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Friday, October 10, 2025
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  1. You are here:  
  2. Health

Common medications may secretly rewire your gut for years

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09 October 2025
Health
  • Previous Article My eating disorder made me good at lying, says Victoria Beckham
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Date:
Source:
Estonian Research Council
Summary:
Drugs taken years—even decades—ago can leave lasting imprints on the gut microbiome, reshaping the community of microbes long after treatment stops. Scientists analyzing over 2,500 Estonian Biobank samples discovered that antibiotics aren’t the only culprits—antidepressants, beta-blockers, and anxiety medications also disrupt gut ecosystems. Some drugs from the same class even have different microbial effects.

FULL STORY


Common Medications May Rewire Your Gut for Years
Researchers found that many common medications, from antidepressants to heart drugs, can alter gut microbes for years after use. Credit: Shutterstock

Medications a person took years ago can still influence the community of microbes living in their gut, according to a large study conducted by the University of Tartu Institute of Genomics.

By examining stool samples and prescription data from more than 2,500 participants in the Estonian Biobank’s Microbiome cohort, scientists discovered that most drugs they analyzed were associated with measurable changes in the gut microbiome. Many of these changes persisted long after people stopped taking the medications. The lasting impact was not limited to antibiotics: antidepressants, beta-blockers, proton pump inhibitors, and benzodiazepines also left distinct microbial “fingerprints.

"Most microbiome studies only consider current medications, but our results show that past drug use can be just as important as it is a surprisingly strong factor in explaining individual microbiome differences," said Dr. Oliver Aasmets, lead author of the study. The findings underscore the importance of considering a person’s medication history when exploring connections between gut microbes and disease.

Interestingly, benzodiazepines -- commonly prescribed for anxiety -- produced microbiome alterations similar to those seen with broad-spectrum antibiotics. The study also revealed that drugs within the same category, such as diazepam and alprazolam, can vary in how much they disturb gut microbial balance.

Follow-up samples from a smaller group of participants showed that starting or discontinuing specific medications led to predictable shifts in gut microbes, supporting a likely cause-and-effect relationship. Although this second phase involved fewer samples, the researchers confirmed persistent effects from proton pump inhibitors, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and several antibiotics, including penicillins in combination and macrolides.

"This is a comprehensive systematic evaluation of long-term medication effects on the microbiome using real-world medical health records," said Professor Elin Org, the study’s corresponding author. "We hope this encourages researchers and clinicians to factor in medication history when interpreting microbiome data."


Story Source:

Materials provided by Estonian Research Council. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Oliver Aasmets, Nele Taba, Kertu Liis Krigul, Reidar Andreson, Elin Org, Mait Metspalu, Andres Metspalu, Lili Milani, Tõnu Esko. A hidden confounder for microbiome studies: medications used years before sample collection. mSystems, 2025; DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00541-25[1]

Cite This Page:

Estonian Research Council. "Common medications may secretly rewire your gut for years." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 9 October 2025. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/10/251008030953.htm>.

Estonian Research Council. (2025, October 9). Common medications may secretly rewire your gut for years. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 9, 2025 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/10/251008030953.htm

Estonian Research Council. "Common medications may secretly rewire your gut for years." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/10/251008030953.htm (accessed October 9, 2025).

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Is Long-Term Beta-Blocker Therapy Needed After a Heart Attack?[2]

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What's in the Microbiome of the Foods We Eat?[3]

Aug. 29, 2024 — Microbes are part of the food we eat and can influence our own microbiome, but we know very little about the microbes in our foods. Now, researchers have developed a database of the 'food ...

Race-Based Variations in Gut Bacteria Emerge by 3 Months of Age[4]

Aug. 17, 2023 — Early social and environmental exposures can have large and lasting effects on child development and adult health. One of the systems that is vulnerable to external influence is the gut microbiome. A ...

Evidence of Horizontal Gene Transfer Between Human Maternal Microbiome and Infant Gut Microbiome[5]

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Nov. 4, 2022 — Fecal microbial transplants have been given to alter a recipient's metabolism to reduce obesity or alter immunity to fight cancer, and in those transplants recipients are not given suppressive ...

Beta-Blockers Not Likely to Cause Depression Yet May Contribute to Sleep Disturbances[7]

Mar. 15, 2021 — Depression was not more common in patients who used beta-blockers. The rate of discontinuing medications due to depression was the same for people taking beta-blockers compared to people taking other ...

TRENDING AT SCITECHDAILY.com[8]


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References

  1. ^10.1128/msystems.00541-25 (dx.doi.org)
  2. ^Is Long-Term Beta-Blocker Therapy Needed After a Heart Attack? (www.sciencedaily.com)
  3. ^What's in the Microbiome of the Foods We Eat? (www.sciencedaily.com)
  4. ^Race-Based Variations in Gut Bacteria Emerge by 3 Months of Age (www.sciencedaily.com)
  5. ^Evidence of Horizontal Gene Transfer Between Human Maternal Microbiome and Infant Gut Microbiome (www.sciencedaily.com)
  6. ^Fecal Microbial Transplants Show Lack of Predictability When No Prior Antibiotic Treatment Is Given to Recipient (www.sciencedaily.com)
  7. ^Beta-Blockers Not Likely to Cause Depression Yet May Contribute to Sleep Disturbances (www.sciencedaily.com)
  8. ^SCITECHDAILY.com (scitechdaily.com)
  9. ^Scientists Find Hidden Switch Controlling Hunger (scitechdaily.com)
  10. ^Scientists “Supercharge” the Immune System To Stop Cancer From Coming Back (scitechdaily.com)
  11. ^MIT and Harvard Build “Invisible” Immune Cells That Obliterate Cancer (scitechdaily.com)
  12. ^Giant Asteroid Struck North Sea, Unleashing 330-Foot Tsunami (scitechdaily.com)
Date:
Source:
Estonian Research Council
Summary:
Drugs taken years—even decades—ago can leave lasting imprints on the gut microbiome, reshaping the community of microbes long after treatment stops. Scientists analyzing over 2,500 Estonian Biobank samples discovered that antibiotics aren’t the only culprits—antidepressants, beta-blockers, and anxiety medications also disrupt gut ecosystems. Some drugs from the same class even have different microbial effects.

FULL STORY


Common Medications May Rewire Your Gut for Years
Researchers found that many common medications, from antidepressants to heart drugs, can alter gut microbes for years after use. Credit: Shutterstock

Medications a person took years ago can still influence the community of microbes living in their gut, according to a large study conducted by the University of Tartu Institute of Genomics.

By examining stool samples and prescription data from more than 2,500 participants in the Estonian Biobank’s Microbiome cohort, scientists discovered that most drugs they analyzed were associated with measurable changes in the gut microbiome. Many of these changes persisted long after people stopped taking the medications. The lasting impact was not limited to antibiotics: antidepressants, beta-blockers, proton pump inhibitors, and benzodiazepines also left distinct microbial “fingerprints.

"Most microbiome studies only consider current medications, but our results show that past drug use can be just as important as it is a surprisingly strong factor in explaining individual microbiome differences," said Dr. Oliver Aasmets, lead author of the study. The findings underscore the importance of considering a person’s medication history when exploring connections between gut microbes and disease.

Interestingly, benzodiazepines -- commonly prescribed for anxiety -- produced microbiome alterations similar to those seen with broad-spectrum antibiotics. The study also revealed that drugs within the same category, such as diazepam and alprazolam, can vary in how much they disturb gut microbial balance.

Follow-up samples from a smaller group of participants showed that starting or discontinuing specific medications led to predictable shifts in gut microbes, supporting a likely cause-and-effect relationship. Although this second phase involved fewer samples, the researchers confirmed persistent effects from proton pump inhibitors, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and several antibiotics, including penicillins in combination and macrolides.

"This is a comprehensive systematic evaluation of long-term medication effects on the microbiome using real-world medical health records," said Professor Elin Org, the study’s corresponding author. "We hope this encourages researchers and clinicians to factor in medication history when interpreting microbiome data."


Story Source:

Materials provided by Estonian Research Council. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Oliver Aasmets, Nele Taba, Kertu Liis Krigul, Reidar Andreson, Elin Org, Mait Metspalu, Andres Metspalu, Lili Milani, Tõnu Esko. A hidden confounder for microbiome studies: medications used years before sample collection. mSystems, 2025; DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00541-25[1]

Cite This Page:

Estonian Research Council. "Common medications may secretly rewire your gut for years." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 9 October 2025. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/10/251008030953.htm>.

Estonian Research Council. (2025, October 9). Common medications may secretly rewire your gut for years. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 9, 2025 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/10/251008030953.htm

Estonian Research Council. "Common medications may secretly rewire your gut for years." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/10/251008030953.htm (accessed October 9, 2025).

RELATED STORIES


Is Long-Term Beta-Blocker Therapy Needed After a Heart Attack?[2]

Aug. 30, 2024 — The appropriate duration of beta-blocker treatment after a heart attack (a myocardial infarction [MI]) is unknown in patients who do not need to take beta-blockers for another reason. In the ABYSS ...

What's in the Microbiome of the Foods We Eat?[3]

Aug. 29, 2024 — Microbes are part of the food we eat and can influence our own microbiome, but we know very little about the microbes in our foods. Now, researchers have developed a database of the 'food ...

Race-Based Variations in Gut Bacteria Emerge by 3 Months of Age[4]

Aug. 17, 2023 — Early social and environmental exposures can have large and lasting effects on child development and adult health. One of the systems that is vulnerable to external influence is the gut microbiome. A ...

Evidence of Horizontal Gene Transfer Between Human Maternal Microbiome and Infant Gut Microbiome[5]

Dec. 22, 2022 — Researchers have discovered a new mode of vertical mother-to-infant microbiome transmission, where microbes in the maternal gut shared genes with microbes in the infant gut during the perinatal ...

Fecal Microbial Transplants Show Lack of Predictability When No Prior Antibiotic Treatment Is Given to Recipient[6]

Nov. 4, 2022 — Fecal microbial transplants have been given to alter a recipient's metabolism to reduce obesity or alter immunity to fight cancer, and in those transplants recipients are not given suppressive ...

Beta-Blockers Not Likely to Cause Depression Yet May Contribute to Sleep Disturbances[7]

Mar. 15, 2021 — Depression was not more common in patients who used beta-blockers. The rate of discontinuing medications due to depression was the same for people taking beta-blockers compared to people taking other ...

TRENDING AT SCITECHDAILY.com[8]


Scientists Find Hidden Switch Controlling Hunger[9]

Scientists “Supercharge” the Immune System To Stop Cancer From Coming Back[10]

MIT and Harvard Build “Invisible” Immune Cells That Obliterate Cancer[11]

Giant Asteroid Struck North Sea, Unleashing 330-Foot Tsunami[12]

References

  1. ^10.1128/msystems.00541-25 (dx.doi.org)
  2. ^Is Long-Term Beta-Blocker Therapy Needed After a Heart Attack? (www.sciencedaily.com)
  3. ^What's in the Microbiome of the Foods We Eat? (www.sciencedaily.com)
  4. ^Race-Based Variations in Gut Bacteria Emerge by 3 Months of Age (www.sciencedaily.com)
  5. ^Evidence of Horizontal Gene Transfer Between Human Maternal Microbiome and Infant Gut Microbiome (www.sciencedaily.com)
  6. ^Fecal Microbial Transplants Show Lack of Predictability When No Prior Antibiotic Treatment Is Given to Recipient (www.sciencedaily.com)
  7. ^Beta-Blockers Not Likely to Cause Depression Yet May Contribute to Sleep Disturbances (www.sciencedaily.com)
  8. ^SCITECHDAILY.com (scitechdaily.com)
  9. ^Scientists Find Hidden Switch Controlling Hunger (scitechdaily.com)
  10. ^Scientists “Supercharge” the Immune System To Stop Cancer From Coming Back (scitechdaily.com)
  11. ^MIT and Harvard Build “Invisible” Immune Cells That Obliterate Cancer (scitechdaily.com)
  12. ^Giant Asteroid Struck North Sea, Unleashing 330-Foot Tsunami (scitechdaily.com)

Read more https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/10/251008030953.htm

  • Previous Article My eating disorder made me good at lying, says Victoria Beckham
  • Next Article Scientists suggest the brain may work best with 7 senses, not just 5

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