News

June 2016

Supplement Interactions Linked to Psychotic Symptoms

A case report describes a 43-year-old man with no history of mental illness who was admitted to a psychiatric unit for strange behaviors associated with hallucinations and hearing voices. After completing a medical history, it was determined that he had been taking a combination of dietary supplements for 6 months, including Garcinia cambogia,Brain SupportBrain Awake, a probiotic, and Abosorbmax. After discontinuing the supplements and being treated with risperidone, the hallucinations and voices stopped. Herb-herb interactions, possibly between ginger, which was present in 3 of the products, and grape seed, green tea, and ginkgo, present in the Brain Support and Brain Awake products, might have affected dopamine metabolism and been the cause of the psychiatric symptoms.

References

  1. Wong MK, Darvishzadeh A, Maler NA, et al. Five Supplements and Multiple Psychotic Symptoms: A Case Report. Prim Care Companion CNS Disord. 2016;18(1):10.4088/PCC.15br01856. 

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