{"id":304320,"date":"2026-02-18T13:41:18","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T13:41:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/304320\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T13:41:18","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T13:41:18","slug":"doctors-warn-common-daily-supplement-mistake-could-harm-your-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/304320\/","title":{"rendered":"Doctors Warn: Common Daily Supplement Mistake Could Harm Your Health"},"content":{"rendered":"

About 75% of Americans take some kind of supplement regularly<\/a>, making it a common practice in the U.S.<\/p>\n

If you’re part of that group, it’s understandable to wonder about your own supplement intake<\/a> after seeing yet another person rave on social media about how taking a particular nutrient changed their life. Some supplements have data to support their positive health impacts on things like sleep and mood, which can make navigating this even more confusing.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re dealing with a health concern or just don\u2019t feel like yourself, taking a supplement probably seems like a good idea\u2014and it very well may be. But this can be a tough area of health to navigate. \u201cDietary supplements are available over-the-counter and without a prescription, which often leads people to believe that they are safe,\u201d says Dr. Kelly Johnson-Arbor, M.D<\/a>., a toxicologist at MedStar Health.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Couple that with the fact that supplements aren\u2019t tightly regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and doctors have some concerns. \u201cEven though the reported benefits of some dietary supplements are marketed heavily on television, the internet and social media, these claims may not always be backed up by scientific evidence,\u201d Dr. Johnson-Arbor says. But there\u2019s one common daily supplement mistake that she and other doctors say they keep seeing people make that\u2019s especially troubling.<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re considering taking a new supplement or are already on one, doctors say it\u2019s important to be aware of this very common\u2014and potentially serious\u2014mistake.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\ud83e\ude7a<\/a>SIGN UP for Parade\u2019s health newsletter with expert-approved tips, healthy eats, exercises, news & more to help you stay healthy & feel your best self<\/a>\ud83d\udc8a<\/a><\/p>\n

This Is Hands-Down the Biggest Daily Supplement Mistake Doctors See People Make\"Fiordaliso&sol;Getty<\/p>\n

Fiordaliso&sol;Getty Images<\/p>\n

(Fiordaliso&sol;Getty Images)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s taking a new supplement without talking to your doctor first. While they often seem harmless, \u201csupplements can have significant drug interactions,\u201d says Dr. Jamie Alan, Ph.D<\/a>., an associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dietary supplements can have serious side effects, including liver damage<\/a>, Dr. Johnson-Arbor points out. \u201cThey can contain contaminants, and may also interact with other medications.”<\/p>\n

Related: The One Supplement To Avoid if You\u2019re a Woman Over 50, According to a Gerontological Nutritionist<\/a><\/p>\n

Beyond that, there\u2019s likely a reason you\u2019re taking a supplement\u2014and you\u2019re not getting it checked out if you\u2019re hoping it will go away with supplements, says Dr. Daniel Chandler, M.D.<\/a>, primary care physician at Tufts Medical Center. \u201cIf you\u2019re taking a supplement, it\u2019s probably due to a symptom or side effect that you have undiagnosed,\u201d he says, noting that taking a supplement instead of seeing a healthcare provider will only delay your care and increase the odds that the underlying issue will get worse.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, doctors want you to check in with a licensed healthcare provider before taking a new supplement. \u201cI would recommend checking with your healthcare provider or pharmacist before starting to avoid any potentially concerning interactions,\u201d Dr. Alan says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Related:I Took Magnesium Before Bed for 6 Months and It Completely Transformed My Sleep<\/a><\/p>\n

Some Supplement Ingredients Are More Concerning Than Others<\/p>\n

The most concerning supplement ingredients are those with potential drug interactions or that have their own side effects. \u201cSome dietary supplement ingredients can interfere with how the human body processes, or metabolizes, medications,\u201d Dr. Johnson-Arbor says. \u201cThis means that the use of certain supplements can increase or decrease the effectiveness of other medications, potentially leading to toxicity or ineffective treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n

St. John\u2019s Wort<\/a> is one of the most concerning supplements doctors flag for this reason. \u201cIt can interact with numerous medications, including blood thinners<\/a> and oral contraceptives, leading to an increased risk of bleeding or unintended pregnancy,\u201d Dr. Johnson-Arbor explains.<\/p>\n

Calcium supplements <\/a>can interact with levothyroxine, bisphosphonates (like alendronate and ibandronate), and certain types of antibiotics, leading to reduced absorption and decreased effectiveness of the prescription medications, according to Johnson-Arbor.<\/p>\n

Even garlic supplements can increase bleeding risk, and ginseng can interact with blood thinners, Dr. Chandler points out.\u00a0Further, a vitamin K supplement<\/a> may reverse the impact of warfarin, a common blood thinner, making it less effective, Dr. Chandler says. Even biotin, which plenty of people take to support hair and nail growth, can mess with medical testing. \u201cIf you\u2019re taking a lot of biotin and we test your kidney function, it will make your kidneys look worse than they actually are,\u201d he notes.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, those are just a few to be wary of. \u201cThere are others, too,\u201d Dr. Alan says.<\/p>\n

Related: Gastroenterologists Are Begging People To Avoid This One Common Fiber Mistake<\/a><\/p>\n

Is It Ok To Take Multivitamins Without Talking to Your Doctor?<\/p>\n

Multivitamins<\/a> seem pretty mild, and Dr. Alan says they generally are. \u201cMost multivitamins have very minimal drug interactions and should not be a problem for most people,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Most components in a multivitamin<\/a> are water-soluble, which means you\u2019ll pee out anything you don\u2019t need, Dr. Chandler says. \u201cIt may be a waste of money, but generally not much harm,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Still, if you\u2019re taking medication, it\u2019s always a good idea to talk to a doctor before taking any kind of new supplement, even a multivitamin. \u201cEven the benign-sounding vitamins and minerals found in multivitamin supplements can interact with certain medications,\u201d Dr. Johnson-Arbor says.<\/p>\n

Overall, doctors just want you to be open with a healthcare provider about your supplement use, whether it\u2019s a multivitamin or a specific nutrient. \u201cI\u2019m worried about drug interactions and your kidneys,\u201d Dr. Chandler says.<\/p>\n

Up Next: <\/p>\n

Sources:<\/p>\n

Jamie Alan, Ph.D<\/a>., an associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University<\/p>\n

This story was originally published by Parade<\/a> on Feb 14, 2026, where it first appeared in the Health & Wellness<\/a> section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"About 75% of Americans take some kind of supplement regularly, making it a common practice in the U.S.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":235407,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[143619,143616,14850,103,61,60,143620,143618,143617,446,27206],"class_list":["post-304320","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-daniel-chandler","tag-drug-interactions","tag-food-and-drug-administration","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-johnson-arbor","tag-kelly-johnson-arbor","tag-medstar-health","tag-nutrition","tag-supplement"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=304320"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304320\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/235407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=304320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=304320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=304320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}