Common Medications That Rob the Body of Nutrients
Drugs can be life-saving in many circumstances. When they are required and managed well, they provide a purpose. Many times, however, drugs create insidious nutrient depletions, and rob the body of precious nutrients. The nutrient depletions induced by the drug often causes further loss of health. This is especially concerning for our senior citizens who take multiple medications. They are often handed a prescription to deal with the side effects of another prescription. Many times, the side effects are a result of the nutrients depleted from marginal nutritional health to begin with. Here are some things that you need to be aware.
This is list of the top eight drugs in 2014 per number of prescriptions written and the vitamins they deplete.
Medication Depleted Vitamin(s)
1. Synthroid, 22.6 million Calcium
2. Crestor, 22.5 million Coenzyme Q10
3. Nexium, 18.6 million B12, folic acid, calcium and magnesium
4. Ventolin HFA, 17.5 million Calcium, magnesium, potassium and phosphate
5. Advair Diskus, 15.0 million Calcium, magnesium, phosphate and potassium
6. Diovan, 11.4 million Magnesium, potassium and zinc
7. Lantus Solostar, 10.1 million Magnesium and calcium
8. Cymbalta, 10.0 million Coenzyme Q10, B2, B6 and melatonin
Other popular medications
Pain Medications/Analgesics:
NSAIDs or Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen, ketoprofen, indomethacin, Naproxen, etc): deplete iron and folic acid in part due to the digestive irritation caused by the drug. While NSAIDs are certainly popular, their effect on the body can be serious. Steroid medications, oral or inhaled (Advair, etc), deplete calcium, vitamin D, chromium, folic acid, magnesium, strontium, DHEA, and zinc. Aspirin depletes folic acid, iron, and vitamin C.
Antibiotics:
Antibiotics in general deplete: vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, folate, biotin, and vitamin K. This is because of beneficial flora destruction in the intestinal tract from antibiotic usage. There are different classes or types of antibiotics which exhaust other nutrients.
Diabetic medications:
The long acting insulin medication was listed above, but how about non-insulin blood sugar medications such as Metformin. Metformin is a popular diabetic medication that robs the body of coenzyme Q10, folic acid, vitamin B1, B6, and B12.
Water Pills/Diuretics
Loop diuretics (Lasix, etc) deplete calcium, magnesium, potassium, folic acid, vitamin B1, B6, and C. Thiazide and Thiazide derivatives deplete: magnesium, potassium, zinc, folic acid, vitamin B1. Often the physician will prescribe potassium along with these types of drugs, but what about the other nutrients stripped out of the body? Magnesium, potassium, and vitamin B1 naturally manage fluid activity in the body.
Central Nervous System Drugs:
SSRIs (Prozac, Zoloft, etc) deplete iodine, and MAOs deplete vitamin B6. Each nutrient is essential for energy production and mood stability, the very thing that the drugs are prescribed for. With the sky-rocketing rates of depression and mood disorders, how about replenishing some nutrients first or at least work on replenishing what the med stripped out. Lastly, anxiety meds (Xanax, Valium, etc) diminishes melatonin. Certainly going off something like Xanax with melatonin levels exhausted will lead to further sleepless nights, poor restorative sleep and more challenged brain health.
The point of the article and known research is that it is fundamental to replenish what the drugs steal from the body. The majority of these nutrients are vital for maintaining energy, cognitive skills, memory, bone health, immune integrity, antioxidant status and simply vitality. Certainly there is a time and a place for properly prescribed medications, but how many patients go thru the medical revolving door only to be prescribed another script for side effects caused by drugs that rob the body of essential nutrients.
