The community of microbes living in your gut is collectively known as the gut microbiome. They are affected by many substances you place in your mouth like the food you eat, the things you drink and the prescription medications you take on a daily basis. A new study has found that many common drugs, including medicines that treat diabetes, infections, and even mental health could actually affect and damage the balance of your gut microbiome. Let’s have a look at what medications affect the gut and how to achieve real gut health…
Medications That Damage Your Gut Health
Antibiotics
Antibiotic use can have several negative effects on the gut microbiota, including reduced species diversity, altered metabolic activity, and the selection of antibiotic-resistant organisms, which in turn can lead to antibiotic-associated diarrhea and recurrent colon infections.
Antibiotics are designed to kill pathogenic bacteria and other organisms but consequently, kill the good bugs as well. Antibiotics affect balance and composition of the gut microbiome, even after one stops taking antibiotics, that’s why it is important that you are supporting your microbiome during and many months after the use of antibiotics to restore diversity and function.
Antidepressants
Serotonin and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like Prozac can have a major effect on gut bacteria. SSRIs are associated with increased levels of Eubacterium ramulus - a potentially harmful gut bacterium and decreased levels of the bacterial strains such as Christensenella - a keystone and highly beneficial gut bacteria. This shows that antidepressants affect the composition and richness of the gut microbiota. A chronic disruption in the composition of your gut bacteria causes digestive issues, like bloating, pain, constipation or diarrhea and even more serious, chronic issues like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Pain Killers
Common Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) like aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen - to name a few - are known to have serious adverse effects, including severe gastrointestinal damage. Opioid (narcotic) pain medications are also known to tighten up the digestive tract muscles while they are at rest. This has the effect of making the muscle less efficient at pushing and moving the gut contents through the digestive process, or on the flip side, reducing the flow of digestive fluids into the gut and speeding up their removal from the gut. Other pain medications like corticosteroids reduce inflammation but also promote the growth of yeasts like candida leading to dysbiosis.
Birth Control
The use of birth control or other oral estrogen may alter gut permeability and certain immune inflammatory responses by altering the gut microbiome and impacting gut flora in negative ways. You might experience bloating or gas and despite efforts to eliminate foods like dairy or gluten. Acne can also get worse even though everyone said it would get better once you start taking the pill. These are all signs that birth control throws your gut out of whack. Gas and bloating, constipation, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, acne and more can all be signs of a microbial imbalance in the digestive tract.
Blood Pressure Medications
Can blood pressure medicine cause Celiac Disease? The simple answer is, yes. People suffering with hypertension (high blood pressure) already have a reduction in the diversity of their gut bacteria. On top of that, commonly prescribed blood pressure medications can cause gastrointestinal issues such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss and electrolyte abnormalities - these are common symptoms amongst those with Celiac Disease, which is a digestive and autoimmune disorder that can damage your small intestine.
How to Heal Your Gut Microbiome
Prebiotics are a source of food for your gut's healthy bacteria. They go to your lower digestive tract, where they act like food to help the healthy bacteria grow. Probiotics are beneficial microorganisms (such as bacteria and yeasts) that live in your body and are good for your digestive system. Taking chronic medications damage your good gut colonies which have a severe impact on your overall health. Providing those colonies with the food they need to grow and help your body digest and absorb nutrients will ensure that you can enjoy a balanced gut microbiome even when taking medications.
You can find fiber-rich prebiotics in Klean’s Klean+ Gut Powder which includes powerful natural ingredients like Psyllium Husk, Senna Leaf, MCT, Inulin and Apple Fibre - to name a few - that contain potent digestive enzymes and prebiotics. Klean+ is not only ideal for cleaning your digestive system but proliferates a happy microbiome to support a healthy functioning metabolism.
Probiotics are a key approach to healing damage done to the gut. They help rebalance your gut flora, restore your intestinal wall, and decrease intestinal inflammation. These healthy bacteria can work in just a few weeks to give relief for gut dysbiosis symptoms like abdominal pain, brain fog, and stool changes. If you are taking a high quality, multispecies and multistrain supplement, you can expect to notice improvements and health benefits of probiotics in your digestion in as little as a few days!
There isn't a higher quality probiotic than Nourish. Nourish is a blend of 20 billion beneficial probiotic species combined in perfect synchronicity for reconditioning your gut, boosting immunity, stimulating a healthy metabolism, and achieving balance throughout your body.
It is crucial to understand which are the consequences of medication use in the gut microbiome. We are starting to realise, more and more, that imbalances in your gut can be the root cause of major dis-ease in the body. It’s never too late to give your gut what it needs. Shop Klean Gut Health Supplements today!