CAN I TAKE SAW PALMETTO & CIPROFLOXACIN?

CAN I TAKE SAW PALMETTO & CIPROFLOXACIN?

Aug 18, 2011 | By Diana Kaniecki
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According to the National Institutes of Health, saw palmetto is best known for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia, but it is also used for treating prostatitis, which is an inflammation of the prostate sometimes caused by bacterial infection. Treating bacterial prostatisis with a combination of saw palmetto and antibiotics may be a useful treatment approach. However, as with any supplement, consult with your doctor before using saw palmetto medicinally.
TREATMENT

Ciprofloxacin is an antibiotic that is in a class of medicines called fluoroquinolones. These medicines work by killing bacteria that cause infections. Ciprofloxacin is used to treat a variety of infections, including certain types of urinary tract infections and infections of the prostate gland, or bacterial prostatitis. Bacterial prostatitis occurs when urinary tract infections, typically caused by a partial blockage of the urinary tract from benign prostatic hyperplasia, spread to the prostate and cause an infection.

HOW IT WORKS

According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, the active substances in saw palmetto are fatty acids, plant sterols and flavonoids. Saw palmetto possibly inhibits the actions of growth factors and inflammatory substances, UMMC continues, along with Blue Shield Complementary and Alternative Health. This herb may also strengthen the immune system. Saw palmetto works by shrinking the inside lining of the prostate, putting pressure on the tubes carrying urine, but it does not reduce the total size of the prostate.
PREPARATIONS AND DOSAGE

You can buy saw palmetto supplements in dried berry, powdered capsule, tablet, liquid tincture and extract forms. The saw palmetto supplement should be standardized to contain between 85 to 95 percent fatty acids and sterols, the active constituents in saw palmetto. Standardized saw palmetto pills can be taken in daily doses of 320 milligrams or you may take 5 to 6 milliliters of the liquid extract daily, says UMMC.
USE WITH CIPROFLOXACIN

Saw palmetto has been effectively used in research studies in combination with ciprofloxacin. In a study published in the "International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents" in 2007, researchers combined saw palmetto with ciprofloxacin to treat people with chronic bacterial prostatitis. These medications were taken together for either one or two six-week cycles of treatment. The authors concluded that combined treatment with these two medicines safely provided extended symptom relief and improvement in general well-being. However, this study was not well designed as it did not include comparisons with other treatments and placebo, or sugar pills. Further research is needed to confirm these results.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/517154-can-i-take-saw-palmetto-ciprofloxacin/#ixzz2O5e01QWG