Kurt Kurtz, PharmD, the pharmacy director of Providence Health Center in Waco, Texas, discussed with KWTX 10 the danger of mixing prescription drugs and dietary supplements.
Here are three things to know:
1. Dr. Kurtz said although you do not need a physician's approval to take supplements and other over-the-counter medications, you still need to tell them what you are taking.
2. A study published in JAMA suggests that nearly 70 percent of Americans take some form of supplement.
3. Another study published in JAMA found that 25 percent of patients do not tell their physicians about the supplements they take, which Dr. Kurtz said can lead to problems like excess bleeding during surgery.
