***Your Thyroid on Drugs

Prescription drugs are dangerous, a leading cause of death year in and year out. Some drugs slay you in one fell swoop, but most just nibble your health away.

To give you examples, I went to a health site that lists drug side effects. Since I write about the endocrine system, I looked at http://ehealthme.com/symptom/thyroid+disorder for information about prescription meds that stomp on the thyroid.

I added some notes, and here are the names of sixteen, frequently prescribed, problem meds that start with the letter A. There may be more. And the alphabet still has 25 letters to go!

1. Abilify, an antipsychotic, given for depression, bipolar, and schizophrenia
When your thyroid's running in the slow lane, depression comes along as part of the picture. So, here cometh the antidepressants. When they don't work, and they won't because the problem is the thyroid, not your down-in-the-dumpness, medicine brings in antipsychotics–which, for the same reason, also don't help. Both antidepressants and antipsychotics whack the thyroid, slowing it down even more and making depression worse. It's a circling-the-drain sort of thing.

2. Aceteminophen, i.e. Tylenol
Most everybody thinks of Tylenol as harmless. Even helpful, in fact. Except, of course, for the fact that Tylenol can work woe on the thyroid. The liver, too.

3. Acetylsalicylitic acid, i.e. aspirin
What possible harm could good old aspirin do? Oh, my dear, let me count the ways. Without going into internal bleeding and such, let me just mention the fact aspirin whacks the thyroid.

4. Actonel - osteoporosis
Actonel is a biophosphonate drug, a medical overreach that should never have received FDA approval. It makes for brittle bones that snap like twigs, and it's hard on the thyroid. And that's not all. Bones need the calcitonin from natural thyroid hormone to build new cells. Whacking the thyroid means less calcitonin, putting our bones in a world of osteoporosis hurt.

5. Advair Diskus 100/50 - Asthma
Asthma often comes from poor nutrition such as that promoted in magazines and on TV. So does low thyroid. Then Advair Diskus 100/50 comes along to smack the thyroid and make things worse. Good, eh?

6. Albuterol - Asthma
See #5 for comments about asthma medicines.

7. Aldactone - diuretic
Blood pressure problems show up as a symptom of a body out of balance, usually a body in need of nutrition. Diuretics flush out minerals and other nutritional wonders. And for a grand finale, they hurt your thyroid.

8. Alendronate sodium, i.e. Fosamax - osteoporosis
See #4 for comments about biophosphonate drugs such as Actonel and Fosamax.

9. Allegra - antihistamine
First off, antihistamines interfere with the body's efforts to safely deal with allergens. Second, antihistamines cause weight gain. Third, they hurt thyroid performance. And they add a bunch of unhappy side effects as a garnish.

10. Alprazolam, i.e. Xanax - Anxiety
Xanax won't ever make nice with the thyroid, so that's a problem. Since anxiety almost always accompanies nutritional deficiencies, it seems like nutrition would be the way to go.

11. Altace - blood pressure, heart failure
Altace is an ACE inhibitor with a long list of side effects. One side effect that rarely–if ever–gets a mention is interfering with thyroid function.

12. Ambien - sedative, sleep
Why make life hard on your thyroid and deal with a long list of side effects when nutrition is what's needed here?

13. Aredia - osteoporosis
See #4 for comments about biophosphonate drugs such as Actonel, Fosamax and Aredia.

14. Atenolol - angina, blood pressure
Healthline.com says "ATENOLOL is a beta-blocker medication. Beta blockers reduce the workload on the heart & help it to beat with less speed & force, helping to lower blood pressure." No mention of its impact on the thyroid, and since low thyroid means less forceful heart action and lower blood pressure, this may be double jeopardy. To date, no drug company has had sufficient interest to test.

15. Ativan - a benzodiazepine medication for anxiety, depression
Thyroid considerations aside, benzodiazepines storm in wearing steel-tipped boots, wreaking havoc in every direction. And once you're on them, it's hard to stop. Just say no.

16. Avonex - Multiple Sclerosis
MS is an endocrine disease. When one endocrine gland struggles, all the rest jump in to help. And as they do, Avonex whacks at least one of them, the thyroid, and make things worse. Sweet.

All of these prescriptions get handed out like lemon drops–with no mention they can harm our endocrine system, no small thing since it rules the body's universe.

We really need to know how to be our own health advocates if we want to live long and prosper.

God is good,
Bette Dowdell