This section was compiled by Frank M. Painter, D.C. Send all comments or additions to:Frankp@chiro.org
NOTE: The following pages identify which nutrients are depleted by specific types of drugs. You will also want to refer to the Nutrient–Drug Interaction Page to explore many other interactions. The principal benefit of this page is that they list “brand names” for drugs as well as their “generic” names.
You will also find value at the Drug-Nutrient Interactions & Depletions Page. Sadly, this site doesn't sort drugs by their brand name... for example, you'd need to know that Zoloft was actually called Sertraline if you wanted complete information.
NOTE: No single website provides all that information for free, but by using all 3 of these pages, you can gather the information you require.
If there are terms in these articles you don't understand, you can get a definition from the Merriam Webster Medical Dictionary. If you want information about a specific disease, you can access the Merck Manual. You can also search Pub Med for more abstracts on this topic..
Factors Contributing to Nutritional Deficiencies
From: “Symptomatology and Differential Diagnosis”
By Richard C. Schafer, D.C., FICC and the ACAPress
Several different factors may be involved in vitamin and mineral deficiencies. For example, abnormal loss, utilization or subnormal absorption, intake, storage, or transport, singularly or in combination, may readily lead to symptoms of nutritional deficiency. The following charts identify each condition.
A Practical Guide to Avoiding Drug-Induced Nutrient Depletion
Nutrition Review ~ October 2011
A little known, but potentially life-saving fact is that common medications deplete your body of a host of vital nutrients essential to your health. In this practical guide I’ll show you how to avoid drug-induced nutrient depletion and discuss options for replacing nutrient-robbing medications with natural supplements.
Recognizing Drug Induced Nutrient Depletion in Chiropractic Practice
The American Chiropractor ~ November 2009
Detrimental effects of drugs on nutrition status are a common occurrence but, because they usually occur over time (vs. what is considered an adverse event or allergic reaction, which occurs quickly), they are seldom recognized or corrected. Chiropractic treatment, however, takes place over a much longer time frame. Because of this, doctors of chiropractic are in a unique position to recognize the interactions of medication and nutritional status and, if knowledgeable in the area of drug induced nutrient depletion, they have an opportunity to help their patients recover nutritional adequacy and restore metabolic homeostasis.
Turning the Tables on Drug Interactions
As vitamin supplements and herbal remedies move to the mainstream, health care professionals are closely monitoring the interactions between natural products and drugs. However, understanding such biochemical interactions is no easy task. Vitamins and herbs clearly complicate the existing problems of drug interactions. Medical journals that are addressing vitamin, herb and drug interactions are using the watchword "caution" for those clinicians prescribing natural products in conjunction with pharmaceuticals.