Are Prescription Drugs CAUSING Depression?
Big Pharma’s so-called health solutions always come with a catch.
Want to treat your heartburn?
You might get a rash.
Want to alleviate your depression?
It’ll come at the price of your sex life.
Now, researchers have identified 18 common drug categories that can contribute to everything from intestinal infections to obesity to depression.
Here’s what you need to know.
Every year that goes by—actually, every month that goes by—more studies come out showing how important your gut microbiome is for your overall health and wellness.
Now, researchers have found that some of the most common pharmaceutical drugs can destroy your gut bacteria—increasing your risks of health conditions like diabetes and dementia.
Researchers analyzed 41 common prescription drugs, comparing fecal samples of people taking the drugs to people not taking the drugs.
In all they found that 18 DIFFERENT DRUGS CATEGORIES impacted the composition of the gut microbiome.
The four WORST included:
- Proton pump inhibitors (for heartburn)
- Metformin (for type 2 diabetes)
- Antibiotics (for bacterial infections)
- Laxatives (for constipation)
In addition, they found that people taking PPIs had more upper gastrointestinal tract bacteria and they produced more fatty acid.
People taking metformin had more of a bacterium that causes diarrhea and urinary tract infections.
People with IBS who were taking SSRI antidepressants had higher levels of a harmful bacterium called Eubacterium ramulus.
And oral steroids were associated with higher levels of bacteria associated with weight gain and obesity.
The impact these drugs have on your microbiome could actually explain many of the side effects already associated with these drugs.
But at the very least, studies like these should make doctors aware of these risks—and hopefully will make them think twice before handing out prescriptions like lollipops.
Because there’s nothing sweet about them.
