this is a growing area. we have had a lot of consumers and patients ask about vitamin and herbal supplements. one of the things i want to let patients know is that there really isn't a lot of data on these type of things. the fda doesn't really oversee them very strictly. they are available over-the-counter. but they could actually interact with other medications. they could interact with food. we just don't have the data to know. so i tend to advice patients that you can take them but follow the directions on the package. if you are not feeling well monitor your symptoms. if you feel more groggy if you are taking prescription medications let your physician or healthcare provider know. because we are finding out more and more that these products are interacting with medications and nine times out of ten the healthcare provider wasn't aware that people were on this to begin with. so really important that you bring the bottles in and we can write down exactly what's in these supplements because even though it might say contains active ingredient x we are also finding out that the fillers or other different types of roots or powders or sugars may also lead to other direct interactions as well. so i would definitely exercise caution. if you are a beginner and having these problems with not falling asleep. number one person you should go see is your doctor or healthcare provider to find out why are you not sleeping and based on that we can make effective recommendations on what your therapy should be. keeping a diary is something that i recommend for patients; whether they are not sleeping diabetes high blood pressure migraines really helpful to have that information and present it to physician because in some of these cases you might go see a group of physicians. and your regular doctor may not be available. so to be able to show them that information and have it down in a diary is really valuable and to show your pharmacist. because we might say oh look on this day you started not feeling well but look you started two other new medications. so it really helps us put the pieces together to make sure that you are feeling the right way and that your medicine is working and it’s safe.
do adderall over-the-counter or vitamin c formulas work?