Do you feel tired all the time? Is your memory failing you? Do you feel more depressed and moody? What if your bone density were declining and you didn’t know it until you had a fracture and it landed you in the hospital? These are some very common symptoms that occur as a result of drug-induced nutrient depletion. A little known but life-saving fact is that common medications deplete your body of a host of vital nutrients essential to your health.
Nearly 50 percent of all American adults regularly take at least one prescription drug and 20 percent take three or more. Unfortunately our increasing reliance on prescription medications has contributed to the growing problem of nutrient depletion. Many don’t know that every medication, including over-the-counter drugs, depletes your body of vital nutrients critical for overall well-being. Medications can steal nutrients from your body or prevent their absorption. This may make you feel worse or may cause you to develop another condition.
A Common Case Study
Over the 20 years that I’ve been in pharmacy practice, I’ve seen case after case of nutrient depletion resulting from patients taking prescribed medications. Unfortunately, in many instances neither the patients nor their doctors are aware that the medications that they are taking are the culprits of their symptoms.
Let’s take Jane, for example. She is a 50-year- old homemaker coming to me complaining of muscle fatigue, leg cramps, feeling tired most of the time, anxiety, trouble with memory, depression, and insomnia. Her medications include Simvastatin for cholesterol, Nexium for GERD, and Diovan HCT for blood pressure.
First of all, her cholesterol medication belongs to a class of drugs called statin drugs, widely prescribed and best-selling drugs for cholesterol lowering. These drugs deplete the body of CoQ10 with the following potential side effects: muscle pain and weakness, mood swings, depression, heart failure and impotence. In addition, some of these side effects are also due to a lack of cholesterol (due to the cholesterol lowering effect of the drug), which is needed for brain cell and hormone production. A powerful antioxidant, CoQ10 is made by the body and is critical for basic cell function contributing to energy, heart health, lowering blood pressure, and reducing cell damage by neutralizing free radicals. Jane is experiencing several symptoms related to low CoQ10 levels. By supplementing her with the vital CoQ10, her energy- and mood-related symptoms started to resolve within a few weeks.
Secondly, Jane is on a blood pressure medicine containing a diuretic known to deplete a whole host of nutrients such as magnesium, sodium, potassium and zinc. Low magnesium can allow too much calcium to enter the cells of the heart muscle resulting in cardiac spasms. Another version of muscular cramps caused by magnesium deficiency is leg cramps that tend to disrupt sleep. Other symptoms of magnesium deficiency include insomnia, restlessness, anxiety, nervousness, depression, fatigue and osteoporosis. Again, these are some of the symptoms Jane is experiencing. After supplementation with magnesium, Jane’s leg cramps resolved and she was able to rest better at night. In addition, her anxiety, depression, and fatigue got remarkably better.
Finally, Jane is taking Nexium, a popular proton pump inhibitor (PPI) to reduce symptoms of Gastroesophageal Reflux disease (GERD). These drugs are very potent acid-reducing medications that can strongly interfere with nutrient absorption. A study showed that high doses of PPIs, used for a year or more, could make people 2.5 times more susceptible to hip fracture. This heightened risk of osteoporosis is probably due to the drastic drop in calcium and vitamin D absorption that occurs with these drugs. Also, Nexium can cause a deficiency in folic acid, which is required for the utilization of vitamin B-12. The fall of vitamin B-12 levels may be the result of a decrease in stomach acid required for vitamin B-12 to be absorbed from food. Furthermore, Nexium may affect the absorption of beta-carotene and iron. This could have contributed to Jane’s fatigue. I checked her B 12 levels and sure enough her levels were low. With proper supplementation over time, Jane’s energy returned. In Jane’s case, many of her adverse symptoms were due to the medications she was taking daily. Through nutritional supplementation, Jane did not need added medications for her anxiety or depression.
How Medications Cause Nutrient Depletion
Long-term use of many drugs can lead to nutritional deficiencies that can eventually lead to chronic medical conditions. Many studies have shown that drugs deplete nutrients, interfering with absorption, inhibiting transport or metabolism. Some medications reduce appetite—like Adderall or Ritalin (prescribed for attention deficit disorder)—which in turn decrease the intake of beneficial nutrients. On the other hand, other drugs like some antidepressants and anti-psychotic drugs can stimulate appetite, increasing your risk for undesired weight gain and medical conditions like insulin resistance or metabolic syndrome leading to diabetes.
Examples of Commonly Prescribed Drugs and the Nutrients They Rob
- Aspirin/Salicylates: Iron, folic acid, vitamins K, C, B-5, calcium
- Oral Hypoglycemics (i.e., Glucophage, Glucovance): Vitamin B-12, folic acid, CoQ10
- Antidepressants: B-vitamins, folic acid, inositol
- Antibiotics: Biotin, inositol, vitamins B-1, B-2, B-3, B-5, B-6, B-12, K, calcium, iron, magnesium, folic acid, potassium
- Corticosteroids: Magnesium, potassium, selenium, zinc, vitamins A, C, D, B-6, B-12, folic acid, calcium
- Anticonvulsants: Biotin, folic acid, calcium, vitamins B-1, B-2, B-12, D, E, K, zinc, potassium
- H-2 Blockers (Acid Reducers): Calcium, chromium, folic acid, iron, vitamin B-12, zinc
- Estrogens (Premarin, Prempro, Premphase, Climara, Alora, Cenestin, Estrace, Estratab, Vivelle, Estratab, plus estrogen containing oral contraceptives): Folic acid, vitamins A, B-1, B-2, B-6, B-12, C, magnesium, zinc, calcium
Drug-induced nutrient depletion is very common and very often ignored. Listen to your body. Do your homework. Read about the medications prescribed for you and find a pharmacist trained in clinical nutrition to help you sort out the medications you’re taking with the symptoms you’re experiencing. Sometimes, the answer is NOT another drug but replenishing your body with what you’ve lost naturally.
If you’re concerned about the medications you’re currently taking and how they may be impacting your health, TLC Medical Centre Pharmacy has a pharmacist trained in clinical nutrition to help you sort through your medications and help to support your body through nutritional replenishment for a more balanced and healthier you.
