Risks of complementary medicines need identifing
Pharmacists should work closely with other health care professionals to encourage patients, particularly those suffering from cancer, to discuss the benefits and possible risks of taking complementary or alternative medicines (CAMs) in conjunction with conventional therapies, according to Cordula Seydel, former medicines information manager at the Royal Marsden Hospital, London, and co-author of a recent study.
The researchers say doctors need to be able to identify the potential
risks of CAMs. Use of CAMs is particularly common in patients suffering
from chronic disorders such as cancers, they say, and these patients
are likely to use conventional medicines regularly and simultaneously
with CAMs, which may lead to potentially dangerous interactions.
The researchers used a multiple-choice questionnaire to estimate herbal
medicine use among 318 patients who attended the outpatient departments
at a specialist cancer centre. Of these patients, 51.6 per cent reported
taking CAMs, including echinacea, evening primrose oil and St John’s
wort. Of those using CAMs, almost one third were unsure of the purpose
of the remedy they were taking, and 11 per cent of patients reported
exceeding the recommended dose of supplements.
The authors found that most patients surveyed had discussed CAMs with
their doctor. However, they suggest that medical practitioners may not
have the knowledge or the time to do so routinely in outpatient clinics.
Equally, patients may not accept the doctor’s opinion about potential
interactions, and may argue that conventional cancer treatments are equally
toxic.
Mrs Seydel pointed out that local and specialist medicines information
centres can provide good sources of information on commonly used CAMs. “However,
due to the lack of safety and efficacy information on many CAMs, it is
often necessary to discourage their use in a sensitive manner,” she
added.
The authors note that pharmacists have a key role in updating doctors
and sharing important information gathered from patients and other health
care professionals (British Journal of Cancer 2004;90:408). |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal