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This is the most common acid reflux drug. It\u2019s prescribed to over 15 million Americans and many more are using the over-the-counter version of it.<\/p>\nThis is the most common acid reflux drug. It\u2019s prescribed to over 15 million Americans and many more are using the over-the-counter version of it.<\/p>\n
And it does help many.<\/p>\n
But a new, disturbing study in the journal BMJ now reveals that this popular drug carries common lethal side effects. It drastically increases your risk of dying from almost all causes.<\/p>\n
The good news is that there\u2019s another common drug that\u2019s much safer.<\/p>\n
American researchers looked at data collected by the American Department of Veterans Affairs between 2002 and 2004. They found that doctors had prescribed proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for 157,625 people and H2 blockers (another type of acid reflux drug) for 56,842 others.<\/p>\n
They noticed an extra 45.2 (per 1000) more deaths in the PPI group compared to the H2 blocker group, which shows pretty clearly that PPIs pose a greater risk of death.<\/p>\n
They further broke that down into 17.47 circulatory system deaths, 12.94 cancer deaths, 4.2 infectious and parasitic disease deaths, 6.25 reproductive and urinary systems deaths, 15.48 cardiovascular disease deaths, and a small number of deaths from chronic kidney disease.<\/p>\n
For some people it wasn\u2019t clear from the medical documents why PPI had been prescribed, but for that group we know that an extra 22.91\/1000 of them died from cardiovascular disease, 4.74 from chronic kidney disease, and 3.12 from stomach and esophageal cancers.<\/p>\n
These statistics held true for people who had a history of these diseases as well as those that didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
It seems that the longer people took PPIs, the higher their risk of death from cancer, and from diseases of the circulatory and reproductive and urinary systems too. This was true even for those people who took very low doses, so they\u2019re bad news no matter how little you take.<\/p>\n
The most common PPIs are Prilosec, Prevacid, Nexium, Aciphex, Zegerid, Dexilant, and Protonix.<\/p>\n
These drugs are used to suppress stomach acid production when too much washes up into your esophagus and throat. Unfortunately, it seems they do a lot more besides, and researchers have repeatedly pointed out these dangers.<\/p>\n
Scientists don\u2019t know exactly why PPIs are so dangerous. But whatever the cause, it is clear you must stop taking them as soon as possible.<\/p>\n