RY: you can get a prescription for iron and vitamin D, to cite two examples mentioned, if you’re deficient. So I’d assume they are FDA approved. Problem is they’re not necessarily the best supplements out there to have obtained and gotten approval, but cheap enough to be covered by some insurance carriers. Iron is the perfect example. The prescription will usually say to take with orange juice.
Orange juice is maligned as adding to the obesity crisis because of its empty calories. And many people won’t bother to drink the juice with it, or just a minimal amount. Some other supplements have the vitamin C included without so many empty calories, and are better made to prevent constipation and stomach upset. But these don’t have FDA approval, so essentially we use those at our own risk, and perhaps via trial and error.
For these companies it’s not economical to obtain FDA approval, as their product isn’t cheap enough to warrant (government for the most part) prescription insurance coverage.
Bottom line: vitamins and mineral supplements are necessary for those at risk or already deficient. The government can start reviewing at least the US made ones with ingredient testing, and give it some sort of seal if approved and ban those that don’t make the cut. Then we’d at least know that we’re getting what the label states.
Also it’s not at either or between medication and supplements. They sometimes go hand in hand. Most pediatricians will recommend taking probiotics when prescribing antibiotics to kids, although I’ve never seen a prescription for probiotics. No reason not to prescribe it when even Tylenol can be prescribed. (One added benefit of prescribing something is that the correct dosage for the individual is printed on the bottle with clear and concise directions. It’s much easier to make mistakes or be negligent when this information is given verbally or not at all. The doctor doesn’t know exactly what you’ll end up getting so it’s hard for him/her to be precise.)