A cross-sectional study of provider and patient characteristics associated with outpatient disclosures of dietary supplement use
Derjung M Tarn et al. Patient Educ Couns. 2015 Jul.
…
A supplement-drug interaction occurs when a supplement competes with a drug for the same mechanism of absorption, distribution, metabolism, or excretion (ADME).
If the supplement elbows out the prescription medication, it can lead to a different concentration of the drug at the site of action.
So, the drug may not work as intended or result in unexpected adverse effects.
More than 1,000 enzymes are involved in ADME mechanisms, and they’re categorized into four basic families:
CYP - cytochrome P450 (CYP) drug metabolism enzymes
UGT - uridine diphosphate-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) conjugating enzymes
ABC - adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette (ABC) drug uptake/efflux transporters
OATP - organic anion-transporting polypeptide (OATP) drug transporters
Importantly, six CYP enzymes (CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, CYP2E1, CYP3A4) metabolize nearly 80% of all prescribed drugs.
Other important ADME enzymes in supplement-drug interactions are OATP1A1, OATP1A2, OATP2B1, and the ABC transporter P-glycoprotein (P-gp).
…
Seventy-nine percent of 603 patients reported on a post-visit survey that they took a total of 2107 dietary supplements. Of those taking supplements, 232 patients (48.6%) discussed at least one supplement with their provider on the day of their office visit.
However, patients disclosed only 714 (33.9%) of the 2107 supplements they were taking. Patients more frequently disclosed supplement use when they saw providers who attributed greater importance to asking about supplements.
Patient characteristics such as patient activation, number of medical conditions, and use of prescription medications were not associated with disclosure of supplement use.