Harvard Health Letters
Q. Since having a heart attack, I have been taking lisinopril, Zocor, Plavix, aspirin, a multivitamin, fish oil, calcium, vitamin D, coenzyme Q10, chia oil, B-50 complex, grape seed extract, Nu-Zymes, Natural Energy supplement, Super C22, and astragalus. I am thinking of taking a brain booster called Procera AVH. Will it interfere with my heart medications?
A. From what I was able to learn about Procera AVH, it is not known to interfere with the medications you are taking. But please don't take that as a reason to use the supplement. There isn't any good evidence that this supplement will "boost" your memory.
Your list of pills worries me. Some of them make perfect sense. Lisinopril (Prinivil), simvastatin (Zocor), clopidogrel (Plavix), and aspirin are proven to help heart attack survivors. Lisinopril, an ACE inhibitor, and Zocor, a statin, help keep blood pressure and cholesterol in check and protect the arteries. Plavix and aspirin prevent the formation of blood clots, which can trigger a heart attack or stroke. The American Heart Association recommends fish oil for heart attack survivors. A daily multivitamin is good insurance against vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Some extra calcium is good for your bones, and vitamin D is good for your bones and heart.
The others may not be doing anything for you beside shrinking your bank account. A year's supply of the last eight items on your list costs $1,500. It is impossible to know if these supplements are protecting your heart and arteries, interfering with the medications that have proven benefits, or harming you.
For $1,500, you could buy a top-of-the-line exercise machine or a year's membership to a terrific health club. Either would do just as much for your heart, arteries, and brain -- and probably more -- than the supplements you are taking. -- Thomas Lee, M.D., Editor in Chief, Harvard Heart Letter
Q. Since having a heart attack, I have been taking lisinopril, Zocor, Plavix, aspirin, a multivitamin, fish oil, calcium, vitamin D, coenzyme Q10, chia oil, B-50 complex, grape seed extract, Nu-Zymes, Natural Energy supplement, Super C22, and astragalus. I am thinking of taking a brain booster called Procera AVH. Will it interfere with my heart medications?
A. From what I was able to learn about Procera AVH, it is not known to interfere with the medications you are taking. But please don't take that as a reason to use the supplement. There isn't any good evidence that this supplement will "boost" your memory.
Your list of pills worries me. Some of them make perfect sense. Lisinopril (Prinivil), simvastatin (Zocor), clopidogrel (Plavix), and aspirin are proven to help heart attack survivors. Lisinopril, an ACE inhibitor, and Zocor, a statin, help keep blood pressure and cholesterol in check and protect the arteries. Plavix and aspirin prevent the formation of blood clots, which can trigger a heart attack or stroke. The American Heart Association recommends fish oil for heart attack survivors. A daily multivitamin is good insurance against vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Some extra calcium is good for your bones, and vitamin D is good for your bones and heart.
The others may not be doing anything for you beside shrinking your bank account. A year's supply of the last eight items on your list costs $1,500. It is impossible to know if these supplements are protecting your heart and arteries, interfering with the medications that have proven benefits, or harming you.
For $1,500, you could buy a top-of-the-line exercise machine or a year's membership to a terrific health club. Either would do just as much for your heart, arteries, and brain -- and probably more -- than the supplements you are taking. -- Thomas Lee, M.D., Editor in Chief, Harvard Heart Letter
