Hip
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Since ME/CFS may involve some form of mitochondrial or energy metabolism dysfunction, it might be an idea to post a list of drugs that are reported to have mitochondrial toxicity effects (see the list below).
Perhaps mitochondrial toxicity might be behind some of the adverse effects that ME/CFS patients experience from certain drugs.
Here is a list of drugs that may have damaging effects on mitochondria:
I am not sure how reliable this list is, as there are no references given. The above list come from the website www.mitoaction.org. Further info from that website here: Mitochondrial Toxicity.
Not in the above list is fluoroquinolone antibiotics, but this paper indicates that the fluoroquinolone antibiotic ciprofloxacin can cause a "selective loss of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)".
As far as supplements go, berberine has been shown to have toxic effects on mitochondria.
Chemicals in the environment can also cause mitochondrial toxicity:
Evidence of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) damage has been found in Gulf War Illness (GWI), a condition symptomatically similar to ME/CFS; this may have come from organophosphate exposure during the Gulf War. (Interestingly enough, tumor protein p53 can help repair damaged mitochondrial DNA — see this post). But there is not much evidence for mtDNA damage in ME/CFS itself.
Perhaps mitochondrial toxicity might be behind some of the adverse effects that ME/CFS patients experience from certain drugs.
Here is a list of drugs that may have damaging effects on mitochondria:
Drugs with Reported Mitochondrial Toxicity:
Anticonvulsants:
Valproate (Depakote)
Antidepressants:
Amitriptyline (Elavil)
Amoxapine (Asendis)
Fluoxetine (Prozac)
Citalopram (Cipramil)
Antipsychotics:
Chlorpromazine (Thorazine)
Fluphenazine (Prolixin)
Haloperidol (Haldol)
Risperidone (Risperdal)
Barbituates:
Phenobarbital
Secobarbital (Seconal)
Butalbital (Fiorinal)
Amobarbital (Amytal)
Pentobarbital (Nembutal)
Anxiety medications
Alprazolam (Xanax)
Diazepam (Valium)
Cholesterol meds
Statins
Bile acids-cholestyramine
Ciprofibrate
Fenofibrate
Analgesic/anti-inflammatory
Aspirin
Acetaminophen / paracetamol (Tylenol)
Indomethacin (Indocin)
Naproxen (Aleve)
Diclofenac
Antibiotics
Tetracycline
Minocycline
Chloramphenicol
Aminoglycosides
Linezolid (Zyvox)
Anti-arrhythmic
Amiodarone
Steroids
(All of them, I think)
Anti-viral
Interferon
Anti-retroviral
Zidovudine
Cancer medications
Doxorubicine (Adriamycin)
Cis-platinum
Tamoxifen
Diabetes medications
Metformin
Beta-blockers
(All of them, I think)
Note that the drugs in red are known to cause some mitochondrial toxicity; the other drugs may potentially cause some mitochondrial toxicity (but this is not certain).
Source: 1
I am not sure how reliable this list is, as there are no references given. The above list come from the website www.mitoaction.org. Further info from that website here: Mitochondrial Toxicity.
Not in the above list is fluoroquinolone antibiotics, but this paper indicates that the fluoroquinolone antibiotic ciprofloxacin can cause a "selective loss of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)".
As far as supplements go, berberine has been shown to have toxic effects on mitochondria.
Chemicals in the environment can also cause mitochondrial toxicity:
Environmental Chemicals Known To Damage Mitochondria Include:
Aflatoxin B1 (a mold toxin) — more info on mycotoxin mitochondrial toxicity in this post.
Cigarette smoke
Particulate matter (from road traffic fumes etc)
Carbon monoxide
Dioxin (industrial by-product pollutants)
Organophosphate pesticides (eg, malathion, parathion, chlorpyrifos, dichlorvos, etc)
Paraquat (herbicide)
Rotenone (insecticides and pesticide)
Pentachlorophenol (organochlorine pesticide)
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS, arise from Gram-negative bacteria)
Mercury, arsenic, lead, cadmium, copper and manganese
Sources: 1 2
Evidence of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) damage has been found in Gulf War Illness (GWI), a condition symptomatically similar to ME/CFS; this may have come from organophosphate exposure during the Gulf War. (Interestingly enough, tumor protein p53 can help repair damaged mitochondrial DNA — see this post). But there is not much evidence for mtDNA damage in ME/CFS itself.
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