You suffer from GERD or heartburn and your doctor recommends something like the over-the-counter drug, Zantac to give you relief. Or you are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and your doctor prescribes Metformin, considered by many medical experts to be the safest and most effective type 2 diabetes medication.
You obviously trust your doctor’s recommendation and take the drug. Now we know any pharmaceutical drug has side effects. If you watch television in the evening, you see commercial after commercial for different drugs with a long laundry list of possible side effects.
But that’s not what I want to bring your attention to here. Several commonly prescribed drugs have recently been recalled due to contamination with NMDA.
In July 2018 the FDA announced a voluntary recall of high blood pressure medications that contain the active ingredient valsartan. The FDA has continued updating the list of these drugs all the way through 2019.
Metformin and Zantac are the most recent drugs to be recalled due to contamination with NMDA. Millions of prescriptions for these drugs are written every year. You may be wondering just what NMDA is and why it is causing these drugs to be recalled. It was once used in the commercial production of rocket fuel. After animal testing demonstrated exposure to it significantly increases the risk of cancer, it is now only used for research purposes. This compound can be absorbed from the environment, food, tobacco or medications, so the FDA established an “acceptable intake” level of 96 ng. (smaller than a grain of salt). However, some generic brands of the blood pressure meds tested at 20 times that amount. It is estimated 1 of every 3,390 people who were taking the contaminated pills, daily over time, could develop cancer.
I just wanted you to be aware that even these drugs that are marketed as “completely safe” and OTC may not be at all what they seem! Conditions like type 2 diabetes, heartburn and high blood pressure respond very well to lifestyle changes. In my opinion looking to make those changes before resorting to a pharmaceutical drug just makes good sense.
How comfortable do you feel about taking a pharmaceutical drug?
Want to see more articles like this? Subscribe to this blog (just click on “Follow”) and get each new post delivered to your email or feed reader. To follow me and get even more tips on how to live your life in 3-D, including improving your diet, choosing cutting edge nutritional products and effective weight loss strategies be sure to like me on Facebook here and here, sign up for my FREE weekly No-Nonsense Nutrition Report (and get a free gift!), follow me on Pinterest and Twitter!
Make gradual changes. Boost health, vitality and energy. Become your best YOU.
3-D Vitality 
Very well said Ms. Ann. I’ve had some “side effects” that were worse than the malady the drugs were supposed to be treating. For example, I know it’s life-saving, but taking insulin for my Type II diabetes (nearly 30 years now) only makes it more difficult to maintain and lose weight. The infections I get from Jardiance, the gassiness (is that a word) from Metformin and others. It seems “the cure” can kill us sometimes.
Yes J.D. I hear you. Sometimes drugs are necessary and thank God for doctors and these drugs when we need them.
Ann, our vet just gave me Rimadyl for my puppy. He has been limping. I have been online researching side effects. I’m thinking of trying curcumin. I appreciate your articles.
Debbie, your puppy is absolutely adorable! While curcumin and turmeric are great for us, unfortunately I am not sure they are safe for dogs, at least not in large doses. Maybe ginger may be a better choice if curcumin isn’t? In any event I am praying whatever is causing the limp is healed and he is healthy, happy and jumping all over the place.
Thanks, Ann. He is a sweetheart.
That’s really quite terrifying, Ann. I really hope I never have to take any medications. We have enough toxins to try to avoid in our modern environment.
I hope you don’t either Holly. It’s always my hope and prayer for myself and my family. Being proactive about our health is important.
It really is important. But that’s not the dominant message. I didn’t learn how much control I had over my health until my 30s. Hopefully it wasn’t too late. 🤞🏻
You’re absolutely right Holly. We do have more control over our health than we often realize. Most of us don’t come to that realization until we are older. While there could be some damage done – our bodies are so Intelligently created and resilient, I believe it’s never too late to take steps when you finally realize them. In your case, I’m sure you have reversed most if not all of any negative results. Just keep doing what you’re doing and don’t stress over it. Whether I’m eating or taking a supplement I always pray over it. I would certainly do that if I had to take a medication. When I had that emergency surgery 5 years ago, I had no choice with some of the meds and prayed over them and took supplements to help counter some of the negative effects – like probiotics etc. There’s always something we can do.
Thanks for always having such a positive outlook.
Pingback: Health: Are OTC Drugs Really Safe? | 3-D Vitality