Hello everyone, and welcome back. I’m so excited for this third episode in my series on anxiety. If you haven’t had the opportunity to listen to my first two episodes in this series, I encourage you to check out episodes 78 and 79. I discussed how diet impacts anxiety, what happens to your hormones and gut microbiome under stress, as well as the biochemical imbalances I work with that can cause a tremendous amount of anxiety. These imbalances are under and overmethylation, copper toxicity, zinc deficiency, and pyrrole disorder.
Today, I’m talking about how medications can create imbalances in the body that may be causing you a lot of anxiety and panic attacks. These are common medications many people take daily, such as statins, antidepressants, blood pressure medications, and birth control. As I shared in episode 78, some antibiotics can permanently suppress healthy gut bacteria, which can cause chronic anxiety. This is why antibiotics should only be taken if absolutely necessary and with a solid treatment plan in place that also includes additional supportive therapies.
However, today, I will be focusing on antidepressants and birth control, two common medications that are known to have anxiety as a side effect.
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In this episode, I discuss:
- How birth control and antidepressants can alter the gut microbiome, causing issues like leaky gut, killing good bacteria, and causing yeast infections
- Antidepressants lack sufficient safety studies and can increase the risk of chronic anxiety and functional impairment
- A 2019 study revealed that serotonin reuptake inhibitors can have antimicrobial effects on the gut microbiome
- Birth control disrupts the gut microbiome, depletes key nutrients, and can lead to anxiety and panic attacks
- The suppression of natural hormones with synthetic ones in birth control often leads to anxiety and depression in women
- A case study of my client Sara, who, through a holistic approach to healing, was able to overcome severe PMDD, anxiety, and depression
- Get a second opinion if you feel your concerns are not being heard, thoroughly research any new medications before taking them, and consider lifestyle changes to avoid them
Listen to the podcast here:
Links:
- RxISK searched database of drug side-effects
- A review of the antimicrobial side of antidepressants and its putative implications on the gut microbiome
- The Hidden Harms of Antidepressants with Robert Whitaker
The Pharmaceutical Industry and Anxiety: A Critical Examination
It breaks my heart that we have entered an era where medicine no longer bears any resemblance to the true art and science of healing. Instead, it has morphed into a business enterprise that puts profits over people. The last 4 years really opened many peoples’ eyes to the devastation that can happen when a medical product is taken en masse without true informed consent of its contents. It also caused many people to rethink the role medications and inoculations play in our society and their impact on human health.
Time and again, I hear from my clients that their doctor strong-arms them into taking a medication they do not want nor need, and even worse, comes with devastating side effects. The next time you go to fill a prescription or buy an over-the-counter medication, look at the package insert and read how many side effects come with that drug.
As I shared in episode 78, the health of your gut plays a critical role in mood and behavior. Because many medications alter your microbial terrain (meaning many cause leaky gut, kill good bacteria, and cause yeast infections), it’s always wise to explore if you have a gut infection before embarking on a new medication regimen. In addition to antibiotics, the top medications proven to cause leaky gut, both clinically and in the medical literature, are birth control and antidepressants.
Personal Experiences with Antidepressants and Anxiety: A Case Study
Before I dive in, I’d like to share a bit about my journey with psychotropic medications. The FDA has approved numerous medications. I was 12 years old at the time and one of the first children to be put on this medication. Despite an initial feeling of relief, the results were short-lived and came with nasty side effects that led me to discontinue it. One of these side effects was anxiety as well as OCD. Later, when I was 17, I tried Zoloft. My anxiety was so bad I couldn’t sleep, and I kept having panic attacks throughout the day. When I spoke to my doctor, she told me it was no problem and that she would just prescribe me a sleep aid. At the tender age of 17 I knew she was clueless as to how the body actually works and hung up the phone on her.
I would suffer for another 15 years before finally figuring out the root causes of my severe depression, suicidal ideation, and high anxiety. A combination of two little-known conditions: copper toxicity and undermethylation (which I discussed in episode 79), both of which have a profound effect on thinking, feeling, and behavior.
The Truth About Antidepressants: A Deep Dive into Their History and Effects
In episode 63 of my podcast, I talked with award-winning investigative journalist and founder of Mad in America, Robert Whitaker, about the history of psychotropic medications and their lack of evidence and safety studies to back up their claims. In fact, a historical review of the scientific literature reveals how antidepressants and other psychotropic drugs, over the long term, increase the risk that a person will become chronically depressed and functionally impaired, which correlates with what we are seeing worldwide since these medications were introduced. Conditions such as ADHD, OCD, eating disorders, and anxiety are not a natural evolution of our species. They have specific root causes, and medications are at the top of the list.
For example, antidepressants came from drugs for tuberculosis. When they gave them to tuberculosis patients, it seemed like people became a bit more roused. So they said, “Oh, we can use this for depression.”
Once psychiatry had a new disease model, drug companies became excited about the potential profits. Every time someone had an emotional upset, they could say it’s a disease, and could easily get approval for that disease from the FDA. This meant that 12-year-olds who are going through their puberty moods could become a target market.
The drug companies love the chemical imbalance story because they make a lot of money from drugs that are taken long-term. Think about it. Do you want a client for 30 years, or do you want one for three months?
Antidepressants Negatively Impact the Gut Microbiome
A 2019 study titled “A Review of the Antimicrobial Side of Antidepressants and its Putative Implications on the Gut Microbiome” revealed:
Examination of the estimated physiological concentrations of serotonin reuptake inhibitors in the gastrointestinal tract collected from in vitro studies suggests that the microbial community of both the small intestine and the colon are exposed to serotonin reuptake inhibitors for at least 4 hours per day at concentrations that are likely to exert an antimicrobial effect. The potential mechanisms of the effect of serotonin reuptake inhibitors on the gut microbiota were postulated to include inhibition of efflux pumps and/or amino acid transporters.
In their conclusion, the authors state, “This review raises important issues regarding the role that gut microbiota play in the treatment of mood-related behaviors, which holds substantial potential clinical outcomes for patients suffering from major depressive disorder and other mood-related disorders.”
Birth Control and Anxiety: What Women Need to Know
Moving on to birth control, which I’ve discussed extensively on my show, we find that all forms of birth control (including the copper IUD) impair the GI tract and deplete the body of key nutrients that can lead to anxiety and panic attacks, such as zinc and vitamin B6, two key nutrients that are critical for healthy brain function and hormonal regulation. Drug manufacturers know this, which is why they often add in nutrients such as vitamin B12 and folic acid to their products.
Another little-known fact is that the pill disrupts the gut microbiome because it contains a mild antibiotic that kills off good bacteria, making your gut a hospitable environment for yeast and pathogenic bacteria to overgrow. This is why so many women struggle with chronic yeast and urinary tract infections while taking birth control.
The Pill is no longer just about contraception.
It’s now a catch-all treatment for various conditions such as acne, irregular periods, PCOS, and endometriosis. While hormonal birth control can help alleviate symptoms, it cannot truly “regulate” hormones or periods in a significant way, which is why the monthly bleed you get isn’t an actual period. After discontinuing the pill following a prolonged period of use, many women experience a delay in the resumption of ovulation and hormone production. This is our clue that the pill never really regulated anything at all.
The Pill’s Impact on Women’s Health: Unpacking the Consequences
Rather than augmenting or regulating hormones, hormonal birth control actually suppresses ovarian function and completely shuts down hormones. It substitutes natural hormones with synthetic steroids, which is not ideal for women’s health. Real hormones offer numerous health benefits that synthetic steroids simply cannot provide.
This suppression of natural hormones with synthetic ones, coupled with its inherent antibiotic, is why a high percentage of women struggle with anxiety and depression and are put on antidepressant and anti-anxiety medications. It’s a sad cycle of one drug after another and then another.
All of these issues combined leaves you in a significant inflammatory state. It’s not possible to have healthy hormones without a healthy gut because many of the hormones in our body are synthesized and converted in the gut via our healthy microbiota. I’ve found time and again in my clinic that if we balance the gut, then most of the symptoms women experience such as anxiety, depression, and PCOS go into remission.
Embarking on a health journey can often feel like a challenging struggle, particularly when confronted with symptoms such as anxiety and panic attacks.
Sara’s Journey: Overcoming Anxiety and Depression through Holistic Healing
This was the case for my client Sara, whose experience exemplifies not only a journey of healing but also one of resilience and strength. When Sara came to me, she was struggling with severe PMDD, anxiety and depression, fatigue, insomnia, as well as issues with digestion such as gas, intense bloating, and constipation.
Her symptoms were so debilitating she would often call in sick to work and required different medicines to get through her very painful menstrual cycles.
Testing revealed copper toxicity, zinc deficiency, and undermethylation. Stool testing showed several elevated markers, including H. pylori and candida, as well as pancreatic insufficiency, low secretory IgA, and calprotectin, which is like CRP for your gut.
After these findings, we immediately set to work on Sara’s diet, gut, liver, and pancreatic health with botanical and enzyme therapies. I also advised her to eat regular meals at the same time daily and to be in bed with lights out by 10 pm. I increased her protein intake to support her body in healing. I also added in nutrients to balance copper and methylation and to calm her nervous system.
Within the first two weeks, she reported improvements in sleep, energy levels, and daily bowel movements. We met every month, with improvements and adjustments to her program after every session based on her responses. Today, six months later, Sara is off all her medications, has lost 30 pounds, and has the energy to exercise several times a week. She was also recently promoted to regional manager and no longer needs to take time off during her menstrual cycle, as that is also balanced and no longer painful.
Empowering Patient Decisions: Navigating Medication and Treatment Options for Anxiety
As I close this episode, I’d like to leave you with a few things to consider:
- When meeting with your doctor, give yourself permission to get a second opinion if you feel something isn’t right or you are not being heard. You know your body best and better than any physician. So please trust your discernment and don’t let someone tell you that it’s all in your head.
- When considering or being presented with a new medication, ask yourself the following:
- Will this medication really solve my issue, or does it merely mask it only to create another issue that I will need another medication for?
- Could looking at what I eat, what time I go to bed, the stress in my life, as well as any nutrient deficiencies I have be a better option?
- Would it be better to take my time and research this drug before I take it? A good website to search for drug side effects is RxISK, which I will link to in the show notes.
Thanks for being with me today. I trust that your health journey will improve the more you understand into how these two common medications can cause anxiety. I look forward to being with you next time!
I believe sharing is caring, so I have a favor to ask. If my show is helpful to you, I would be so grateful if you would leave me a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. It is through sharing that we create community, eliminate guilt and shame, and bring about healing. Thank you in advance for taking three minutes out of your day to support my show.
