premature brain aging and mood disorders.
Other Drugs of Abuse
Newer brain-imaging studies such as SPECT scans, which look at brain function and blood flow, clearly show the harmful effect of substance abuse. 20 Dr. Daniel Amen, who has pioneered this work, is responsible for the famous images of “your brain” and “your brain on drugs.” All substances like cocaine, methamphetamines (speed), heroin, inhalants, marijuana, LSD, ecstasy, and more have adverse effects on short-and long-term brain function.
This is a SPECT scan of a normal brain.
Figure 3: SPECT scan of a normal brain
This is a SPECT of a brain on methamphetamines (the same class of drugs as Ritalin).
Figure 4: SPECT scan of a brain on methamphetamines
Any questions?
Medications
Eighty-one percent of Americans take at least one medication per week. Are you one of those people who pop an acid-blocking pill for indigestion, a cholesterol-lowering medication, acetaminophen for your joint pain, ibuprofen for your headaches, or a birth-control pill? Or are you getting the flu vaccine every year?
We are a pill-popping society and we believe drugs are safe and have been adequately tested for long-term effects.
Remember that most drugs go on the market after being tested for a few months on only a few hundred to a few thousand people. Long-term effects don’t become apparent, except of course in the long term, after millions have been exposed.
We know that drugs have many
effects.
The ones we like, we call “drug action.” The ones we don’t, we call “side effects.” In fact they are all “effects” of the drugs. And many of these effects damage your brain.
I have some big concerns regarding some of the most common medications. What concerns me as much as what we know now is what we don’t know.
The past decade has seen a litany of products that have fallen fromgrace—Vioxx, Avandia, Rezulin, Seldane, Baycol, CETP inhibitors, Premarin, and more. Which drugs that millions consume today will be the fallen heroes of tomorrow?
I am certainly not against medications or their intelligent use. But they should be used carefully, with full awareness of
all
their effects whether that’s “drug action” or “side effects.”
Most medication is prescribed for conditions that are better treated by diet, nutritional therapies, and lifestyle changes.
Here are the top drugs on my radar that have potentially harmful effects on the brain, and deplete critical nutrients that are required for optimal brain function and health. For a complete list, I highly recommend the
Drug-Induced Nutrient Depletion Handbook.
Most doctors are worried about supplements interfering with medication. This rarely occurs. But few doctors worry about severe nutrient depletion, which can lead to long-term harm from well-known “side effects” of common medications.
A word of warning:
Do not stop any medication prescribed by your doctor. You should talk to him or her and learn how to treat your condition with lifestyle first. If you have to use medication, learn how to use the lowest dose and compensate for the “side effects” with the right nutrients. If you can go off medication and choose to, you should do so gradually under a doctor’s supervision.
CoQ10-Lowering Medication
Coenzyme Q10 is lowered by common drugs including the cholesterol-lowering statins (Lipitor, Zocor, Pravacohl), beta-blockers (Toprol, Inderal), and antidiabetic drugs (the oral hypoglycemic drugs like Glucotrol and Micronase).
Coenzyme Q10 is made by the same enzyme in your body (HMG-CoA reductase) as cholesterol. So if you take a statin, you shut down your production of coenzyme Q10, which is necessary to make energy for your cells. 21 If you are taking these medications, seek alternatives. If you must take them, be sure to add 100 to 200 mg of coenzyme Q10 to your supplement regimen to replenish your depleted levels.
B Vitamin–Lowering Medication
The most
Other Drugs of Abuse
Newer brain-imaging studies such as SPECT scans, which look at brain function and blood flow, clearly show the harmful effect of substance abuse. 20 Dr. Daniel Amen, who has pioneered this work, is responsible for the famous images of “your brain” and “your brain on drugs.” All substances like cocaine, methamphetamines (speed), heroin, inhalants, marijuana, LSD, ecstasy, and more have adverse effects on short-and long-term brain function.
This is a SPECT scan of a normal brain.
Figure 3: SPECT scan of a normal brain
This is a SPECT of a brain on methamphetamines (the same class of drugs as Ritalin).
Figure 4: SPECT scan of a brain on methamphetamines
Any questions?
Medications
Eighty-one percent of Americans take at least one medication per week. Are you one of those people who pop an acid-blocking pill for indigestion, a cholesterol-lowering medication, acetaminophen for your joint pain, ibuprofen for your headaches, or a birth-control pill? Or are you getting the flu vaccine every year?
We are a pill-popping society and we believe drugs are safe and have been adequately tested for long-term effects.
Remember that most drugs go on the market after being tested for a few months on only a few hundred to a few thousand people. Long-term effects don’t become apparent, except of course in the long term, after millions have been exposed.
We know that drugs have many
effects.
The ones we like, we call “drug action.” The ones we don’t, we call “side effects.” In fact they are all “effects” of the drugs. And many of these effects damage your brain.
I have some big concerns regarding some of the most common medications. What concerns me as much as what we know now is what we don’t know.
The past decade has seen a litany of products that have fallen fromgrace—Vioxx, Avandia, Rezulin, Seldane, Baycol, CETP inhibitors, Premarin, and more. Which drugs that millions consume today will be the fallen heroes of tomorrow?
I am certainly not against medications or their intelligent use. But they should be used carefully, with full awareness of
all
their effects whether that’s “drug action” or “side effects.”
Most medication is prescribed for conditions that are better treated by diet, nutritional therapies, and lifestyle changes.
Here are the top drugs on my radar that have potentially harmful effects on the brain, and deplete critical nutrients that are required for optimal brain function and health. For a complete list, I highly recommend the
Drug-Induced Nutrient Depletion Handbook.
Most doctors are worried about supplements interfering with medication. This rarely occurs. But few doctors worry about severe nutrient depletion, which can lead to long-term harm from well-known “side effects” of common medications.
A word of warning:
Do not stop any medication prescribed by your doctor. You should talk to him or her and learn how to treat your condition with lifestyle first. If you have to use medication, learn how to use the lowest dose and compensate for the “side effects” with the right nutrients. If you can go off medication and choose to, you should do so gradually under a doctor’s supervision.
CoQ10-Lowering Medication
Coenzyme Q10 is lowered by common drugs including the cholesterol-lowering statins (Lipitor, Zocor, Pravacohl), beta-blockers (Toprol, Inderal), and antidiabetic drugs (the oral hypoglycemic drugs like Glucotrol and Micronase).
Coenzyme Q10 is made by the same enzyme in your body (HMG-CoA reductase) as cholesterol. So if you take a statin, you shut down your production of coenzyme Q10, which is necessary to make energy for your cells. 21 If you are taking these medications, seek alternatives. If you must take them, be sure to add 100 to 200 mg of coenzyme Q10 to your supplement regimen to replenish your depleted levels.
B Vitamin–Lowering Medication
The most
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