Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

Taking popular medications to treat symptoms of heartburn and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) may actually make those symptoms worse, according to a recent study in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association Institute. Those medications – called proton pump inhibitors (PPI) and known by the brand names Prilosec, Nexium, Prevacid, and Aciphex – have even been linked to other serious complications such as dizziness, osteoporosis, pneumonia and heart attacks, according to Natural News.

The study, conducted by researchers from Copenhagen University, involved 120 healthy participants who took either an inactive placebo or 40 mg of the PPI drugs daily for three months. Each patient filled out a Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale weekly to gauge symptoms. Researchers found that a greater percentage of people taking the PPI experienced at least one worrisome acid-related symptom during the treatment than those taking a placebo.

“We find it highly likely that the symptoms observed in this trial are caused by rebound acid hypersecretion and that this phenomenon is equally relevant in patients treated long term with PPIs. If rebound acid hypersecretion induces acid-related symptoms, this might lead to PPI dependency. Our results justify the speculation that PPI dependency could be one of the explanations for the rapidly and continuously increasing use of PPIs,” said Dr. Christian Reimer, the study’s lead author.

These findings show that safe treatment options for people suffering from GERD are limited. Earlier this year, Reglan (metoclopramide), another treatment for the condition, received a black box warning from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after numerous reports that people taking Reglan began to suffer suffer from a serious, involuntary movement disorder known as Tardive Dyskinesia. The black box warning advises that the medication not be taken for more than 12 weeks as the risk of contracting the disorder increases to about 20 percent among those taking the drug long term.

Experts advise suffers of GERD should consult with their physicians to find the safest treatment options.

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• New heartburn medication meets expectations in drug trial
• Non-surgical procedure offers hope to patients with GERD
• Chronic cough may be symptom of GERD

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 9:38 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.