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Chromium picolinate
What is chromium picolinate?
Chromium is a mineral found in certain foods. The body needs only trace amounts of chromium, and deficiency of this mineral in humans is rare.
Chromium picolinate works together with insulin produced by the pancreas to metabolize carbohydrates.
Chromium picolinate has been used in alternative medicine as an aid to lowering cholesterol or improving the body’s use of glucose (sugar). It is also commonly touted as a weight-loss supplement that aids in reducing body fat and increasing lean muscle.
Not all uses for chromium picolinate have been approved by the FDA. Chromium picolinate should not be substituted for prescription medications.
Chromium picolinate is often sold as an herbal supplement. There are no regulated manufacturing standards in place for many herbal compounds and some marketed supplements have been found to be contaminated with toxic metals or other drugs. Herbal/health supplements should be purchased from a reliable source to minimize the risk of contamination.
Chromium picolinate may also be used for other purposes not listed in chromium picolinate guide.
Precautions
Before using chromium picolinate, talk to your doctor, pharmacist, herbalist, or other healthcare provider. You may not be able to use this product if you have:
- liver disease;
- diabetes;
- cancer; or
- a weak immune system.
Chromium picolinate may be harmful to an unborn baby. Do not use this product without talking to a healthcare provider if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment.
Chromium picolinate may pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. Ask your healthcare provider before using this product if you are breast-feeding a baby.
Do not give any herbal/health supplement to a child without the advice of a doctor.
Avoid a diet that is high in sugar. It may interfere with the effectiveness of chromium picolinate.
Avoid using antacids without your healthcare provider’s advice. Use only the specific type of antacid your healthcare provider recommends. Antacids contain different medicines and some types can make it harder for your body to absorb chromium picolinate.
Instructions
Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this product.
An overdose of chromium picolinate is not expected to produce life-threatening symptoms.
No information is available about missing a dose of chromium picolinate. Consult your doctor, pharmacist, or healthcare provider for instructions if you miss a dose.
Side-effects
Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Less serious side effects are more likely to occur, and you may have none at all.
Tell your doctor, pharmacist, or healthcare provider about any unusual or bothersome side effect.
Interactions
Do not take chromium picolinate without the advice of a doctor if you are using any of the following medications:
- insulin or diabetes medications you take by mouth;
- steroid medications (prednisolone and others);
- nicotinic acid (niacin, Niaspan, Niacor, Advicor, and others);
- stomach acid reducers such as cimetidine (Tagamet), ranitidine (Zantac), famotidine (Pepcid), or nizatidine (Axid);
- proton-pump inhibitor acid reducers such as esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid), omeprazole (Prilosec), pantoprazole (Protonix), or rabeprazole (Aciphex);
- a beta-blocker such as acebutolol (Sectral), atenolol (Tenormin), betaxolol (Kerlone), bisoprolol (Zebeta, Ziac), carteolol (Cartrol), carvedilol (Coreg), esmolol (Brevibloc), labetalol (Normodyne, Trandate), metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol), nadolol (Corgard), penbutolol (Levatol), pindolol (Visken), propranolol (Inderal, InnoPran), sotalol (Betapace), or timolol (Blocadren); or
- aspirin or an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) such as ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), indomethacin (Indocin), piroxicam (Feldene), and others.
This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with chromium picolinate. Tell your healthcare provider about all your prescription and over-the-counter medications, vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start a new medication without telling your healthcare provider.
Disclaimer
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.
Copyright 1996-2004 Cerner Multum, Inc. Version 2.05. Revision date 8/23/04