What makes one person depressed and another happy?
Certain conditions are commonly associated with depression such as hypothyroidism, Crohn’s disease or colitis, migraines, diabetes, chronic infections, and cancer. Lifestyles such as drinking alcohol and smoking are correlated and the biggest secret of all is drug mugging! In my book Drug Muggers, I describe how drugs “mug” you of vital nutrients that you need to produce “happy” brain chemicals termed neurotransmitters. Today I’ll teach you what popular drugs lead to depression just by the mere fact they mug you of vitamins. No amount of Zoloft replenishes the nutrient steal.
There are three primary neurotransmitters in your brain, serotonin, noradrenaline, and dopamine. Serotonin is involved in emotion and mood control. Did you know that 95 percent of your serotonin is in your gastrointestinal tract, not your brain? Noradrenaline also is known as “norepinephrine” is involved in your ‘fight or flight’ response. Dopamine is part of your inborn reward system which allows you to feel passion and pleasure. These three neurotransmitters are made in the body every second and they depend on adequate levels of B vitamins which you can get from eating right and keeping your gut healthy:
Thiamine or B1 – The journal Neurology, showed a thiamine deficiency contributes to a decrease in serotonin which can lead to depression and anxiety, as well as weight gain. Drug muggers include antivirals, oral contraceptives, hormone replacement, raw oysters, antacids and antibiotics.
Niacin or B3 – Tryptophan is metabolized in your brain into 5-HTP (5-Hydroxytryptophan) and goes on to form serotonin and dopamine. You need niacin for this biochemical reaction to occur. Acid blockers, antacids, cholestyramine and loop diuretics are drug muggers. Just so you know, serotonin is broken down at night to form melatonin, which makes you sleepy.
Pantothenic acid – This B vitamin makes for healthy adrenal glands; it’s often low in people with hypoglycemia. Speaking of blood sugar, if you are looking for a good dietary supplement to support healthy blood sugar and metabolism, please visit my other site and learn about my custom formula GlucoScript MAX. Blood sugar abnormalities cause mood swings. You need this B vitamin to make noradrenaline as well as your memory molecule acetylcholine. Deficiencies in vitamin B-5 are tied to decreased alertness, fatigue, memory problems and depression. Acid blockers, cholestyramine, and antibiotics are drug muggers.
Pyridoxine or B6 – Pyridoxine is found primarily in beans, legumes, meat, eggs, fish and bread but you can’t eat enough to make adequate levels of serotonin and dopamine. By improving the production and function of serotonin and dopamine, you can reduce the severity of certain types of seizures, neuropathic pain, and Parkinson’s disease. Drug muggers are corticosteroids, oral contraceptives (estrogens), loop diuretics and antibiotics.
Folate or B9 – This is folate not “folic acid” by the way. Up to 70 of depressed people have a genetic ‘personality’ such that they have what’s called an “MTHFR” polymorphism or what we call an SNP (pronounced “snip”). This situation compromises your body’s ability to turn folate from your foods into L-methylfolate which you need to make neurotransmitters, especially your passion hormone dopamine. Drug muggers include metformin, fluoxetine, warfarin, oral contraceptives and high doses of niacin.
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Suzy Cohen, has been a licensed pharmacist for over 30 years and believes the best approach to chronic illness is a combination of natural medicine and conventional. She founded her own dietary supplement company specializing in custom-formulas, some of which have patents. With a special focus on functional medicine, thyroid health and drug nutrient depletion, Suzy is the author of several related books including Thyroid Healthy, Drug Muggers, Diabetes Without Drugs, and a nationally syndicated column.
