How to take your multivitamin or supplement

Once you have decided that you are going to supplement your diet with a multivitamin, you may find that you are unsure of when or how to take it.In addition, if you are taking a prescription drug, there are certain supplements that could possibly interact.Here is what you need to know about how to take your multivitamin or supplement-

Most people do fine, taking their vitamin supplement with meals.Because they take them on a full stomach, they report little or no experiencing of side effects. Sometimes however, there are people who cannot seem to take a multivitamin no matter what they do. Most of the time, this complaint comes from pregnant women, or women who are trying to get pregnant and are taking prenatal vitamins. It is usually suspected that the problem is the iron in the supplement which can cause nausea, or worsen morning sickness, during early pregnancy. Check your multi-vitamin, to see if it contains iron. If so, you may need to consider whether you really need that mineral. If you are pregnant, you do need iron, but probably can postpone taking it until your second trimester, when you probably will not be suffering from morning sickness.Keep in mind, if you are not pregnant, you probably should not be taking a vitamin/mineral supplement that contains iron. If this continues to be an issue you can try alternative forms of vitamin and mineral supplements that are designed for people who gag, or become nauseated, when taking pills. You can get supplements in both spray and liquid form. With spray vitamins, you simply spritz the supplements into your mouth, where they are directly absorbed by the oral tissues, bypassing the stomach. If you decide to use the liquid vitamins, you can swallow your daily doses straight, or mix the liquid with juice, or water. The major downside to these alternative forms of vitamin/mineral supplement is the cost.You should understand that a month's supply may run up to $50 or more for only basic formulations.

Many people are also concerned about taking herbal supplements along with prescriptions drugs. While most medical professional dismiss the concerns of supplement and prescription drugs interacting, there are some that you should be aware of. It is generally advised that you should tell your doctor, about anything you are taking regularly, particularly if you are also taking either prescription, or over-the-counter drugs. Here is a rundown of some commonly used supplements, and drugs that could interact in a serious way-

• St. John's Wort-This may affect the metabolism of antidepressants; HIV protease inhibitors used to treat HIV/AIDS; digoxin, (a heart medication); theophylline, (used to treat asthma); cyclosporine, (an immunosuppressant); chemotherapy; birth control pills (it may reduce their effectiveness); blood pressure and heart disease medications; Coumadin, (a blood-thinner).


• Co-enzyme Q10, dong quai, feverfew, garlic, ginger, ginkgo, ginseng, vitamin E and St. John's Wort-All of these may increase the risk of bleeding if you are taking prescription anticoagulants such as Coumadin.


• Echinacea-This supplement may increase levels of HIV protease inhibitors, that are used to treat HIV/AIDS, calcium channel blockers used to treat high blood pressure, and anti-anxiety drugs.


• Capsicum (red pepper, cayenne pepper)-These may increase the absorption, and effect of ACE inhibitors, that are used to treat high blood pressure, heart failure and kidney disease; asthma drugs; sedatives; and antidepressants.


• Garlic-Taking this supplement can decrease the effectiveness of immunosuppressant drugs, and HIV protease inhibitors.


• Ginkgo-This may increase the amount of antidepressant drugs in your blood and may cause seizures when combined with anti-psychotic drugs.


• Ginseng-This can cause headache, trembling, and manic behavior, when combined with the antidepressant Nardil. It may also interfere with the action of the heart medication digoxin; may reduce blood sugar levels in people with Type II diabetes, thus affecting the need for insulin or other medication for diabetes.