Past prescriptions leave lasting fingerprints on the gut microbiome

A large study using Estonian Biobank data shows that a wide range of medications—including antidepressants, beta-blockers, proton-pump inhibitors, and benzodiazepines—can cause enduring shifts in the gut microbiome that persist years after stopping them, suggesting past medication history can influence current microbiome profiles and should be accounted for in research and clinical interpretation.