Pharmaceutical drugs help millions of people with with quality of life issues. There is a very real risk associated with long-term use of many drugs, however. The side-effects associated with a large number of drugs are quite undesirable. One way of looking at this is to view the “side-effects” as being main effects, although undesirable ones. One of the main reasons that drugs produce these deleterious “side-effects” is through depletion of essential nutrients in the body. The term “essential nutrients” refers to vitamins, minerals, probiotics, essential fatty acids, and substances critical to and required for human physiologic processes and functioning. Health, in other words. It is very important that people prescribed drugs have an understanding that nutrient depletions often come with their drug, and that in some cases physicians do not realize these depletions may occur.

Most people realize that antibiotic use, for example, depletes the body of beneficial flora, and are careful to supplement with probiotics following an antibiotic course. Few people realize, however, that antibiotic use also depletes vitamin K, which is manufactured in the gut by bacteria, and the B-complex vitamins.

Many classes of drugs deplete a host of nutrients, not simply one or two. People routinely taking several or more drugs are in danger then of becoming deficient in crucial nutrients. In this 2-part newsletter we will discuss some of the most commonly-prescribed classes of drugs and their nutrient depletions.

Coenzyme Q10 Depletions

It is fairly common knowledge that the statin drugs, such as lovastatin, used for controlling cholesterol levels, deplete Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), leading to muscle weakness (including the heart muscle itself). Those taking statin drugs, as well as the supplement red yeast rice (a natural statin), must supplement with CoQ10 or risk weakening their cardiovascular and skeletal muscle health. Antihypertensives such as ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers also deplete CoQ10 as well as magnesium and other minerals. Magnesium and CoQ10 are both needed for healthy heart function, specifically healthy blood pressure, so it is vitally important that people with hypertension taking these drugs are aware of these depletions. It is ironic that CoQ10 is depleted by the very medications used to treat heart disease. Anti-diabetics also deplete CoQ10, as well as some B vitamins. Antipsychotics deplete CoQ10, as well as vitamin B2.

It is important to note also that diet and lifestyle may deplete certain essential nutrients, further exacerbating drugs’ nutrient depletion activity. Alcohol, caffeine, and refined sugar all deplete the B vitamins and vitamin C for instance, as does stress. This, along with drugs’ nutrient depletions, is one very good reason to have as a cornerstone of your supplement regimen, a good quality multi-vitamin/mineral, a multi-strain probiotic, and a good essential fatty acid product (fish oil or a plant-based omega).

Water-Soluble Vitamin Depleters

Many classes of drugs are known to deplete the body of the B-complex vitamins, as well as vitamin C. Antidepressants, antibiotics, anti-diabetics, diuretics, hormone replacement therapy, and oral contraceptives all have this effect. In Part II of this newsletter we will further discuss drug-induced nutrient depletions, and the importance of supplementation. Please stay tuned…

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