Herbal supplements and surgery don’t mix
Curb herbal remedy use before procedure
Some herbs and dietary supplements should be discontinued prior to surgery. The Ohio State University Medical Center has educational sheets that can be used to teach patients, says Marva Tschampel, RPh, a drug information pharmacist.
Patients are advised to stop taking herbal remedies at least two to three weeks before scheduled surgery. If there is not enough time, patients are asked to bring the herbs and other over-the-counter medicines they take to the hospital in their original containers. This gives the anesthesiologist an opportunity to see what ingredients they contain.
Some of the herbal products that may cause complications for people having surgery that the department of pharmacy singles out include:
- Echinacea: Can cause allergic reactions and decrease the effectiveness of drugs that suppress the immune system.
- Ephedra: Causes an irregular heartbeat when used with certain anesthetics. It also causes high blood pressure.
- Feverfew: Believed to interfere with blood clotting.
- Garlic: Increases the risk of bleeding.
- Ginkgo biloba: May reduce platelets, which are needed for blood to clot.
- Ginseng: Believed to cause episodes of high blood pressure and rapid beating of the heart. Can increase the risk of bleeding.
- Kava: Can increase the sedating effect of anesthetics.
- St. John’s wort: Can prolong the sedating effects of anesthetic agents.
- Valerian: Increases the sedative effect of anesthetics.
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