EXPLORING THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF DRUG INDUCED GUT MICROBIAL CHANGES: IMPLICATIONS FOR PERSONALISED MEDICINE

The human gut microbiome, comprising over 100 trillion microorganisms, plays a crucial role in maintaining health by influencing immunity, nutrient absorption, and defence against pathogens. Growing evidence highlights how various medications, both antibiotic and non-antibiotic, can significantly alter the microbiome’s composition and function, leading to diverse health outcomes. This review investigates the microbiome-modifying effects of widely-used drugs, including proton pump inhibitors (PPIs): non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): metformin, antidepressants, and immunosuppressants-has been shown to notably rearrange the composition and function of the gut microbiome. These disruptions manifest as alter microbial diversity, increased colonization by pathogenic bacteria, and alter metabolic function leading to serious health implications including infection susceptibility, gastrointestinal disorders, and metabolic imbalance. This review emphasizes the censorious need for personalized medicine approaches to reduce these adverse effects. Recognizing these effects can illuminate the development of personalized medicine approaches, such as microbiome profiling, to optimize drug efficacy and reduce adverse outcomes. This emerging field of research not only highlights the complicated relationship between pharmaceuticals and bacteria, but it also lays the foundation for future microbiome-informed precision medicine