Ulcers hurt! That burning, gnawing pain will make you want to reach for your ulcer meds fast, but…wait a minute. Not so fast. Those drugs may be causing some really serious problems.
About one in ten of us know the pain of an ulcer all too well. As a result, ulcer medications have become some of the top selling drugs in the world. The very popular class of anti-ulcer drugs known as proton pump inhibitors PPIs include bests sellers like Prilosec, Nexium and Prevacid. These drugs are also commonly used to treat acid reflux syndrome, but here are seven reasons you may not want to let those drugs anywhere near your stomach.
1. They Increase Your Risk of Dementia
Incredibly, trying to cure your ulcer may increase your risk of dementia.People who take PPIs have a 44% increased risk of dementia. Another class of ulcer drugs, the histamine-2 receptor antagonists, like Pepcid, Zantac and Tagamet, have also been linked to a 242% increase in the risk of cognitive impairment.
2. They Increase Your Risk of Heart Attack
Taking PPIs increases your risk of heart attack by 16% and doubles your risk of dying of a heart attack.
3. They Increase Your Risk of Osteoporosis
PPIs interfere with calcium absorption. Taking them for seven or more years is associated with a 92% increase in the risk of osteoporosisrelated fractures. After five years, there is a 62% increased risk specifically of hip fractures. Postmenopausal women who used PPIs for only two years have a 35% greater risk of hip fracture. When the researchers added this study to ten others in a meta-analysis, they found a 30% increased risk of hip fracture with PPI use. A just published study again found that using PPIs for only two and a half years is a predictive factor for low bone density.
4. They Increase Your Risk of Kidney Disease
Taking PPIs increase your risk of chronic kidney disease by 45% and of progression to end-stage kidney disease. A recent study found an 18% increase in risk for chronic kidney disease that climbed to 92% when people were on a high dose. Other studies have found a significant 230% increase in the risk of acute kidney injury in people with rheumatoid arthritis who were taking PPIs, and a 52% increase in risk of chronic kidney disease in diabetics who take PPIs.
5. They Increase Your Risk of Pneumonia
Taking PPIs increases your risk of getting pneumonia. A meta-analysis of nine studies found an increased risk of between 17% and 50%, depending on how high the dose is
6. They Increase Your Risk of Dysbiosis
Taking PPIs can wreak havoc on your microbiome: they can disturb the healthy balance of microorganisms in your intestine. A study of how diet and drugs affect the intestinal biome concluded that, among the many drugs that negatively affect your microbiome, PPIs have an especially strong negative impact. A second study corroborated that PPIs causes significant gut dysbiosis.
7. They Increase Your Risk of Cancer
Using PPIs can even increase your risk of cancer. People who use PPIs on a long term maintenance basis have an increased risk of oesophageal cancer. Long term maintenance doses of PPIs are also associated with an increase in gastric cancer. The increased risk of gastric cancer is especially high in users who are under forty. A second study found that use of PPIs among people who had eradicated H. pylori infection with clarithromycin-based triple therapy have a significant 244% increased risk of gastric cancer. The risk grows greater the longer you are on the PPIs.
These seven (7) reasons are just the tip of the iceberg on why to go natural in treating your gastro issues. Reach out to us…we want to help get you the results you are desiring.
In good health,
Dr. Serge and Dr. Stacey