What does my doctor need to know about supplements?
Last updated September 3, 2026.
Everything, with doses: supplements are pharmacology, per NCCIH - St. John's wort guts birth control and antidepressants, high-dose vitamin E and fish oil move bleeding risk before surgery, magnesium and calcium block thyroid-medication absorption, and biotin distorts thyroid and troponin lab tests. The other reason: the list changes how symptoms get read - magnesium diarrhea and green-tea-extract liver injury are findable only on the table. The practice: one running list (bottle photos work), at every visit, updated on change. "Natural" is not a safety category.
What to do
- Keep one running list. Bottle photos are a list.
- Bring it to every visit. Update on every change.
- Flag it before surgery and new prescriptions. Bleeding and interactions live there.
- Pause biotin before labs if told. It distorts common tests.
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