Supplements Without Reinventing the Wheel

People ask me about supplements all the time. I also make a point of asking patients about them.

Supplements do not exist in a separate, “natural” compartment. Prescription medications, over-the-counter products, supplements, cannabis, alcohol, and other recreational drugs all enter the same biological system. They can reinforce one another, interfere with one another, or create side effects that are difficult to understand if part of the picture is missing.

That does not make supplements inherently good or bad. It makes them clinically relevant. I want to know what a person is taking in total—what it is meant to help, whether it is helping, and whether it changes the safety or effectiveness of anything else.

The medication list should describe the whole mix, not only the prescriptions.

For practical guidance, I often turn to Chris Aiken, MD, an outstanding psychiatrist and Editor-in-Chief of The Carlat Psychiatry Report. He has assembled a thoughtful, evidence-aware supplement guide. There is no reason to reinvent the wheel when trusted work has already been done well.

I have therefore made that guide easier to reach from this website. The supplement directory summarizes what each item has been studied for, highlights important cautions, and links back to Dr. Aiken’s original notes and current product selections.

The directory is a starting point for a conversation, not a blanket recommendation and not a substitute for individualized care. Its purpose is simpler: to make it easier to ask a better question—and to make sure the answer takes the whole medication picture into account.