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Studies Link Some Stomach Drugs To Alzheimer's Disease and Kidney Problems (scientificamerican.com)
While the recommended dosage for Nexium, Prevacid and Prilose is just two weeks, doctors often advise patients to continue taking them for years. But now Scientific American reports that "Chronic use of popular heartburn medicines may be riskier than was thought," citing two papers linking the drugs to an increase risk of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, and a greater risk of kidney problems.
schwit1 quotes their report:
The papers did not prove that PPIs cause the problems. But some researchers have nonetheless suggested possible mechanisms by which long-term use of the drugs could trigger dementia or kidney problems. A reduction in vitamin B12, for example, might leave the brain more vulnerable to damage, says Britta Haenisch, an author of the JAMA Neurology study and a neuropharmacologist at the Bonn campus of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases. Last spring clinicians at the Houston Methodist Research Institute reported another plausible explanation for how PPIs might lead to these unexpected health issues: they picked up signs that the drugs act not only in the stomach but elsewhere in the body, too.
The article ends on an ambiguous note. "Without conclusive data, physicians and patients have to balance the need to prevent the ill effects of excess stomach acid and reflux with the desire to avoid potentially serious -- if theoretical -- side effects from long-term use of PPIs."
The article ends on an ambiguous note. "Without conclusive data, physicians and patients have to balance the need to prevent the ill effects of excess stomach acid and reflux with the desire to avoid potentially serious -- if theoretical -- side effects from long-term use of PPIs."
The recommended dose is two weeks for the over the counter (OTC) versions of the medications. That's so you don't keep taking it by yourself when you have symptoms that need an evaluation by a doctor.
Maybe instead use an H2 blocker like ranitidine, aka Zantac? That way the effects of the drug are localized to the stomach and treat the root cause: over production of hydrochloric acid.
PPIs: Proton-pump inhibitor
Proton pump inhibitors are a group of drugs whose main action is a pronounced and long-lasting reduction of gastric acid production. Within the class of medications, there is no clear evidence that one agent works better than another. FROM: Wikipedia
Drugs in class: Omeprazole, Pantoprazole, Esomeprazole,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proton-pump_inhibitor
You have no idea what you're talking about. It has nothing to do with anything you just said. I can eat my food fast, slow, it makes no difference, I still get attacked. And here's the best part: in my case, the healthier the food, the worse it is for me. Carrots, apples, cabbage, white meat are all guaranteed acid attacks. Chicken wings, fries, shit food, no problem.
And so you understand, I am the most anti-drug person you know. I take nothing. NOTHING. I resisted taking proton pump inhibitors for about 5 years after they were prescribed until I simply couldn't eat anymore, As in, my esophagus would basically squeeze shut and not allow any food or liquid to go down for HOURS. My doctor explained it as my esophagus protecting itself after years of damage from actual heartburn. I was also explained the risks of esophageal cancer.
Again, the healthier I was eating, the worse this condition became. Proton pump inhibitors changed my life. These stories about side effects don't mention that. I'll risk it thanks.
"While the recommended dosage for Nexium, Prevacid and Prilose is just two weeks"
The dosage for most drugs is measured in mass (mg, often)/time, not time alone. How does one meter a dosage in the time domain with no regard to mass (homeopathic medicines excepted, of course)?
"National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
Surgery isn't healthy, either. If you have a hiatal hernia, you can go drug-free and get esophageal cancer, get surgery, or take a pill every morning. Guess which one I do?
W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
Proton pump inhibitor have been known to be troublesome for a long time
By reducing stomach acidity, it increases the amount of bacteria that pass alive in the intestine, increasing the odds of Small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). It also increase the odds of proliferation of some bacteria such as heliobacter pylori in the stomach itself.
All that pathogens overload the immune system, and degrade digestive functions.
carrots apples cabbage = all low calorie food
your stomach is producing acid that eats right through that low calorie food, you have extra acid left that has nothing to do
in that case, you need heavier food to combat that acid, cheese, meat, chicken wings etc
by clean food , I meant food not overly tainted by community bacteria (fast food, coffee, fountain drinks, etc)
Please visit a psychiatrist to take care of delusional believes in the buggy man in the sky. You are so sick that you have to enter tech forum to spew your religious garbage.
I mentioned this association to my doctor. She advised caution in interpreting these results because these PPIs are routinely prescribed to patients at risk for the linked diseases. Anyone know more on this?
Of course, the older H2 blockers can be effective for those who want to avoid PPIs. Better still, some people, including myself, get complete relief by finding a healthy diet that does not trigger acid reflux. (For me, that means cutting down on grains and starchy vegetables, YMMV).
Why thank you, dear sir! You've saved me from being hoodwinked by some whackadoodle spouting nonsense from a book! Instead, I can believe the nonsense you believe (from a book!). That clarifies things nicely.
Anyone can suggest an alternative that actually works for them long term ? I have heard of apple cider ? does that actually work ?
I have been taking PPIs for 8 years now. Though I have reduced the dosage as much as possible but stopping them altogether gets really difficult in 1-2 days.
If you're old enough to remember... nexium "the purple pill"'s introduction was in the same year as the introduction of the new M&M color. Both ad campaigns had much hype surrounding them. I laughed out loud when the M&M color was revealed, and never trusted a drug ad after that (OK, I've never trusted a drug ad before that either).
Dude, you probably have SIBO. Those things that cause acid attacks? Theyre all full of fiber. Maybe you should look into something like the Specific Carbohydrate Diet.
If you can't figure out a comfortable diet to solve the problem, it's worth while talking to a dietician. I was able to solve my heartburn problem by eating light dinners and avoiding tomato-based sauces for dinner. The junk food might not give you heartburn simply because it's high calories in a low volume. Healthy foods also tend to produce gas, which leads to bloating and pushes the acid up. If you play around a bit with your portions and timing, you might find a good way to solve the problem without drugs. Just my $0.02 worth of experience.
Yeah, the AC who said all the drugs are stupid is over the line; but diet definitely can be the problem.
I would think that PPI use is also strongly associated in many case with certain lifestyle choices. Stuff like poor diet, lack of excercise, alcohol use. And also stress. PPI use and dementia could both be symptoms of the same underlying cause.
I don't know why, but I fear consuming cyanocobalamin
You know, the whole cyanide thing.
The article also doesn't mention that omeprazole has serious interactions with B12 supplements, so what is one supposed to do?
Clay works far better than those awful, worthless PPIs do.
Now that they cause 10 kinds of brain illness? Yeah, na. I'll keep eating my liquid clay.
Geophagy is used for a reason.
The papers did not prove that PPIs cause the problems.
So, click-bait, then ?
just solved 4 months of heartburn by realizing i needed to chew my food waaaay more. Shitty food is generally soft and easily swallowable. I can now eat anything including mcdonalds and not get heart burn. Chew your food in to a watery paste and be free of medication!
First:
It is unwise to immediately and completely change ones medications or prescription habits just based on one study. These large observational multivariate studies are always hindered by bias, though trying hard to compensate for them.
On the other hand, these kind of findings should not be ignored.
Proton pump inhibitors are already known for a long time to cause trouble. The article already mentions several, like the bacteria get a change of growing in the changed environment of the stomach, a defensive barrier is removed, certain vitamins and drugs need the acidity to get absorbed etc etc. Kidney issues are also not news. Other weird side effects, like I'll never forget a patient with an extreme hypomagnesia, like 0.10 mmol/l or so. She did not feel well.
But not forget the number of patients who have gained significant quality of life and the reduction of severe gastric bleeding. Remember the time where Bilroth gastrectomies were as common as cholecystectomies. The two week maximum advise for the over the counter drugs is because of the risk of patients masking a serious condition like malignancies.
But there is no denying that most people at some point start their PPI for some discomfort, and continue to swallow them for the rest of their lives. (Ideal drug for pharmaceutical companies.) The majority should just quit them, change their food habits and posture and get on with their lives.
The use of these drugs should be reserved for those who really need them. Right now it is prescribed more or less as a luxury drug
Why are other peoples sig's always more witty ???
It has been know for ages Omeprazol fucks up your brain. Now that could explain one thing or two about my ex. I already warned my parents to not abuse it...
Milk of Magnesia. As a bonus, your body actually LIKES the extra magnesium.
The sleazy money game that is the drug corporations and their focus on lucrative, often dangerous drugs for aging boomers in denial over aging, and the endless studies that reek of ambiguity and questionable data capture? Everybody has something to gain here (market share and more research grants).
Maybe this is all very interesting, I don't know, but I do know that it's slightly off-topic, to say the least.
"Trump!!", the new Godwin.
I have tried these drugs twice, and each time never made it through the two weeks. They triggered severe, daily migraines, with extreme halo effects. It literally felt like they messed with my brain. I will never take them again.
See you space cowboy
I had to go all the way to Brazil to find a gastro-enterologist who actually had the time to explain the difference to me.
He told me omeprazole lowers your acidity (increases pH) very effectively. Even so effectively that with prolonged use polyps can develop due to the almost total lack of acid. Lansoprazole, as he told me, didn't reduce the acidity that much, and so prevented way better those polyps to form.
"Trump!!", the new Godwin.
Wrong topic. Try /r/anti-vaccines
"Trump!!", the new Godwin.
If suffering heartburn symptoms and taking PPIs frequently consider getting tested for the H-Pylori bacteria. I was taking PPIs daily for 3 years before suffering a bleeding ulcer - testing revealed H-Pylori. After the bacteria was killed off in two weeks, I've not taken a PPI in four years and have not had any recurrence of the symptoms that had originally driven me to PPI use.
A related problem seems to be that some of these drugs suppress gastrin production. As soon as you try to quit (and I mean a VERY slow tapering off, even), gastrin levels immediately go back up, and the heartburn can be worse than ever. I have tried backing off in 1% increments, and found it not possible. (Yes, I opened up the capsules and counted the pellets inside.) Diet, posture, avoiding acidic foods and not eating near bedtime have been taken care of and ruled out as possible solutions.
So these drugs are addicting in the sense of creating an artificial need for something that you don't have a natural need for. (Not in the mentally-addicting sense in which the term is most often used, however.)
But, we make tradeoffs all the time in life. Here, we're solving the problem of near certain ulcers and perhaps cancer in favor of problems not yet conclusively proven to occur, so it makes more sense to keep taking them...
Been taking pantoprazole for 7 years now, but I've always been"scared" of the possible long-term consequences. For that reason I only taken one when I need it, which averages to about2 pills a week (20 mg). But at the same time I'm more concerned about the long-term consequences of frequent heartburn, thinking of Barret's esophagus, cancer,tissue proliferationetc.
It's a shitty situation being dependent on a drug to function, I honestly couldn't live without it, while having to fear possible nutritional deficiencies (iron, calcium, magnesium, B12, B6 etc)- will I end up with early osteoporosis? Do I have low iron storage andmore fatigued than I otherwise could be?
I previously would occasionally take a Tums here or there, but my wife mentioned I should try drinking a small amount of Raw Apple Cider Vinegar. It tastes horrible, and you have to rinse your teeth, but shockingly it works better than anything I've ever tried.
Am I lying when I tell you that im telling the truth? Or am I telling the truth when I say that Im lying?
Not Doctors. They'd fucking make you mainline heroin just to shut you up.
They went back to morphine long ago in most countries.
First off. I am not a doctor but I'd like to relate my personal anecdotal experience.
I was told to go on nexum for life, but was uncomfortable with long term use of a product that didn't seem to be well tested long term.
SOO.... i looked into it. Something that , according to my doctor, and several other sources has been used in the past to help fix acid reflux
is the stimulate acid production so you food digest more quickly. One way to do this is to drink 2 tablesppons of apple cider with a cup of water before every meal.
I kept this up for something like 2 months. The acid reflux , which had been regular went away and has yet to return a year later. I think if it comes back I will try this way again first.
So, just my nickle. you can try it, your mileage might very, on the other hand , it's probably safest to run in past your doctor to make sure you understood all the inns and outs, assuming you trust their advice.
âoeTolerance applies only to persons, but never to truth. Intolerance applies only to truth, but never to persons.
Some people's bodies work right, some people's don't. For the latter category, no amount of diet modification is going to solve everything 100%.
Low carb and moderation will end acid reflux.
love is just extroverted narcissism
Most drugs, just treat the SYMPTOMS, not the cause. If you constantly have headaches, "aspirin" might get rid of the headache, but the headache comes back. You need to treat WHY you are getting the headache. Same with some of these stomach drugs. Yeah, they might get rid of your ache, but it keeps coming back. Is it masking an underlying problem?
Do they know the mechanisms and thus know that these are directly related cause and effect, or is this just more paper publishing by chimpanzees with keyboards doing statistics and noticing dubious correlations?
Correlation studies are interesting and possibly informative when properly used, but they also lead to classic correlation-causation fallacies.
Everybody who has eaten pickles is dead or will die, therefore eating pickles kills! (sadly, this too-often passes for "science" these days...)