DEPLETION OF NUTRIENTS BY MEDICATIONS
People who take prescription drugs need to be aware that many of these drugs will interact with their body chemistry in ways that raise or lower certain vital nutrients. This can lead to illness and severe drug reactions in some cases. Most physicians have neither time nor resources to check these potential problems out before adding yet another medication to the ones that a patient is already taking. The impact of medications on nutrient status is highly variable. It depends upon dietary intake, genetic polymorphisms in individuals, interaction with other medications, stress and activity levels.
The medications used to treat high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes will be highlighted in this article as an example of such interactions.
Diuretics are drugs that lower blood pressure by lowering the fluid volume in the blood vessels. They will usually lower potassium, magnesium, sodium, zinc and Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). This can lead to heart arrhythmias, heart failure, low energy, muscle weakness and cramping, restless legs, numbness or tingling, migraines, insomnia, edema, dehydration, slow wound healing, loss of smell and taste (low zinc), weak immune function and anxiety. Although sodium and potassium are routinely measured in people on diuretics, the others are not. If any of these symptoms appear after being put on a diuretic, consult your physician about finding out if these symptoms are due to the medication.
Potassium sparing diuretics, such as triamterene and spironolactone, will deplete calcium, zinc and folic acid. This can cause or aggravate osteoporosis, tooth decay, anemia, birth defects, cervical abnormalities, poor wound healing (low zinc), and blood pressure problems. In cases of low kidney function, they can cause dangerously high levels of potassium.
The statin class of drugs that lower cholesterol can significantly lower levels of CoQ10. This can cause heart failure, weak immune function, muscle weakness, low energy and problems with blood sugar regulation. Although these drugs will lower the rate of heart attacks and death from heart disease, most studies of these popular drugs show that death from other causes goes up such that overall death rates change little.
The very popular diabetic drug metformin (Glucophage) lowers Vitamin B12 and B6, folic acid and CoQ10. Low B12 and folic acid can lead to anemia, fatigue, depression, dementia, numbness and tingling, birth defects, increased cancer risk and weakened immunity. Since many diabetics are already low or deficient in one or more of these important nutrients due to poor diets, the risk of serious depletion is high.
As can be seen from these examples, long term use of potent pharmaceutical drugs can lead to serious nutrient depletions. An excellent, although expensive, database on these drug-nutrient interactions can be obtained at Dr. Leo Galland’s website www.nutritionworkshop.com. The urinary organic acids test offered by Metametrix laboratory (www.metametrix.com) gives information on metabolism sufficient to identify many of these low nutrient levels. A diet of whole, unprocessed organic foods will help to prevent nutrient depletion. In addition, a program of supplementation of specific nutrients being depleted by needed medications can help prevent onset of deficiency states with their associated illnesses.
Daniel Blodgett MD