consult doctor if on medication

[Morrisonker]

When the above is on the label of a herbal supplement, does it include the contraceptive pill?  I know I'll be told to seek medical help blah blah blah, but just wondered if anyone could save me the trip.  Is there anything that should be avoided, supplement wise, when you're taking the Pill apart from St John's Wort which I already know about. 

[secretspirit]

I found this on another site, it does apply to emergency contraception but that's just a strong dose of a normal combined pill...

"Make sure that your doctor knows about any other medication that you are on when you start the pill. None of the medicines or tablets that you buy from the chemist should interfere with the pill, but beware of St Johns Wort; recent evidence has demonstrated that it interacts with the pill, making it less effective"

So it sounds good and bad news really, you should be OK but maybe you should check. NHS Direct might be better just to ring up for advice without having to see a doctor (0845 4647).

[AllYourBase]

I must strongly point out that your local chemist is the best person to contact regarding this sort of query. NHS direct can help BUT are NOT qualified to give advice on medication, though they will, to their credit, try to give good common sense answers in order to be helpful.

[morg_monster]

I think that a lot of doctors won't know about interactions unless it is something like St. John's wort or another remedy that is very common.  They have enough on their plate trying to keep up with 'conventional' medicines than remembering everything about herbal and other alternative drugs.  So NHS direct may be a better shot - they should have a lot of collated info to refer to.  Alternatively, do some searches on the internet, or ask in a shop like GNC or holland and barrett.  It is good to remember that 'alternative' remedies are not harmless - if they were they would be no point taking them - and some of them can do damage like conventional drugs if used incorrectly.  Plus, they haven't been researched as thoroughly as conventional stuff has.  so just keep your eyes open and be sensible.