NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - One in six Americans taking a prescription drug is also taking one or more herbal or dietary supplements, raising concerns about the possibility of adverse interactions, according to a new study.

Overall, more than 80% of adults in the US take some type of medication in any given week with half taking a prescription drug. About 7% of the population takes five or more prescription drugs in any given week and 25% take five or more of any type of drug, including prescription drugs, over-the-counter pain relievers and cold remedies, herbal supplements like ginkgo biloba or St. John's wort and vitamin and mineral supplements, according to the report. ``Adverse reactions to drugs are among the leading causes of hospitalization and death in this country,'' write lead author Dr. David W. Kaufman of the Boston University School of Public Health in Massachusetts and colleagues. ``At the same time, there has been a considerable increase in the use of herbal products and other natural supplements which by law are not subject to (regulation by the government's Food and Drug Administration),'' they add.

To investigate medication use in the general population the researchers conducted telephone surveys of 2,590 men and women over the age of 18 living in the US in 1998 and 1999. The results are published in the January 16th issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

``Our findings confirm that large numbers of US adults take large numbers of medications,'' the authors write. The researchers found that 14% of those surveyed took an herbal supplement during the week prior to being surveyed. Ginseng topped the list as the most popular herbal supplement, followed by ginkgo biloba, garlic and glucosamine

Among those taking prescription drugs, 16% also took an herbal or dietary supplement with patients taking the anti-depressant Prozac reporting the highest co-drug use, Kaufman and colleagues report.

Better understanding of drug and supplement usage patterns could help reduce the risk of dangerous interactions, the authors conclude.

SOURCE: Journal of the American Medical Association 2002;287:337-334.

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