It is one of the first questions people ask, often before they ask about the treatment itself. Usually, yes — Ayurvedic therapy and medicines can run alongside what your physician has prescribed. But “usually” carries weight in that sentence, and the way it is done matters more than the answer.
The rule underneath everything here is simple: we never ask you to stop medication prescribed by another doctor. Any change to a prescription belongs to the doctor who wrote it.
Some medicines are dangerous to stop suddenly. Blood-pressure tablets, steroids, anti-epileptic drugs, thyroid replacement, antidepressants and acid-suppressing tablets can all cause trouble when stopped abruptly — rebound symptoms, withdrawal effects, or the illness itself returning. Insulin and diabetes tablets cannot simply be dropped because you have started a new diet.
Starting Ayurvedic treatment is not a reason to stop anything. If your condition changes over time, your physician may decide to adjust a dose — that is their decision, made with your readings in front of them and at their pace.
Some people come hoping that Ayurveda will eventually replace their tablets. It is better to expect the two to run together. For many conditions — thyroid replacement after surgery, epilepsy, type 1 diabetes, a replaced heart valve — the prescribed medicine stays, and the Ayurvedic plan is built around it rather than instead of it.
Herbal medicines are not inert because they are natural. They are used precisely because they have effects, and an effect can add to, or work against, a tablet you already take. That is a reason to ask the question carefully, not a reason for alarm.
The areas doctors watch most closely are these:
The more complete the picture, the safer the plan. Bring:
The last two items on that list are the ones most often left out. A herbal powder from a relative, a capsule ordered online, a tonic from a shop — each counts, and an unnamed blend inside one is the hardest thing for any doctor to plan around.
It also matters to say how you actually take your medicines, not only what is on the prescription. Skipped doses, a tablet taken only on bad days, or a dose you changed yourself all affect how a new plan is built.
None of the interactions above is a reason to avoid Ayurveda; each is a reason for both doctors to know exactly what you take. Your physician should know you are having Ayurvedic treatment, and the Ayurvedic doctor should know everything your physician has prescribed. Medicines dispensed from the pharmacy here have every ingredient named, so you can show the label to your physician and they can check it against your prescription.
Before any operation, tell your surgeon and anaesthetist about every herbal medicine you take. They may ask you to pause herbal medicines for a period beforehand; follow their instruction and let us know, so the plan can be picked up afterwards.
If a new specialist starts you on something during an Ayurvedic course, tell us at your next visit rather than at the end of the course.
Timing is part of the plan. The doctor will tell you how to space Ayurvedic medicines in relation to your other tablets, and which therapies suit your condition as it stands today. Heat and steam therapies are checked against blood pressure and heart conditions before they are planned, and purification procedures are planned around essential medicines, with your physician’s input where it is needed.
Purification days need particular care. During Virechana, the therapeutic purgation that forms part of Panchakarma, tablets taken by mouth may not be absorbed as they usually are, so the timing of essential medicines is worked out in advance. For some people a gentler plan without purification is the safer choice, and the doctor will say so.
If you check your sugar or blood pressure at home, keep doing so during a course and write the readings down. If they change noticeably, contact the doctor who prescribed your medicine — do not adjust the dose yourself.
Seek emergency care for swelling of the lips or face, difficulty breathing or a spreading rash after any new medicine. Contact a doctor promptly for yellowing of the eyes or dark urine, dizziness on standing, or any bleeding that is unusual for you. Shakiness, sweating and confusion can mean low blood sugar; treat it as your diabetes doctor has advised. In every case, tell both of your doctors what happened.
At Sri Vinayaga Ayurvibe, the first consultation with Dr.V.Vaitheeshwari B.A.M.S., runs 40 to 60 minutes, and your current medicines are reviewed as part of it, alongside pulse and tongue examination, constitution, history, digestion and sleep. Walk-in consultations are possible every day from 10 AM to 8 PM, and you can call +91 81229 39197 if you want to ask something before you come.
Sri Vinayaga Ayurvibe — 12/597, Main Road, Nethaji Nagar Main Rd, Nookampalayam, Perumbakkam, Chennai 600131. Phone: +91 81229 39197.