Why It Matters Where You Buy Your Supplements

Why It Matters Where You Purchase Your Supplements

When it comes to patient care, I try not to be biased in my recommendations.  I read a recent article in Drug Topics that made me think that by not being more biased toward the products that we carry may be detrimental to your health as a patient .  In this article I’ll try to present the information cited in the article entitled “Vitamins and Dietary Supplements-Why Pharmacist’s Recommendations Matter” and let you decide if you make the right decision when you purchase supplements from Wellspring Custom Pharmacy.

     Americans are aging and increasingly turning to vitamins and herbal supplements to prevent, augment, or replace their prescription drugs.  Many times these consumers don’t realize the implications of their choice and perceive these supplements as innocuous products with little, if any, downside.  The fact of the matter is, however, vitamins and dietary supplements can have toxic and life-threatening side effects when improperly dosed or used incorrectly with prescription medication.  

     Annual sales of dietary supplements have reached $25 billion, a figure that has increased 8% since 2007.  Approximately 50% of adults regularly take vitamin supplements, and approximately 25% take herbal supplements at least occasionally.  This has led to a call for more regulation by the FDA with the new “food safety” bill now close to a vote in the Senate.  In some respects this may be beneficial to the consumer because it would allow the FDA to recall supplements it deemed dangerous.  This would help prevent situations similar to what occurred with ephedra.  In 2001 64% of all adverse events caused by supplements were caused by ephedra even though it represented only 1% of all supplement sales.  

     As part of a Congressional investigation in May of this year, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on supplement purity.  Of the 40 supplements it tested, 16 (40%) of them contained pesticide residue above the allowable limit.  

     Is more FDA and government control the answer-probably not.  Many prescription products brought to the market and approved by the FDA are later recalled because of severe and sometimes life-threatening side effects.  More control might also “squeeze” out small manufacturers that could not afford the legal red tape brought on by more regulation.  And depending on the depth of regulation, the cost might be such that only large pharmaceutical companies could afford to be in the business.

     Manufacturing safety is currently governed by “current good manufacturing practices” (CGMP or GMP).  These federal regulations require that dietary supplement companies submit any report received about a serious adverse event to the FDA.  It also gave the FDA more control over truth-in-advertising and allowed them to make inspections to help insure that manufacturers were complying with CGMP requirements.  

     While supplements such as fish oil have known benefit, even proponents have concern about potential contaminants.  Fish oils can contain contaminants that have been shown to have adverse effects on humans.  Some brands can contain unsafe levels of dioxin, furan, pesticides, mercury, and unsafe levels of PCB’s.  Potency and safety should be verifiable by the manufacturer and assays available on request.

     With sales of dietary supplements continuing to grow along with an aging population it is of continuing importance that you know and trust the person that you buy supplements from.  Now, more than ever, you as a consumer interested in personal health and wellness must be an advocate for your own health.  We hope that you continue to view us as knowledgeable health professionals that always will place your health ahead of sales.  Likewise, when you make your choice as to where to purchase your supplements, we hope you will choose our office.  It not only helps insure our viability as a business but also the quality of the product we help you choose.

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