A new study, reported at the November 2016 meeting of the American Heart Association, revealed a 20% increased risk of stroke in people taking proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs). This is on top of another study which found twice the risk of death from heart disease in people taking them. This is disturbing news, since experts estimate that seven out of ten people taking PPIs do not need them.
Proton-pump inhibitors are prescribed for acid reflux, also called GERD, and include Prilosec, Prevacid, and Nexium. They are blockbuster drugs, earning $13 billion each year in the US alone. While the approval of PPIs by the FDA was based on people taking them for only two weeks, many take them for years. Other dangerous side effects of PPIs include:
- Vitamin D deficiency
- Diarrhea infections
- Pneumonia
- Bone Fractures
- Dementia
- Kidney disease
Most of these side effects are because PPIs suppress the production of stomach acid, which you need to absorb important vitamins and minerals, such as calcium. PPIs also can destroy friendly bacteria in your stomach, paving the way for infections. The irony is that the vast majority of cases of acid reflux are not because of excess stomach acid. It is caused by weakness of a muscle that lets acid back up into the esophagus from the stomach.
There are several simple things that you can do to reduce acid reflux:
- Lose five to ten pounds
- Avoid tight clothing around the waist
- Avoid certain foods—garlic, onion, tomato sauce, fatty and fried foods, caffeine
- Eat several small meals throughout the day and wait 2-3 hours after dinner before going to bed
- Elevate the head of your bed to help gravity keep food in your stomach
Unfortunately, if you are taking a PPI, it is very difficult to stop. This is because of a phenomenon known as rebound hyperacidity, whereby stomach acid actually increases after stopping a PPI. Tapering off these medications gradually and taking a simple antacid, such as Tums, Maalox, or Di-Gel, will help you to manage symptoms until your stomach acid returns to normal. Also, there are natural alternatives for acid reflux that you can use:
- High-fiber foods, digestive enzymes, and probiotics
- Aloe vera juice, licorice, apple cider vinegar, and slippery elm
- Acupuncture and Chinese herbs
- Stress reduction tapes, meditation, exercise
If your doctor has prescribed a PPI, talk to her about stopping it. The risk of serious side effects greatly outweighs its usefulness.
The study on PPIs and stroke can be found at: http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/134/Suppl_1/A18462. References for other studies on PPIs can be found in my book to be published in April.
under “natural alternatives” – add homeopathy.
Thank you, Nancy. Yes, of course. But there are no studies that I know of to document this.