What are the various types of prescription drugs that can cause a magnesium deficiency?
Prescription Drugs If you suffer from high blood pressure, your doctor may prescribe a diuretic (water pill) to treat this condition. Diuretics work to lower blood pressure by ridding your body of excess water. However, critical electrolytes including magnesium are also flushed out during this process7. In fact, diuretic usage causes a 35% decline in magnesium levels5. Cancer treatments often include the use of the prescription drug, cisplatin. This medication causes the kidneys to lose essential magnesium in the urine6. Transplant patients receive cyclosporine as an ongoing prescription therapy. This vital drug helps to keep the body from rejecting the transplanted organ, but it also depletes large amounts of magnesium7. Diuretics, cisplatin, and cyclosporine are beneficial for many patients, however these drugs may cause a magnesium deficiency, which may lead to complications. Magnesium deficiencies can be managed with magnesium supplementation.