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Gerovital Safety

Gerovital is a nutritional supplement sold by Prime Health Direct and advertised for decreasing pain, increasing mobility and improving overall health and emotional well being in patients over the age of 65. Although the official website for Gerovital claims that the product has no reported side effects, some of the ingredients in the supplement have the potential to cause adverse reactions in some people.

  1. Types of Ingredients

    • The ingredients in Gerovital listed on the official website for the supplement include para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), DEAE, metabisulphite, potassium, sodium and benzoic acid.

    Types of Side Effects

    • Both potassium and PABA have the potential to cause nausea, vomiting, upset stomach and diarrhea in some patients, reports RxList.

    Drug Interactions

    • PABA decreases the effectiveness of drugs that contain sulphur like the sulfonamide antibiotics sulfamethoxazole and sulfisoxazole and also increases your risk of developing side effects from cortisone injections. Blood pressure medications like the ACE Inhibitor enalapril, the angiotensin receptor blockers valsartan or the diuretic spironolcatone, supplements that contain potassium pose a risk for excessive levels of potassium in your blood stream when taken in conjunction with potassium-containing supplements like Gerovital.

    Risks

    • When taken at doses of more than 12g per day, PABA poses a risk for liver, kidney and blood problems, while taking more than 90mEq of potassium could cause hyperkalemia or high blood potassium, which can damage your heart and even be fatal. The Gerovital website does not disclose how much of each ingredient is contained in one dose of the supplement.

    Considerations

    • Although Gerovital's website says the supplement does not cross the placental barrier, consult your doctor before taking the product while pregnant as RxList recommends that you do not use oral PABA supplements during pregnancy. Because Gerovital is a supplement product, its effectiveness and safety are not evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

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