More Bad News for Antibiotics

An article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal¹ shows that individuals on calcium channel blocker blood pressure medication who then take a macrolide antibiotic to fight an infection can experience low blood pressure that increases their risk of falling and breaking bones or winds them up in the hospital.  The antibiotics poison a liver enzyme system that so that it is unable to clear the toxic substance that is politely referred to as a blood pressure medication, in turn causing levels of the calcium channel blocker to elevate resulting in a medical emergency from toxic drug induced low blood pressure. 

The problem is significant as there were 90 million prescriptions for calcium channel blockers in 2008 (Norvasc, Procardia, Plendil, Adalat, Cardizem, Dilacor and Tiazac) and 66 million prescriptions for macrolide antibiotics in the same year. The problematic ones are erythromycin and clarithromycin, but not azithromycin.

Antibiotics are not wonder drugs, they are poisons which poison your liver and seriously alter your digestive health in a way that induces metabolic problems and eventual disease down the road. Their rampant overuse for decades has induced superbugs that threaten the health of a nation. 

Blood pressure medication is the gateway drug for many other types of drugs, not only all the other cardiovascular medications but also mental health drugs (as blood doesn’t get to the head properly) and other drugs. One of the side effects of depressurizing a circulatory system that is in a state of stress is that lymphatic problems will worsen (the pressure needs of the lymph system are on the back end of the circulatory system). This significant problem is never even considered by the medical profession. Yet, this side effect of blood pressure medication reduces the efficiency of the immune system so that a person is more likely to mount a poor response when exposed to a bug – thus “needing” an antibiotic. 

The problem of multiple toxic medications impacting various liver enzyme systems in multiple ways, oftentimes with overlap and huge risk for side effects, is barely comprehended by the prescribing physicians. There are no medical tools in day-to-day practice to evaluate this problem. As the number of prescriptions mount the likelihood of adverse interactions multiply. The medical profession manages this by trial and error. It is actually barbaric and there should be little wonder that several hundred thousand Americans are killed every year in this way.