Drug Induced Nutrient Depletions:
 

I used to have a long thread at BrainTalk at their Vitamin Forum on this important subject. Unfortunately that resource was lost in the crash of July 06 and no archives for that time period (3-04 thru 7-06) have been restored. So I will start one here.

Many common drugs rob the body of important nutrients, and then side effects can occur (which doctors sadly don't understand) and lead to multiple Rxs to fix what the previous drug is doing. Then people become dependent on a complex and expensive drug cocktail when in reality they may not need all of it.

The references I use are compilied from Medline research from around the world.

1) Drug Induced Nutrient Depletion Handbook: 2nd Edition, and it appears to be out of print now! Authors Ross Pelton RPh and James LaValle.

2) Somewhat newer is the Side Effects Bible, by Dr. Vagnini
http://www.enotalone.com/article/4624.html

I have both books and will gladly look up answers to questions for posters here.

There is a web resource out there now, but I find it hard to navigate:

http://www.suzycohen.com/drugmuggers/

Some common examples are:

ACE inhibitors for blood pressure.... deplete zinc

Diuretics (water pills) deplete potassium, magnesium, thiamine among others.
Some deplete more than others.

Many drugs like hormones and steroids have a long list of nutrients affected.
People on long term antibiotic therapies for Lyme or other long term infections may also become very low in some nutrients. Short term antibiotic treatments usually do not affect your status much (10-14 day courses).

So if you have questions, this is the thread to post them!

Before the onset of PN i was takin tetracycline, contraceptives and i took acyclovir because a really bad doctor misdiagnosed me with shingles, which i never had. I have always wondered if this contributed to my onset of my disease, now i think probably it could be realted to vitamin deplation.

Hi Monica:
 

Acyclovir (Zovirax) does not have any published papers involving nutrient depletions yet.

Tetracycline however, is a huge depleter, esp for long term use:

Vitamin B1
B2
B3
B6
B12
Biotin
Inositol
Calcium
Magnesium
Iron
Vitamin K (due to the death of beneficial organisms in the bowel)
And Bifidus organisms normally that live in the bowel.

Birth control typically affects:
Folic acid
B2
B6
B12
zinc
magnesium
Vit C
But this varies from product to product.

Typically a high potency multivitamin can cover most bases.
Magnesium
Calcium may have to be taken separately.

Prednisone affects the above,
with the addition of Vit D, Selenium, and potassium.
Once you end prednisone, you should slowly go back to
normal, if you are eating well, and have a varied diet.

Signs of low B6 status are numbness tingling in the extremities.
Signs of low zinc are frequent infections/sore throat (including acne)
Signs of low calcium may be leg cramps or numbness/tingling of the face/mouth.
Signs of low magnesium may be leg cramps or other muscle twitching/cramping.
Signs of low Vit C show up quickly as bleeding gums.
Low B12 over time may show up as neuropathies, excess fatigue.(people can store B12 for up
to 5 years in the liver, so B12 may not show up as deficient until alot of time has passed.)

another online resource...
 

Here is another online resource... I have yet to find one that is as complete as
the Pelton/Ross reference:

http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2006/...t_drugs_01.htm

The drug muggers website by Suzy Cohen
 

is gone already!

It is still available on "cache"
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache...lnk&cd=1&gl=us

but don't know for how long.

There is another site...but it is commerical, so I won't be putting that up.

I found this website the other day... It is taken from the Ross/Pelton reference. And while it is not complete...
it is pretty good for most purposes.

http://www.chiro.org/nutrition/ABSTR...orticosteroids

new application from iTunes:
 

A poster brought this to my attention today.

For those of you with smart phones that accept applications:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nutri...432547190?mt=8