{"id":12478,"date":"2019-12-23T14:37:34","date_gmt":"2019-12-23T22:37:34","guid":{"rendered":"https://www.realself.com\/news\/?p=12478"},"modified":"2023-02-24T09:11:42","modified_gmt":"2023-02-24T17:11:42","slug":"supplements-you-should-not-mix-with-surgery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https://www.realself.com\/news\/supplements-you-should-not-mix-with-surgery","title":{"rendered":"10 Supplements You Should Not Mix With Surgery"},"content":{"rendered":"

Better skin, restful sleep, less stress, more energy. If there’s something you’re lacking, you’re in luck, because there’s a supplement for that. Vitamins, minerals, or other dietary supplements are so common nowadays that, according to the Council for Responsible Nutrition<\/a>, 77% of adults in the U.S. are taking some form of one. While many people usually turn to supplements to optimize their health, whether to restore a nutritional deficiency, on promise of better sleep, or to boost their immune system, the risks they pose can oftentimes be detrimental—especially during surgery.<\/p>

There are certain supplements with side effects that can critically impact a surgical procedure. This is why, when a doctor asks if you’re taking any medication, you should always mention multivitamins and other supplements, even though they may not be the first things that cross your mind. While these types of “natural” supplements are generally thought of as safe, they have the potential to cause unnecessary, dangerous, and even life-threatening complications. <\/p>

Below, we list common supplements that could potentially be dangerous when mixed with surgery. But as Dr. Philip Miller<\/a>, a board-certified facial plastic surgeon in New York City, explains, determining what you can and can’t take is done on a case-by-case basis. Be transparent with your doctor prior to your procedure, he advises, adding that patients should refrain from popping advised-against pills in the two weeks prior to surgery and for two weeks afterward, to be safe. <\/p>

Garlic<\/strong><\/h2>

Garlic supplements are known to help boost the immune system, reduce the duration of colds<\/a>, lower high blood pressure<\/a>, and improve cholesterol<\/a> levels, among other attractive benefits. However, as the American Academy of Family Physicians<\/a> reports, it can prolong bleeding time after surgery, which you obviously don’t want. <\/p>

St John’s wort<\/strong><\/h2>

People have turned to St. John’s Wort for centuries in order to treat a myriad of health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, menopausal symptoms, and sleep disorders. However, it comes with a lot of potential risks, including reducing the effectiveness of certain prescription meds, as pointed out in a 2011 study<\/a> that showed it to interfere with Xanax. These risks extend to surgery complications. “Some supplements can cause bleeding, such as St. John’s Wort,” Dr. Andrew Cohen<\/a>, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Encino, California, says. And according to the FDA<\/a>, St. John’s Wort can make various medications, including those for heart disease, depression, and birth control, less effective. Dr. Cohen also believes that all herbal medications should be avoided by surgery patients because of the risk factors. <\/p>

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