Is your regular medication robbing you of nutrients?

Some quite common prescriptions could be depleting your body, especially if you're taking a range of pills, according to experts

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Are you on the Pill, statins, beta blockers, painkillers or antidepressants? The latest figures show that 48% of the adult UK population take medication regularly, with the NHS spending £10billion annually on prescriptions.

Yet, if you're one of the many hundreds of thousands of Brits reliant on medication to manage a short or long-term health condition, you may not realise that common medicines could be depleting you of important bodily nutrients.

This may even lead to new symptoms and exacerbate your existing health problems.

"While medicines are necessary for many people, patients are often unaware of their impact and how this can make them feel worse," says NHS Dr Siobhan Brennan.

"Nutrient depletion is very rarely listed as a side effect and it's hard to make the connection because it can happen slowly, over time.

"The interactions between drugs and nutrients are often overlooked," confirms pharmacist Gurdeep Nanra. "While dosage and side effects are monitored, the long-term impact of certain medications on nutrient levels is rarely discussed.

"Over time, deficiencies, for example, in vitamin B12, magnesium, coenzyme Q10, and other essential nutrients may affect overall health."

Many of us are already on the backfoot when it comes to nutrition. This was highlighted in the National Diet and Nutrition Survey e(NDNS) earlier this month, which revealed common nutrient deficiencies of folate (B9), vitamin B12, iron, and vitamin D. But if you're also taking medication, this can further undermine nutrient levels.

The NDNS report also flags up low iron as a key public health issue, with many people failing to meet the recommended daily allowance.

And using PPIs, SSRIs, and NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) can lead to further iron depletion.