Vitamins And Supplements To Avoid Before Surgery

While vitamins and supplements can provide a healthy balance to overall health, using certain ones before surgery can have adverse, and even dangerous, effects. Most physicians will provide patients with a list of things they can or cannot do prior to surgery and usually, this will include a list of medications they should avoid within the two weeks leading up to surgery. It is important that if a patient is taking herbal supplements or vitamins to discuss their use with their doctor to determine whether or not it is safe to continue taking them leading up to surgery.

Here are a few of the common vitamins and supplements to avoid before surgery.

Ginseng

Ginseng is a great supplement known for its energy boosting and stress-reducing effects. But it should not be used before surgery because it can increase blood pressure to dangerous levels as well invoke a rapid heartbeat during surgery. It has also been found to increase the risk of heavy bleeding and cause blood sugar to plummet to life-threatening levels. These adverse effects of ginseng can prove fatal for individuals undergoing and recovering from surgery. Individuals taking ginseng should cease taking the supplement at least five days before they undergo surgery to minimize adverse effects and should talk to their surgeon and physician to determine a suitable timetable to begin taking the supplement again.

Keep reading to learn more about what vitamins and supplements to avoid taking before undergoing surgery now.