Potentially harmful supplements
Allen Bowling and Thomas Stewart, Rocky Mountain MS Center, Colorado
- Alfalfa: - immune-stimulating
- Aloe: - may interact with steroids
- Asian ginseng: - immune-stimulating, possibly fatigue-producing, may interact with steroids
- Astragalus: - immune-stimulating
- Bayberry: - may interact with steroids
- Beta-carotene: - immune-stimulating, greater than 10,000 IU/day may produce toxic effects, avoid in smokers
- Borage seed oil: - possible liver toxicity
- Cat's claw: - immune-stimulating
- Chamomile: - possibly fatigue-producing
- Chaparral: - possible liver toxicity
- Coenzyme Q10: - immune-stimulating, may interact with warfarin (Coumadin)
- Comfrey: - possible liver toxicity
- DHEA: - possibly immune-stimulating
- Echinacea: - immune-stimulating
- Garlic: - immune-stimulating
- Goldenseal: - possibly immune-stimulating, possibly fatigue-producing
- Grapeseed extract: - possibly immune-stimulating
- Kava-kava: - possible severe liver toxicity, possibly fatigue-producing
- Licorice: - may interact with steroids
- Lobelia: - multiple possible toxic effects
- Melatonin: - possibly immune-stimulating
- Niacin: - greater than 35 milligrams/day may produce toxic effects
- Nettle: - possibly fatigue-producing
- Oligomeric proanthocyanidins: - possibly immune-stimulating
- Passionflower: - possibly fatigue-producing
- Pycnogenol: - possibly immune-stimulating
- Sage: - possibly fatigue-producing
- St. John's wort: - possibly fatigue-producing
- Selenium: - possibly immune-stimulating, greater than 200 micrograms/day may produce multiple toxic effects
- Siberian ginseng: - immune-stimulating, possibly fatigue-producing
- Valerian: - possibly fatigue-producing
- Vitamin A: - immune-stimulating, greater than 10,000 IU/day may produce toxic effects, avoid in smokers
- Vitamin B6: - greater than 50 milligrams/day may produce toxic effects
- Vitamin C: - immune-stimulating, greater than 1,000 milligrams/day may produce toxic effects, may interact with warfarin (Coumadin)
- Vitamin D: - greater than 2,000 IU/day may be harmful
- Vitamin E: - immune-stimulating, may interact with warfarin (Coumadin)
- Vitamin K: - may interact with warfarin (Coumadin)
- Zinc: - possibly immune-stimulating, may cause copper deficiency
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