine your blood pressure: The highest systolic blood pressure gauges the pressure exerted on artery walls by the beating heart. When the heart is at rest between beats, the bottom diastolic blood pressure gauge measures the pressure in the arteries.
120/80 mmHg or lower blood pressure readings are considered normal. 120-139 mmHg and 80-89 mmHg are considered risk ranges. High blood pressure is characterized by readings of 140 mmHg/90 mmHg or greater.
Blood pressure is linked to other medical issues.
A significant underlying illness may first show symptoms of high blood pressure. Doctors will examine a patient’s kidney and bladder functions, do an electrocardiogram to measure the size of the heart, and search for lung alterations when they receive a high blood pressure diagnosis.
People with hypertension are more vulnerable to renal disease, aneurysms, heart attacks, peripheral vascular disease, and kidney stress. The chance of acquiring high blood pressure is likewise increased by chronic diseases such diabetes, renal disease, sleep apnea, and excessive cholesterol.
Preeclampsia, a condition marked by high blood pressure, can develop in some women as a result of pregnancy. Within six weeks, postpartum blood pressure usually returns to normal. However, certain pregnant women who have high blood pressure may be more susceptible as they age to high blood pressure and other cardiovascular illnesses.
Increases in high blood pressure may also result from some of these medical conditions (see below).
Lowering systolic blood pressure more may cut health risks.
According to a significant study, lowering systolic blood pressure to much below the level that is typically advised also significantly reduces the number of cardiovascular events and fatalities among persons with high blood pressure who are at least 50 years old.
Study participants’ risk of death was lowered by approximately one-third and their risk of heart attack, stroke, and heart failure by achieving a systolic blood pressure target of 120 mmHg as opposed to the higher targets of 140 mmHg for most individuals and 150 mmHg for those over 60.
According to Lynne Braun, NP, PhD, a nurse practitioner at the Rush Heart Center for Women, “that’s critical information because more lives may be saved and more fatalities may be prevented if we maintain lower blood pressure in particular individuals.”
Braun warns that your individual blood pressure target is dependent on a number of factors, including your age, lifestyle, risk factors, and current blood pressure as well as other medications you are taking. Every person needs to be assessed on their own merits, she believes. Realistically, we can’t reduce everyone to 120, and attempting to do so could have unexpected consequences.
Keeping an elderly person on medications that have risky side effects, such diuretics (water pills), which can lead to dehydration and vertigo in older persons, can be problematic.
Additionally, taking many medications may result in problems with cost and compliance.
In conclusion, if you have high blood pressure, discuss your goals and the best ways to reach them with your doctor.
You shouldn’t ignore white coat hypertension.
White coat hypertension is a condition in which a patient’s blood pressure is raised in a medical setting but not elsewhere. These individuals must either wear an ambulatory blood pressure monitor that takes their blood pressure every 30 minutes for 24 hours or monitor their blood pressure at home.
White coat hypertension was formerly thought to be just ordinary anxiety, but recent study reveals otherwise.
According to a study in the journal Hypertension, those with white coat hypertension are far more likely than those with normal blood pressure to experience chronic high blood pressure. One explanation is that those who have white coat hypertension struggle to control their stress and worry.
Learning to cope with stress can help.
Although stress and hypertension have frequently been connected, scientists are currently investigating whether there is a causal link between the two. The best recommendation for hypertension individuals is still to try to unwind.
Adrenaline and cortisol, which are stress hormones, are released into the bloodstream while you are under stress. These hormones temporarily raise blood pressure, which causes your heart to beat more quickly and your blood vessels to constrict. Blood pressure returns to normal when the stressful scenario is over.
However, persistent stress may make your body stay in this highly charged condition longer than it would otherwise.
Although stress itself might not have an impact on blood pressure, how you handle stress does. For instance, stress-related overeating, smoking, and alcohol consumption are direct contributors to chronically high blood pressure. Conversely, healthier coping techniques like yoga, meditation, and exercise can all help lower blood pressure.
Good sleep can prevent and manage high blood pressure.
The deepest stage of sleep, sometimes referred to as slow wave sleep, causes the majority of people to experience a drop in blood pressure, which is the body’s natural and healthy response to sleep. Lack of the nightly dip increases daily blood pressure and puts one at risk for heart disease.
People typically sleep in gentle waves for 90 to 2 hours each night. According to a recent study published in the journal Hypertension, men who slept for fewer slow wave cycles per night had a higher chance of developing hypertension than those who slept for longer cycles.
There are actions you can take to ensure a restful night’s sleep, even if age and sleep disorders like sleep apnea can also decrease how much deep sleep you obtain. A consistent sleep routine, getting seven to eight hours a night, and being more active throughout the day can all help you sleep better.
Excessive salt raises blood pressure.
Water retention brought on by an excessive salt intake might increase pressure on your heart and blood vessels. Less than 3/4 teaspoon of salt should be consumed daily by people with high blood pressure and those who are at high risk of developing hypertension, such as individuals over 50 and black men and women.
Even those with normal levels should limit their salt intake. Limit your daily sodium intake to no more than 2,300 mg, or roughly one teaspoon.
The majority of dietary salt is found in processed foods. As a general rule, prefer fresh chicken, fish, and lean meats over canned, smoked, or processed foods and foods with 5 percent or less of the recommended value of salt per serving. Likewise, fresh or frozen vegetables are preferable to canned ones.
According to a research in the New England Journal of Medicine, people could prevent up to 120,000 new cases of heart disease each year if they lowered their salt intake by just 1/2 teaspoon per day.
Additionally, potassium, which is present in foods like sweet potatoes, spinach, bananas, oranges, low-fat milk, and halibut, works to flush the body of extra sodium, balancing the effects of salt on blood pressure.
Common causes of high blood pressure spikes
Sharp increases in blood pressure can occur in certain people with high blood pressure. These increases, which normally only last a short while, are also referred to as unexpectedly high blood pressure. Here are a few potential reasons:
- Caffeine
- some pharmaceuticals (such nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) or drug combinations
Those who shouldn’t use echinacea
The more frequent echinacea adverse effects are as follows:
- headaches
- dizziness
- feeling unwell
- belly pain
- constipation
- skin repercussions (redness, itchiness and swelling)
- Children are more likely to have them.
Echinacea use for longer than 8 weeks at a time may cause liver damage or immune system suppression. If you are taking medications known to have an adverse effect on your liver, herbalists advise against taking echinacea.
If you use any additional medications, herbs, or supplements, check with your doctor first.
Using echinacea safely
If you want to substitute echinacea for your cancer therapy, let your doctor know. Additionally, if you are considering taking it concurrently with your cancer therapy.
In some people, it may not be safe to use in conjunction with other cancer treatments.
Echinacea may impair the effectiveness of some chemotherapy medications, including etoposide.
Sometimes pharmacists and medical professionals advise lymphoma patients not to consume echinacea. This is so that it won’t affect how they’re being treated.
Researchers discovered that echinacea and etravine were safe to ingest together in HIV-positive individuals.
If any of the following apply to you before consuming echinacea:
- are breastfeeding or pregnant
- have a medical condition like autoimmune illness, HIV, or AIDS that impairs your immune system
- are medicating to weaken your immune system because it might fight them
- are under 12 years old
- There is a possibility of allergic responses including skin rashes, according to the medical health regulatory association (MHRA).
Always discuss the use of complementary or alternative cancer therapy with your doctors and nurses. They could affect how well your other therapies work.
Your treatment team can point you in the direction of further resources if they don’t have the knowledge you need.