Update - Alert on drug interactions

VOL: 102, ISSUE: 30, PAGE NO: 45

Reports that suggest an interaction between warfarin and glucosamine have been received by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the Commission on Human Medicines.

Reports that suggest an interaction between warfarin and glucosamine have been received by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the Commission on Human Medicines.

Patients who had a stable INR while taking warfarin experienced an increase in their INR when they started taking the supplement. As a result of these reports, patients taking warfarin are recommended not to take glucosamine.

Glucosamine is not licensed as a medicinal product but is taken by many patients to treat osteoarthritis. It should be avoided by people who have seafood allergies, as it is manufactured from the shells of crustaceans.