What supplements should I be taking?
“I’ll order this supplement on Amazon or pick it up at Target because I heard it could help with fatigue. I’ll just give it a try and see what happens.”
What can happen when you use over the counter (OTC) supplements instead of medical grade supplements?
You don’t know that what you’re getting is what is says you’re getting. Quality standards for medical grade supplements follow similar strict guidelines as pharmaceuticals. OTC supplements don’t have these standards for quality. OTC supplements can contain high levels of mercury or other heavy metals, bacterial and/or fungal contamination or have different dosages than what is listed on the bottle (White, 2020).
The supplement may contain different parts of a plant than what is listed on the bottle in the case of herbs. There are also extremely dangerous drug/supplement interactions that someone not educated in the field could be completely unaware of.
Medical grade supplements are prescribed by licensed healthcare practitioners. Medical grade supplements hold the highest standard for quality control where raw materials and herbs are diligently tested for potency and contaminants and go through rigorous audits before a supplement reaches the consumer. The same cannot be said for OTC supplements.