Posted on 02/25/2017 8:28:08 PM PST by nickcarraway
Potential risk could outweigh benefit of taking the medication, study's author says
Popular heartburn medications taken by millions of Canadians could lead to long-term kidney damage without any warning, a new study suggests.
The drugs, called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), reduce the symptoms of heartburn by lowering the amount of acid in the stomach. They include the brand names Losec, Nexium, and Prevacid.
Doctors previously monitored patients for acute kidney problems, such as decreased urination, swelling in the legs, ankles, or feet, and nausea. Such symptoms were thought to be a warning of more permanent kidney damage, and would often result in doctors taking patients off the drugs.
But the latest research, published today in the journal Kidney International, shows this isn't always the case.
'It's a silent disease'
"It's a silent disease, in the sense that it erodes kidney function very minimally and very gradually over time," said Ziyad Al-Aly, the study's senior author and assistant professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine.
Al-Aly and his colleagues analyzed data from 125,000 U.S. patients using PPIs and found more than half who went on to develop chronic kidney damage had no prior acute kidney problems.
The study also found that people using PPIs had, on average, a 20 per cent increase in developing chronic kidney disease compared with those taking H2 blockers such as Zantac or Pepcid. Those medications also reduce the production of stomach acid and are available over the counter.
Kidney problems remain rare in those taking PPIs, and the study does not prove causation. But Al-Aly notes that even a small potential increase in risk can be a big deal with a drug taken by millions of people.
PPIs are among the most commonly prescribed medications in Canada, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, and many patients take them for years.
Other health concerns related to PPIs
It's not the first time that PPIs have led to health concerns. Their use has been linked to increased rates of fractures, pneumonia, the gut infection C. difficile, and low vitamin B12 and magnesium levels.
"These drugs, should be used at the lowest dose and for the shortest duration appropriate for the condition being treated," according to Health Canada.
Emily McDonald, an internal medicine specialist at McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, suggests trying other interventions such as altering diet before PPIs, and where they are necessary, following up regularly to re-evaluate whether a patient needs to continue using them.
"This is another article that makes us think again about how many people are on these medications, and how many are on them unnecessarily," she said.
Proton pump inhibitors for heartburn point to overmedication
Al-Aly emphasizes that PPIs do a lot of good for people who need them, such as those with gastrointestinal bleeding or ulcers. But he recommends doctors de-prescribe those who don't need to be taking them.
"For those people, likely the chance of an adverse outcome outweighs any benefit."
glad I don’t live in Canada
This is a Canadian study. The same drugs are used in the USA.
I am going through this with my 95 year old Mother. It was caught early by her doctor, and her function is almost back to normal.
Good news about your mother. Did the Dr. simply take her off the heartburn medicine or prescribe something else?
YES!!! Anyone with problems like these should do as you wrote.
Thanks for the good information.
I also use the Famotadine before bed and it works very well. If I need to, I chew a Rolaids during the day.
Thanks for the info. High blood pressure is one problem I don't have.
bttt
Bkmk
Those drugs are destructive. For 100% relief, we use Caleb Trees anti-acid reflux (at link below) Its a godsend, mainly apple cider vinegar but also a few other natural ingredients.
http://www.iherb.com/pr/caleb-treeze-organic-farm-stops-acid-reflux-8-fl-oz-237-ml/38083
And if you have gout: black currant juice (black cherry juice) strait up. two cups a day for a week cures it. Or drink apple juice all the time.
Understanding of the use of sodium bicarbonate begins with a trip to the pancreas, which is the organ most responsible for producing the bicarbonate our bodies need.
Funny how when you stop eating products from Big Wheat, you instantly stop needing Big Pharma’s heartburn drugs :)
Have you heard any such problems with Crestor (Rosuvastatin) for hyperlipidemia/hypertension?
Apple cider vinegar is a good remedy for heartburn.
Stopped taking omeprisol(sp?) after being on Balance of Nature for about a month.
BigPharma doesn’t care, they make a lot of money on those things. Why doctors prescribe them is another story.
Whatever happened to taking Tums for heartburn? Cheap stuff and it works.
No, and the one newer drug I take. Works great. High cholesterol drugs can sometimes (but rarely) cause severe muscle damage. So be sure to read up on it. I don’t think it has any more bad effects than other statins. Don’t use high doses of OTC niacin or cimetadine with it. I have diabetes, and it doesn’t seem to aggravate it, though statins can. That’s all related to the way they work with the liver, so alcohol use can cause problems. I don’t drink, but my doctor checks my liver labs once or twice a year, which hopefully, your doctor does, too.
That’s good to hear. My prescription is for 10 mg Crestor generic a day. Thank you.
Yes, I’ve noticed muscle soreness, some back pain but I figured I was just getting older. Will read up on it, doc said she might take me off them, my last checkup was good.
Dwinking, me too, I have a beer or scotch on alternate leap years, never when taking Tylenol. I took Tylenol, never more than recommended just before I was diagnosed with cluster/migraine headaches a couple years ago.
Thank God sumatriptan helps with those! I read somewhere Army doctors called those ‘suicide headaches’ and I can understand why. I don’t take more than 100 mg of the triptans a day, sometimes 50 or even 25 does it, along with oxygen therapy. My GP prescribed the sumatriptan or Zomig. I asked the neurologist’s nurse why they didn’t prescribe, she said, “We don’t prescribe opiates for that!” and I told her I didn’t think triptans were opiates.
Again, thanks. That’s a relief to hear. I O U one.
Thank you for posting this.
Thank you for that information. One of my brothers is suffering kidney damage and I’ll pass this along to him. The Dr’s are trying to figure out what is causing it.
Thanx for the tip
I found out the hard way that Advil is bad for kidneys - Tylenol is ok however. Fortunately I rarely need it.
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