Beware of supplements

Updated 12/30/22

Did you know?

• The FDA doesn't regulate supplements.
• China is the main supplier of supplement ingredients.
• Products labeled natural aren’t necessarily safer.
• Some CBD products are being marketed with unproven medical claims and are of unknown quality.

Editor’s note: This article was written based on my experience and what I have researched about the topic.  Everyone is different. The decision to use supplements should be a decision between doctor and patient.
 
As part of the week-long Mayo Clinic fibromyalgia program I attended in 2016, I met with a pharmacist to review the lengthy list of prescription medicines, over-the-counter medicines, and supplements I was taking at the time. My medicine cabinet looked like a GNC store.
 
I was instructed to bring the actual bottles with me to the appointment, so I packed the bottles into a gym bag (yes, I was taking a lot of medicines and supplements) and went to see her.
 
I was surprised as she read each bottle, making comments and recommendations about each pill – including product quality, labeling issues, ingredient safety, and dosing.  
 
When the appointment ended, my medicine and supplement list was much shorter with her recommending stopping most of the supplements and my gym bag much lighter – throwing away the pills I was going to stop taking.
 
Limited oversight
Unlike prescription or over-the-counter drugs, which must be approved by the Federal Drug Agency (FDA) before they can be marketed, the FDA doesn’t review supplements for safety and effectiveness before they are sold.
 
We don’t know where the products are made, how they are made, what is in them, and if the dosage is appropriate.
 
Safety is left up to the manufacturers and distributors of the supplements.  
 
Bottom line
You assume all risks when using supplements.  While some may be valuable, many aren’t.
 
Learn more

• Dietary Supplements: What You Need to Know
• American Roulette — Contaminated Dietary Supplements
• Natural supplements can be dangerously contaminated, or not even have the specified ingredients
• Hundreds of Dietary Supplements Are Tainted with Prescription Drugs
• Dr. Pieter Cohen Explains Dietary Supplements and Regulations
• What You Need to Know (And What We’re Working to Find Out) About Products Containing Cannabis or Cannabis-derived Compounds, Including CBD
• Cannabis is no better than a placebo for treating pain – new research
• Cannabis For Smart Consumers: What The Industry Does Not Want You To Know​
• Labeling Accuracy of Cannabidiol Extracts Sold Online
• Medical Cannibis for Chronic Pain (my blog post)