Taking Chromium Supplements With Other Medications

Unlike years past, we’re lucky that, in today’s modern world, we can purchase vitamins and nutritional supplements in stores and online to help us improve and maintain our health.

Since our fast-paced world of picking up snacks and hamburgers to go doesn’t always allow us to consume the necessary amount of nutrients we need, the right kind of vitamins and supplements are increasingly important to our bodies.

The same positive results can be said of advances in prescription and over the counter medications that not only maintain our health but often prolong our lives. However, caution must always be used when combining any type of nutritional supplement or herbal preparation with medications.

Chromium supplements are no exception; even though chromium has caused relatively insignificant adverse side effects when combined with most people’s medications, it is essential that you consult with a physician before taking a chromium supplement.

For additional safety, your pharmacist can inform you of all the medications that pose a problem when combined with a chromium supplement.

Briefly, here’s the problem: everything we take into our bodies, even food, interacts with other things we consume. In medical terms, this is called a synergistic effect, meaning that when you combine Substance A with Substance B, it sometimes creates an entirely different Substance C which could be very harmful, or even fatal.

Also, combining Substance A with Substance B may either reduce the effectiveness of one of the substances, or increase its action in your body to a dangerously high level.

To help you understand this issue better, here are some of the medications that may have an effect on the delicate acid balance within your stomach, and can result in the loss of essential chromium in your body: corticosteroids, antacids (prescribed or over the counter), H2 blockers like famotidine, cimetidine, and nizatidine, proton pump inhibitors like omeprazole, pantoprazole, and lansoprazole.

On the contrary, there are medications like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, naproxen, ibuprofen and indomethacin, plus nicotinic acid, insulin, prostaglandin inhibitors and beta blockers that enhance chromium absorption into your body.

Note that these are generic names, not brand names; ask your physician or pharmacist to help you distinguish between the two names so you’re aware of exactly what medication you’re taking and its effects on the use of chromium supplements.

Chromium supplements are increasingly popular, making up about 5.65% of all mineral supplements sold in stores and online today. Through your doctor’s advice, you may safely take chromium in its many chemical forms such as chromium picolinate, high-chromium yeast, chromium chloride, and chromium citrate.

In addition to taking good quality supplements, you should eat foods that contain essential chromium like meat, poultry, dairy products, seafood, grain, fruits and vegetables.

When you take a chromium supplement to bolster your food intake, the supplement should contain between 50 and 200 micrograms of chromium. Some safety issues of using chromium for management of type 2 diabetes, increasing energy, maintaining a healthy weight and reducing stress have not yet been established via medical research, so remember to consult your physician before taking a chromium supplement.

Since chromium supplements are so popular, take care to buy from a reputable local or online merchant. Take a few moments to ask questions of local sellers and carefully read the âabout chromium or similar section on an online site.

You may find a high-quality product from an online vendor that is more affordable than a local store; as soon as your credit card purchase is complete, your chromium supplements will be whisked to your doorstep.