PHARMACEUTICAL SIDE EFFECTS

The Medicines May Be Making You Sicker.

Iatrogenic disease — illness caused by medical treatment — is estimated to be the third leading cause of death in the Western world, accounting for over 22,000 deaths annually in the UK attributed to adverse drug reactions alone. Statins — prescribed to over 8 million UK adults — deplete CoQ10, impair mitochondrial function, and are associated with increased rates of diabetes, cognitive decline, and muscle pathology. Proton pump inhibitors cause magnesium depletion, vitamin B12 deficiency, and gut dysbiosis. Fluoroquinolone antibiotics cause permanent mitochondrial and connective tissue damage. The polypharmacy burden on elderly patients — averaging 7 concurrent medications — generates unpredictable drug interaction cascades that are almost never studied.