When it comes to knowing the different between pharmaceuticals supplements versus over the counter ones, it’s simple – over the counter ones aren’t regulated by the government. When you’re taking supplements to enhance or to repair your health, you should consider the types of supplements available and specifics about them to ensure you’re safe while taking them.
About Over The Counter Supplements
The different between medical-grade ones and OTC supplements is the ingredients. These vitamins or supplements often use synthetic or cheaper forms of vitamins. Medical Grade supplements typically contain the best forms of vitamins that make sure that your body is getting the most effective and natural form of the vitamin. This is why they cost more. Also, over the counter vitamins generally has lower concentrations of the product. This means that you may need to take more of the over the counter supplement to get to the daily goal than that of a medical grade vitamin or supplement. In turn, this makes the over the counter supplement not cheaper at all.
Also, over the counter or store grade supplements have more fillers. This means that you could be ingesting dyes, cork, and much more. These toxic fillers can make a person sick with prolonged use. Another downfall to over the counter supplements is that the exact ingredients don’t have to be listed on the label. This means that you never know what exactly you’re taking when you purchase and use an over-the-counter supplement.
About Medical Grade/Pharmaceutical Supplements
Medical grade supplements are manufactured to the same standards as pharmaceutical drugs unlike over the counter ones. They are the highest quality supplements available and meet all pharmaceutical standards. Integrative doctors at Aligned Modern Health can prescribe vitamins and minerals the way that other doctors prescribe drugs. This is done in order to alter a patient’s biochemistry to restore overall health. This is a safe and natural way to make health changes.
Pharmaceutical supplements have a requirement that they must absorb into the body within 45 minutes. Also, ingredients listed on the label must match the product in the container. This means you know exactly what you’re getting with this type of supplement. All raw ingredients are tested before produced in order to make sure that all toxins are removed from the product before sale.
Understanding Bioavailability
Bioavailability involves how a drug is absorbed into the body. If a supplement is taken orally, the bioavailability decreases because other things affect the absorption. The bioavailability of over the counter products is an issue. Many multivitamins have a lot of different things in one pill. Oftentimes these compacted pills are undigested and unabsorbed because they are packed so tightly. However pharmaceutical grade supplements have specific guidelines for bioavailability as they must be digested within 45 minutes to be deemed medical grade.
Tips For Purchasing The Best Supplements
Now that you understand the difference between store-grade over the counter supplements and medical grade pharmaceutical supplements, you can make a more informed decision for your health. At Aligned Modern Health, a Chicago health and wellness center, our team of medical professionals can help you to choose the best supplements for your health and current health issues. To learn more about what our integrative medical staff can do for you, visit one of our Chicagoland locations, click the button below, or call our office at 773-598-4387.
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