When you take prescription medications, the last thing you want to feel is worse! The reason you’re taking them in the first place is to feel better. Unfortunately, it turns out that a number of drugs can make you feel worse, and part of it maybe due to something you may have never considered before, nutrient depletions.
I am not recommending that you stop your current prescription drugs or renounce them altogether, I simply want patients to be more educated on this issue. Despite the gravity of these potential depletions, they are rarely ever discussed between mainstream health care providers and their patients.
Some of the side effects related to medications include bone loss, an irregular heartbeat, fatigue, leg cramps, muscle aches, insomnia, depression, memory loss, and anxiety, as it turns out many of these can be signs of nutrient depletions.
In addition some of these side effects can even be mistaken for a disease, warranting the use of even more medications, All in all this could lead to vicious cycle of unnecessary suffering. The good news is that the side effects related to nutrient depletions can be prevented with a little bit of education. All it takes is being familiar with your medications and the potential nutrients they may deplete.
Here are some of the common ones:
| Prescription Drug: | Possible Nutrients Depleted: |
| Acetaminophen | Glutathione |
| Aluminum antacids | Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Zinc |
| Aspirin | Folic Acid, Iron, Potassium, Sodium, Vitamin C |
| Atenolol &Propranolol (blood pressure drugs) | Melatonin, CoQ10 |
| Digoxin (heart medication) | Thiamin, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium |
| Diuretics | Magnesium, Potassium, Calcium, Zinc |
| Lisinopril (blood pressure drug) | Zinc, Sodium |
| Metformin | B12, Folic Acid |
| Prednisone (steroid) | Calcium, Magnesium, Folic Acid, Potassium, Selenium, Vitamin C, Vitamin D |
| Proton pump inhibitors (acid reducing drugs) | B12, Calcium, and Magnesium |
| Statins (cholesterol-lowering drugs) | CoQ10 |
So how does one avoid these nutrient depletions? The first step, of course, is to eat a well balanced diet. Eating a variety of whole foods will help you obtain a good balance of nutrients. Second, make it a point to take the right supplements. In a perfect world one would obtain all macro and micro nutrients from one’s diet, but in the age of the industrial agriculture and depleted soils, such a notion is highly unlikely. I recommend taking a quality multivitamin along with the specific set of nutrients that are deleted by your current medications.
If you have questions about your current medications, start by talking to your pharmacist. In theory, it is their job to look this information up for you and give your answers. However most pharmacies are understaffed and pharmacists are overworked, so the likelihood of a thorough consultation with your local pharmacist is pretty unlikely. One can also take the initiative to do their own investigative work by searching the internet and reading books on drug-nutrient depletions.
One can also schedule an hour long virtual consultation with Dr. Boyce in which he addresses any potential side effects and/or nutrient depletions that you are experiencing due to your prescription/OTC drug regimen. In certain instances, Dr. Boyce may even recommend natural alternatives to your current prescription/OTC drugs.