Is It Safe to Take Actonel With St. John’s Wort?
I spoke with my doctor about taking St. John’s Wort and assumed she’d recommend against taking an herbal supplement. To my surprise, she supported it, and was glad I was up front with her about it. One thing I was really concerned at the time was if St. John’s Wort would interact with the Actonel I was taking for osteoporosis.
In my case, it was ok to take the two together. (As always, talk to your Doctor to see if this is the same for you.) However, I did get stomach upset when I did that, so she recommended that I separate the doseages. So, basically, I took my Actonel in the morning 30 minutes before breakfast and then an hour later, I’d take my first dose of St. John’s Wort. This worked well for me, and I did not experience any drug interaction issues.
Boniva & St. John’s Wort
I have since changed my Osteoporosis drug of choice to Boniva. Since it a once a month drug, and for some reason, it tends to upset my stomach a little more than the Actonel, I actually wait to take my St. John’s Wort at lunch on the day I take the Boniva. This has also worked well for me, and my Doctor informed me this is ok to take concurrently with St. John’s Wort.
As always, however, talk to your doctor about what supplements you are taking to see if those will interact or prevent your other medicines you take from working. Supplements are drugs too, even if many of them are herbal.
Tags: Osteopenia, Osteoporosis, St. John's Wort
