Herbal Supplements interacting with other medications

cowgal

Herbal Supplements interacting with other medications

cowgal

I have severe joint pain from taking AIs.  I was taken off of them in July but still have bad joint paint and it may be several more months before the AI related pain is gone is what I have been told.  I also have osteo arthritis in both knees and various other parts of my body.  A friend told me about a herbal supplement Alleviate that they are taking and they said it has helped with the pain a lot from their arthritis.  I looked it up online and it contains white willow bark extract, boswellia serrata gum extract, and ginger root.  I really don't know much about herbs.  Are these safe to take for ER+ Pr+ breast cancer survivors?  Does anyone know if there are any drug interactions that I need to be concerned about with these or where to look?

SelenaWolf

The best person to check with would be your pharmacist.  They have a huge database that they can search for interactions between all sorts compounds, even herbal ones.

Katiebelle

I really think this would be fine for you to take.

Willow bark extract, boswellia, and ginger are all anti-inflammatories which is why they are in this formula.

And anti-inflammatories are good for us (BC survivors) because they keep inflammation levels lower. This is why curcumin (turmeric) is recommended for us to take, for example -- it decreases inflammation.

And this is why we should not eat sugar-- because sugar increases inflammation

So Aleviate should be fine to take.

SelenaWolf

I would still consult your pharmacist to see if there are any known interactions and what they are. Willow bark has ASA; you shouldn't take it if you have an allergy to it, if you have a history of GI bleeding or if you are taking other pain killers for pain.

Always consult a trained professional. That's what they are there for.