There is an extensive selection of over-the-counter sleep supplements to choose from. In addition, 82 new supplements to care for our sleep were launched in March. However, checking the ingredients, you are consuming and assessing their long-term, and short-term effects are essential. They are not the usual way your body falls asleep and can create dependency. Some other side effects of strong supplements include daytime drowsiness, problems with attention or memory, headache, digestive issues, etc.
If you're taking several medications daily to deal with different health issues, you may be at risk of suffering from harmful drug interactions. Defined as "polypharmacy," this soupy concoction is especially dangerous for cancer patients who are about to undergo therapy, warned a new study.
Even though the concurrent use of multiple drugs and supplements can be fraught with risks, it's hard for many people to part with their prescription drugs, noted the study published in The Oncologist journal.
Even a medication is no longer needed, patients find it hard to stop taking it, because of the emotions involved, said Erika Ramsdale, a Wilmot Cancer Institute oncologist, geriatrics specialist, and data scientist who led the study.
"There's a sense of, 'What will happen if I stop?' or 'Are you giving up on me?' A lot of uncertainty and emotions are tied up in this issue," Ramsdale said, as quoted by Science Daily.
The study also noted that polypharmacy is common among cancer patients, who also face higher risks of drug interactions. A person with cancer may be taking several medications such as a drug for high blood pressure or heart disease, an antidepressant, diabetes medicines, frequent doses of a headache pill, over-the-counter pills to relieve heartburn or reflux, antihistamines, and vitamins and minerals. But often, most patients do not report these to the medical team, the researchers said.
According to Ramsdale, the risk of inappropriate use and serious drug interactions goes up the more drugs and supplements a person takes.
Inappropriate medications have risks higher than benefits (known as PIMS) and can cause drug-drug interactions (DDI) and drug-cancer treatment interactions (DCI). Some of the consequences of drug interactions include falls, functional decline, and death. Moreover, those taking several medications are also more likely to have anxiety or depression, the researchers pointed out.
For the study, Wilmot researchers analyzed the data of 718 adults who had stage 3 or 4 cancer and other common health conditions, and their medication use. The results showed that 61 per cent of these patients were taking five or more medications before starting chemotherapy and nearly 15 per cent were taking 10 or more medications. As many as 70 per cent of the patients were at risk of drug-drug interactions and 67 per cent were taking at least one drug that was deemed potentially inappropriate, the study revealed.
Ramsdale pointed out that sometimes doctors prescribe additional drugs to offset the adverse side effects of the original medications. To avoid harm drug interactions, she urged doctors to take into account the risks-versus-benefits of each medication and the patient's life expectancy.
