Nutritional Deficiencies Caused by Common Pharmaceutical Drugs

By Shannon Sinsheimer, N.D.

Pharmaceuticals can be highly useful when medically appropriate. However, many are overprescribed and used unnecessarily. Instead of drugs prescribed as a last resort, they are often prescribed and offered as the sole option for patients.

Long-term use of drugs can be life-changing in a positive way for certain people with certain medical conditions, although even when used appropriately and for the true benefit of the patient, they can cause long-term complications. One easily avoided long-term complication is the nutrient depletion that many pharmaceuticals will cause with long-term use. The following is a table of the most commonly prescribed long-term-use pharmaceuticals and the nutrient depletions they cause. If you are taking or have taken the following drugs, consider supplementing with the mentioned nutrients to reverse any potential depletion.

Although not all drugs will affect people the same, these common deficiencies should be prevented with daily supplements. The dosing on each nutrient can vary according to the amount by which the prescription will deplete the body. An example of dosing that varies according to the prescription is Co Q10. For a statin drug the minimal dosing to reduce depletion would be 100 mg per day. However, for a diabetic or diuretic drug, a 50 mg-per-day dose would be sufficient. In general a good multi-vitamin complex will reduce most B vitamin deficiencies, but an added Super B complex would be a healthy addition to any pharmaceutical regimen.

The nutrient depletion information for pharmaceuticals is readily available on many drug Web sites or in nutrient-depletion references commonly at bookstores. If you are going to be on a prescription for more than six weeks it is advisable to find information on nutrient depletion. If you are using antibiotics for short-term use, it is always advisable to use probiotics concurrently with the prescription and for a month following the use of the antibiotic.

In general, most pharmaceutical prescriptions can be changed with a healthy and complete naturopathic treatment plan. But if you must take prescriptions, be advised of side effects not commonly discussed, such as nutrient depletion, which may cause complications farther down the road.