Question 1

can i take mushrooms that are used as supplements?like chaga,lion's mane etc?also what about cordyceps?is there any adverse effects from it in the long run??

Accepted Answer

: Since supplements like that are not investigated by government agencies, like the FDA in the U.S, physicians are concerned about the presence of contaminants which could have harmful effects. Also dosages are of concern and claims of efficacy are not validated.

Question 2

is ppi use safe long-term. decades? will there be any more new ppi or acid reflux medications in the near future? can you supplement with ppi to mitigate the adverse effects of long term use?

Accepted Answer

Safety: More and more reports suggest that chronic use of ppi's are not safe. H2 blockers like zantac and pepcid are probably safer. Pepcid is probably the most potent H2 blocker.

Question 3

ive been taking a 65mg iron supplement daily for the past 8 years without any noticeable adverse effects. i recently learned about iron overdose and excess iron storage in the organs. should i be concerned even though i feel no adverse effects?

Accepted Answer

: You are partly right. Iron supplements are not recommended for the males because we can easily get enough iron in the normal diet . Women, because of their monthly periods lose blood, so they more often need iron supplements particularly during pregnancy.
I would advise that you stop taking iron as it is indeed stored in the body and excess storage can cause organ damage(after many years of use).

Question 4

i am on lexapro (escitalopram) 20mg i need to know if i can take any weight loss supplements without adverse effects. i cannot loose weight. ?

Accepted Answer

Lexapro (escitalopram)  weight gain: I commend you for your desire to lose weight.
Lexapro is for depression and anxiety, it can have side effects of weight gain, anxiety and depression.
See a Psychiatrist for Diagnosis, Medication benefits and side effects,  and Therapy for stress in your life.
Lexapro with weight loss supplements are likely to have adverse effects.
Have Balanced Diet, Exercise, gradually increase pace and duration

Question 5

children up to 4 years old we have to give 10 g of vitamin d3 daily, but we still give this to our 5 year old son every day. could this have adverse effects? could we better stop to give it? we also give him vitamin c supplement daily, is this ok?

Accepted Answer

: Vitamin C &amp; D are often added or already present in food in our regular diet (i.e. cereal, milk, orange juice). The Vitamin D recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for children 4-8 years old is 600 IU/day (15µg). The upper limit is 3000 IU/day. For Vitamin C the RDA is 25 mg/day, the upper limit is 650 mg/day.

Question 6

my vitamin d level is 19ng/ml the lab reference is 30-100. nih website says 20ng/ml is adequate, and above 50 has adverse effects, but md says above 30 is optimal. do i need to supplement and how much? md advised 5000 iu/day, i think it's excessive?

Accepted Answer

: Levels of 50 nmol/L (20 ng/mL) or above are adequate for bone and overall health. Levels below 30 nmol/L (12 ng/mL) are too low &amp; might weaken your bones &amp; affect your health. Levels above 125 nmol/L (50 ng/mL) are too high and can cause health problems.For you, the 19 is too low and should be increased and initially increasing with 5000 IU per day for about a month, then 1000 IU per day usually.

Question 7

what are the side-effects of dietary supplements?

Accepted Answer

Adverse effects: When consumed in high enough amounts, for a long enough time, or in combination with certain other substances, all chemicals can be toxic, including nutrients, plant components, and other biologically active ingredients. (Official US Government FDA website, accessed Oct. 2011
The worst offenders of supplement contamination cases are found among weight loss and sexual enhancement products, and sports enhancement and body building supplements (News &amp; Events -Press Announcements, Dec. 15, 2010, from Official US Government FDA website, accessed Feb. 2011; Cohen, et al., 2014).
Although herbs and botanicals oftentimes do contain essential nutrients for human life -such as vitamins, minerals, and amino acids- they do consists of many other non-essential constituents, frequently in dominant ways.
Because of the presence of numerous plant components which are “foreign” to the human physiology, herbs, in general, tend to be less safe than vitamins and minerals for instance. The official data corroborates that herbs and botanicals tend to generate the most adverse effects of dietary supplements (American Association of Poison Control Centers, 1983-2008; GAO, 2009).
The herbs kava and lobelia have a high risk of causing dietary supplement side effects, including -at large doses- coma and death, which prompted a number of countries (but not the USA) to ban their sale (GAO, 2009). Yohimbe has caused some deaths, ginseng too has been implicated with deaths (American Association of Poison Control Centers, 1983-2008), and ma huang (ephedra) has been banned by the FDA in 2004 after a few people had died.

In many or even most of these case, however, the herbs had not been used as indicated, or as traditionally recommended. Ma huang, for example, has been used safely for thousands of years in Chinese medicine, primarily for respiratory afflictions such as asthma, or congestive issues due to the common cold. In the cases of death involving the herb it was inappropriately used for weight loss and as a stimulant to improve athletic performance, frequently as a highly concentrated extract rather than in the form and at the safety platform of a whole herb, as traditional application suggests. (Weight loss pills frequently contain concentrated botanical extracts that may pose a serious danger
This means that the relatively few cases where people experience negative effects of dietary supplements are almost always tied to products compromised in quality, or improper product use.
drug-nutrient interactions tend to get underreported and minimized. According to information and data retrieved from research, nutritional supplement-drug interactions are most commonly encountered with herbs and botanicals
Other examples. Calcium can lower the absorption of the antibiotic tetracycline, reducing the drug's therapeutic potential. Excessive vitamin A can cause liver damage, Excessive vitamin D can cause kidney stones and calcifications.
kava and valerian act as sedatives and can increase the effects of anesthetics and other medications used during surgery.” (Official US Government FDA website, accessed Oct. 2011)

Typical herbal or botanical offenders that have been identified are Ginkgo biloba, St. John's Wort, valerian, kava, garlic, saw palmetto, ginseng, ginger, willow, and fenugreek 
St. John's Wort can increase serotonin levels excessively when combined with certain anti-depressants, such as selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (Peng, et al., 2004). It can also adversely interact with blood-thinning medications and other cardiovascular drugs. Because Ginkgo biloba has an anticoagulant or blood-thinning effect (decreases platelet aggregation), it could lead to adverse events of increased bleeding when combined with blood-thinning drugs.  Ginseng, garlic, vitamin E also have slight anticoagulant effects.
The majority of health supplement-drug interactions are of low relevance. To increase your likelihood of safety utilizing herbals there are certain common sense rules.
1.	Listen to your advisor carefully and provide full disclosure of any drugs you take (over the counter as well)
2.	Share with your physician or dentist all vitamins and herbal information.
3.	More is not better follow the rules.
4.	Watch out for discounted vitamins. Buy a high quality name brand since the FDA does not regulate the supplement industry and only steps in with serious side effects or deaths.
If you compare this to the facts about drug-drug interactions you can clearly see the obvious truth about dietary supplements and drug interactions are uncommon. (rather than the misleading anti-supplement propaganda).
Stevan Cordas DO MPH
Associate Clinical Professor UNTHSC TCOM Fort Worth

Question 8

what are potential side effects of dietary supplements?

Accepted Answer

Perhaps Serious: Depending upon the supplement, heart trouble, hypertension, strokes, and kidney trouble. Good diet should eliminate the need for dietary supplements in otherwise healthy people.And if not healthy, talk to your doctor.

Question 9

what are slo-niacin dietary supplements used for? any side effects?

Accepted Answer

Triglicerides: Slow niacin is a medication and NOT a dietary supplement. 
It does improve lipid profile by diminishing triglycerides and improving HDL (good) cholesterol mildly.
HOWEVER: niacin does NOT improve chances of patients getting stokes, heart attacks or dying.
Niacin is sometimes difficult to take due to side efects as flushing that can be severe

Question 10

can dietary supplements be safe?

Accepted Answer

Yes: The body's biochemical processes need vitamins & minerals to work properly. Much of our grocery store food no longer contains the same levels of nutrients due to changes in farming. Environmental issues such as stress can cause a decrease in nutrients. Unless eating all organic food, supplements may be necessary and safe.

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Doctor answers about:

Dietary supplements adverse effects

A member asked:

Can i take mushrooms that are used as supplements?like chaga,lion's mane etc?also what about cordyceps?is there any adverse effects from it in the long run??

A member asked:

Is ppi use safe long-term. decades? will there be any more new ppi or acid reflux medications in the near future? can you supplement with ppi to mitigate the adverse effects of long term use?

A member asked:

Ive been taking a 65mg iron supplement daily for the past 8 years without any noticeable adverse effects. i recently learned about iron overdose and excess iron storage in the organs. should i be concerned even though i feel no adverse effects?

A member asked:

I am on lexapro (escitalopram) 20mg i need to know if i can take any weight loss supplements without adverse effects. i cannot loose weight. ?

A member asked:

Children up to 4 years old we have to give 10 g of vitamin d3 daily, but we still give this to our 5 year old son every day. could this have adverse effects? could we better stop to give it? we also give him vitamin c supplement daily, is this ok?

A member asked:

My vitamin d level is 19ng/ml the lab reference is 30-100. nih website says 20ng/ml is adequate, and above 50 has adverse effects, but md says above 30 is optimal. do i need to supplement and how much? md advised 5000 iu/day, i think it's excessive?

A member asked:

What are the side-effects of dietary supplements?

A member asked:

What are potential side effects of dietary supplements?

A member asked:

What are slo-niacin dietary supplements used for? any side effects?

A member asked:

Can dietary supplements be safe?

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