How Prescription Medication Ruined My Stomach

I wasn’t really sure where to start talking about health and nutrition because there is so much to it and it’s honestly a little overwhelming, but I figured I’d start where I started- with my gut.

In high school I was constantly taking prescription medicines- anti-anxiety, anti-depressants, adderall, steroids, birth control, and antibiotics. It was two years of constantly being sick with strep, mono, and tonsillitis and doctors would say that I was tired all the time because I was depressed so they wrote me a prescription for anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medicine with adderall l so that I could be motivated. What I didn’t realize was how these medications were affecting my gut and the medicine that was supposed to help me, only made everything worse.

Prescription drugs are known to ruin your gut. They all have one thing in common and that is ruining all the good bacteria in your stomach. Western medicine doctors often fail to tell patients this and my doctor told me that while taking steroids for my tonsils, I should also be eating Activia yogurt with probiotics. He said this so nonchalanty and I didn’t understand why I had to and didn’t think yogurt was going to change anything- so I didn’t.  Fast forward to two years later when I was off steroids, antibiotics, anti-depressants, and anti-anxiety medication and only taking adderall for school. At the end of high school I decided that this was not something I needed and I did not want to be dependent on this little blue pill my entire life to simply get out of bed and complete a math problem. So, I cut it out and that summer I realized how much of a mess my stomach and health was.  I saw a holistic doctor and I explained that I had been experiencing stomach pain and problems for years now and I was ready to fix it. Western medicine doctors told me there was nothing wrong with me and that I should take Miralax everyday to help with the constant pain, bloat, and constipation. DO you know what’s in miralax? It's not natural in any way and full of chemicals. So, I turned to the woman who started it all and saved me from being in so much pain and the first thing she recommended I do is to take a food sensitivity test. It was a kit that I brought home and pricked my finger and swiped a little blood onto a card. I mailed the card in and a couple of weeks later I met with her to discuss the results. I can’t say I was surprised by everything because I knew that most grains bothered me but I didn’t realize I was so unable to digest eggs and meat and some vegetables. She diagnosed me with Leaky Gut and recommend that I cut out everything in red for 3 months and then re-introduce them back into my system one by one to see what I am sensitive to and what I am not. 

What I did not know at the time was the reason as to why I was unable to digest so many foods. In the simplest of terms, Leaky Gut is when the cells that make up the lining of the intestinal tract become so inflamed that the gut lining becomes more permeable than it's meant to be. Eventually, the walls that line the intestinal tract become so permeable that undigested particles enter the bloodstream- not good. Symptoms of leaky gut include digestive issues, seasonal allergies, chronic fatigue, mood and mind issues, skin issues like acne or rosacea, and a whole lot more.

One of the main causes of leaky gut for me was prescription medications. They kill all the good bacteria in your system that I didn't even know was a thing. There are two kinds of bacteria in your stomach- good and bad. The good bacteria that lives in your gut helps your body break down foods and absorb nutrients. When our bodies are stressed or we put toxins into our body, it creates an environment where the bacteria that were once good turn and multiply and wreak havoc on our bodies. Lack of sleep, antibiotics, processed foods, sugar, and stress can all cause this.  When this happens, you body is continuously in this cycle of good bacteria turning to bad bacteria. Bad bacteria can cause SIBO and Candida (which I’ll get to later) which are symptoms of even bigger digestive issues such as intense sugar cravings, extreme fatigue, lack of motivation, constant hunger, and extreme bloating. Without good bacteria, your body can’t break down foods or absorb any nutrients so you are left with a Leaky Gut. This is when your intestinal tract is essentially perforated and “foreign” bodies such as food and nutrients that are supposed to stay in your stomach and break down and get absorbed through it, are now being leaked into your bloodstream and not properly broken down.

I may have word vomited and lost some of you- but we've come full circle :). One of the first steps in beginning to heal the gut is to eliminate all processed foods and begin to eat real whole foods. It’s way easier said then done but our bodies aren’t made to break down foods with preservatives and unknown additives to them with big words we cannot pronounce. Our bodies are made to break down real food and real, raw, whole nutrients that come from real fruits and vegetables. It may seem like a daunting task but start one day at a time by focusing on eating real whole foods. Maybe set a goal of five days eating nothing processed and see how you feel after.  The next step is to find a really good probiotic because one of the most effective ways of fighting bad bacteria, is to overpower it with good bacteria. 

Organic Olivia has really great products that are made with all natural and trustworthy ingredients- AKA nothing fake. If you want to reset your gut and "start fresh," her ParaPro formula is great for that. It helps to get rid of anything foreign that may be in your stomach and intestines.

I don't know if any of that made any sense or not, I hope it did. All of my knowledge comes from personal experience, medical advice, and hundreds of hours of research to find answers that many doctors have been unable to help me with. In no way am I professional or medical expert, but I hope you found this interesting or informative, and if you found it boring- that's cool too, it is kind of boring if it doesn't relate to you.

If anyone is looking for answers or wants to know more or say hey, please do :). It's kind of scary telling this out loud.