Bridging the gap between pharmaceutical & complementary medicines

Pharmaceutical prescription medicines can play an important role in health and wellbeing. On the flip side, some of the most commonly prescribed medications used to treat chronic health conditions can cause well-known side effects or nutritional deficiencies which can lead to further health issues downstream. Complementary medicines can play a key role here.

The likelihood of being prescribed multiple medications or polypharmacy, defined as being five or more medications taken daily, increases with age and is more prominent in women. Many people taking prescription medications don’t fully understand why they are taking their medication, how long they should be taking it for, how it works in their body or the benefit versus the risk associated with these medications.

A large number of pharmaceutical medications owe their origins to the plant and herbal world. Pharmaceutical medications typically contain a synthetic version of one natural plant chemical component whereas herbal medicine uses specific parts of plants that contain a myriad of natural chemical components that all work synergistically together.

Some of the most commonly prescribed medications in Australia are used to manage cholesterol levels, acid reflux, pain, low mood and anxiety, blood pressure, type-2 diabetes and infections. Just as herbal medicine can’t treat everything, the same holds true for pharmaceutical medications. There is no right or wrong, but there are options available so people can make an informed choice.

Clarity around why you are taking the medication prescribed and assess any side effects or nutritional deficiencies
Assess the quality, type and dose of your existing supplements and the role they can play in your health
How and which complementary medicines to use in conjunction with existing medications
Look at all or alternative options i.e. switching to another medication with a lower side effect profile, dosage changes or deprescribing in conjunction with your medical professional
Work with existing medications where needed to provide the best possible health outcome while reducing the risk of future polypharmacy