Managing hypertension (high blood pressure) is necessary to lower your risk of other health conditions, like heart attack or stroke. To best manage high blood pressure, you may need to avoid certain supplements because they can affect your blood pressure or make your blood pressure medication less effective.<\/p>\n
Vitamin D<\/a> is a vitamin naturally found in certain foods and available as a supplement. Your body also makes vitamin D when your skin is exposed to ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. Vitamin D is necessary for many body functions, like bone health and inflammation.\n<\/p>\n Some researchers have found that vitamin D may help treat high blood pressure<\/a>, specifically doses of 200-8,000 International Units (IU) per day. Doses of vitamin D larger than 10,000 IU per day can lead to dangerous side effects, like high levels of calcium (hypercalcemia). Hypercalcemia can cause many issues over time, including high blood pressure.\n<\/p>\n High doses of vitamin D can also interact with certain diuretics<\/a> (water pills) used to treat high blood pressure. This interaction can cause your body to not get rid of enough calcium, raising your calcium levels and possibly raising your blood pressure.\n<\/p>\n Talk to your primary care provider about your vitamin D levels. They can test your levels to determine if vitamin D supplementation would be useful for you and your blood pressure.\n<\/p>\n Licorice root<\/a> (Glycyrrhiza glabra) is an herb used as a flavoring in food,\u00a0candy, and tobacco products. In traditional medicine, the root has been used to treat lung disease, liver disease, and wounds.\n<\/p>\n Licorice contains glycyrrhizic acid (GA), an ingredient that can raise blood pressure and cause serious side effects if you have high blood pressure. GA doses as low as 100 milligrams daily have been shown to raise blood pressure.\n<\/p>\n Supplements with GA can also interact with diuretics and blood pressure medications. The supplement may affect how well blood pressure medication works and raise your risk of side effects. Specifically, licorice root can raise sodium levels and lower potassium levels in your body. This effect, combined with a diuretic, can lead to dangerously\u00a0low levels of potassium<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n If you have high blood pressure, it’s best to avoid using products with licorice root.\n<\/p>\n