FDA sounds alarm on dangers of antacid drugs

May 26, 2010 in GERD | 7 comments

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  1. MollyMurr’s avatar

    MollyMurr on May 26, 2010 at 1:19 pm

    I was on Nexium for nearly 10 years because I would wake up at night breathing in acid.  I finally self-diagnosed myself with sleep apnea.   My doctor still encouraged me to take Nexium for my occasional heartburn.
    Then I got test results back from my yearly physical that showed I was anemic.  This was odd.  My doctor gave me iron supplements to take.  I started investigating side effects of Nexium and found one site that claimed it caused anemia because the stomach needs acid to get at the iron in foods and supplements.  After taking iron for a few months (still on Nexium) and not having my blood test numbers change, I decided to stop Nexium.  I’ve been using Zantac for the past month.  I have had more heartburn, but it hasn’t been bad, and I know that it could be “reactive” from stopping the Nexium.

    More importantly, my energy levels have been higher, and I just went for another blood test today that I’m sure will show normal to high iron levels.  I feel like I actually may have too much iron now, based on some other symptoms, but the test will tell.  I really *should* have too much iron in my system, when I’m taking an iron pill every day.
    My mother in law used Nexium for a month and became anemic.  She went off Nexium and the anemia went away.  Why don’t our doctors know this?
    My goal is to be off Zantac as well.  Thank you for the excellent articles.

  2. Konnie’s avatar

    Konnie on May 26, 2010 at 3:33 pm

    I’ve been taking Protonix for 2 years for a hiatal hernia.   It has worked wonderfully to eliminate most GERD symptoms.  However,  in the two years I was hospitalized for 5 days for a bacterial infection in my colon and last week had to have my appendix out.  Last year I suffered a vertebrae compression fracture just from on strong cough!   I am a 50 year old female, in otherwise good health.

    Hearing this news is rather eye opening as I have been given no warnings from either my internist or my gastroenterologist about issues related to long term use of Protonix.  Guess I’ll make a Dr. appt. tomorrow.

  3. Chris Kresser’s avatar

    Chris Kresser on May 26, 2010 at 6:12 pm

    I hope you have an open-minded doctor. Many are unaware of the risks, even though the scientific literature is very clear on the increased risk of infection that comes with PPIs. Maybe you could print out some of the studies I linked to from my articles on the risks of acid-stopping drugs, particularly the ones related to infections. You might want to read the GERD series and try some of the suggestions. Check out the comments on each article. You’ll see many reports of dramatic improvements from people who have tried the low-carb approach with HCL. Good luck.

  4. Arthur Remes’s avatar

    Arthur Remes on May 28, 2010 at 9:18 pm

    Hi
     
    Thanks for your wonderful website.
    I have two questions which I would be grateful to have you answer.
    The first: My chiropractor says it is a bad idea to take fish oil with food because it decreases the absorption of other nutrients. He says it should be taken between meals. iS that correct, in your opinion? I’ve never seen this discussed.
    The second question I have is where on the FDA website it says that Prilosec, etc. increase the possibility of dementia. It seems to mention dementia being cited as a possible risk factor for fracture, but not as a result of taking the drug.  I may have misread it.
    I hope you have the time to answer.
    Thanks
    Arthur

  5. Chris Kresser’s avatar

    Chris Kresser on May 29, 2010 at 8:18 am

    1. Read my recent article called The Definitive Fish Oil Buyer’s Guide. I explain that the absorption of fish oil is significantly better (3x or more) when taken with a high fat meal.

    2. PPIs may directly contribute to increases in fractures because they inhibit calcium absorption.

  6. Brian’s avatar

    Brian on May 30, 2010 at 4:02 pm

    I was prescribed Nexium and Pantoloc after being diagnosed with what they considered to be GERD, even though my symptoms did not really match.  I tried them both, maybe a total of a few months, but thankfully I stopped because neither really did anything.  It’s a shame that these pills are prescribed as if they actually solve the problem when all they do at best is temporarily mask the symptoms.  The more I learn about the “health” system the more I feel that we are alone to figure things out for ourselves.

  7. Chris Kresser’s avatar

    Chris Kresser on May 30, 2010 at 4:59 pm

    Yes, we should always be our own advocates. On the other hand, there are practitioners working outside of the conventional medical system that have a more sophisticated understanding of functional medicine and promoting health than many doctors. You could try consulting one of them.

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