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Tag: Side effects

  • How to avoid harm from prescription drug overload

    How to avoid harm from prescription drug overload

    Medications can treat symptoms, prevent disease, and even extend our lives. But can taking too many drugs be harmful? A new report from the Lown Institute finds that millions of older Americans are at risk of harm from the side effects of multiple prescription drugs, an epidemic experts are calling “Medication Overload.”

    Over the past few decades, the number of medications Americans are taking has skyrocketed. Currently, 42 percent of Americans age 65 and over take five or more drugs compared to just 13 percent in the mid-1990s. Nearly 20 percent of older Americans take ten or more medications.

    Taking five or more medications should be seen as a red flag for potential harm. Each additional prescription drug increases the risk of serious side effects, such as delirium, falls, and bleeding. Last year, five million older Americans – one in ten – sought medical treatment for an adverse drug event. More than a quarter million were hospitalized. It’s very likely that you or someone you know has experienced harm from too many medications, whether it is physical harm from drug side effects or mental exhaustion from managing a laundry list of medications.

    Fortunately, patients, families, and caregivers can take steps to reduce medication overload.

    While our culture reinforces the idea that there’s “a pill for every ill,” patients, families, and caregivers can and should question that assumption. The best way to prevent harm from medication overload is to avoid taking unnecessary medications in the first place.

    Before adding another medication to your regimen, ask your doctor these questions:

    • What is this medication for?
    • How will we know when the medication is working or not working?
    • When should I stop taking this medication?
    • Can I start on a lower dose and see if that works?
    • Are there side effects I should watch out for if I take this medication?

    If you believe that you, or a family member, are experiencing harmful side effects from medication overload, or are having trouble managing too many pills, ask your primary care provider for a “prescription checkup.” This checkup is an opportunity to discuss any side effects you’re concerned about, and identify any unnecessary or potentially harmful medications you can stop or taper. If possible, bring a full list of the medications you (or your family member) are taking to the visit.

    Engaging in conversations about medications with your doctor is an essential part of reducing medication overload, but it is by no means the only solution. (For a full list of recommendations for addressing medication overload, see the Lown Institute report.) Health professionals, policymakers, and patients must come together to tackle this problem, for the sake of the health and well-being of millions of Americans.

    This post was co-written by Judith Garber, a health care policy and communications fellow at the Lown Institute and co-author with Brownlee of “Medication Overload: America’s Other Drug Problem.”

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  • Older adults increasingly using marijuana products with some risk

    Older adults increasingly using marijuana products with some risk

    Older adults are taking medical marijuana to ease pain and anxiety. But, as Dr. Marc Manseau has previously reported on Just Care, there is little to no scientific evidence that weed helps any mental illness, and it can be addictive. In fact, there are studies showing that cannabis can make depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder worse. Now, Paula Span reports for the New York Times, that older adults are increasingly smoking and vaping marijuana as well as taking marijuana edibles and using other marijuana products, including salves, oils, tinctures, and patches, despite the lack of scientific evidence that they help.

    Span interviews one older Californian from Laguna Woods who says that virtually every older person she knows is using some form of marijuana. They use it to calm their nerves, as a sleep aid and for pleasure. A local shop charters a bus to bring older residents to their outlet to buy marijuana at a “discount.”

    In November, residents of Utah and Missouri voted to legalize medical marijuana. Now, medical marijuana is legal in 33 states and the District of Columbia. Recreational use of marijuana is legal in ten states. Marijuana is not legal under federal law.

    Medicare does not cover medical marijuana even though some physicians believe that marijuana can be beneficial for easing pain without the side effects of opioids. And, there is some evidence that it also helps people reduce nausea and vomiting that may accompany chemotherapy. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine issued a report in 2017 citing a number of conditions for which marijuana may have clinical benefits.

    That said, it is worrisome that people are treating themselves with little direction from their physicians. And, as we have previously reported, marijuana can have dangerous interactions with some prescription drugs.

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  • The side effects of gout medication

    The side effects of gout medication

    Gout is one of the most painful types of arthritis. While medications can help, lifestyle and dietary changes can minimize flare-ups and the use of drugs.

    Gout has a name-recognition problem. Even though its prevalence is increasing dramatically in the US, many physicians don’t recognize how serious the condition can be, says N. Lawrence Edwards, MD, a rheumatologist with University of Florida Health in Gainesville and chairman of the Gout & Uric Acid Education Society. (Editor’s note: The society receives funding from pharmaceutical companies.) “We know more about gout’s causes and genetics than any other form of the disease, yet it remains one of the most poorly treated forms of arthritis,” Edwards says.

    This very painful form of inflammatory arthritis is caused when uric acid crystals accumulate in the joints. It can manifest through sudden, severe pain, redness, tenderness and swelling in the joints, and often starts with the big toe. About 4% of American adults have gout, about double what it was 30 years ago, Edwards says. It impacts about 8.3 million Americans. The rate is soaring because of an aging population, and is also impacted by the obesity epidemic, he notes.

    Treating Short-Term Gout Attacks

    To treat short-term gout attacks, doctors typically prescribe NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as Advil (ibuprofen) or Aleve (naproxen), the pain reliever Colcrys (colchicine) or corticosteroids, says Rajat Bhatt, MD, a rheumatologist in Kennewick, Washington. Prescription NSAIDs such as Celebrex (celecoxib) can be taken at a high dose during an acute attack, and then taken at a lower daily dose to try to prevent further attacks. However, they can cause stomach pain, bleeding and ulcers.

    Colchicine is used to reduce gout pain. Low daily doses might be prescribed to prevent future attacks. Side effects can include nausea, diarrhea and vomiting. Corticosteroids, such as prednisone, can be prescribed to reduce pain and inflammation. They can increase blood sugar levels and blood pressure and may induce mood changes.

    Long-Term Treatment

    For many, however, gout is a chronic condition. Long-term treatment comes from medications that reduce uric acid levels. “Very good approaches have been around for a long time,” Edwards says. This includes Zyloprim (allopurinol), a xanthine oxidase inhibitor (XOI) that reduces uric acid production. The Mayo Clinic warns that taking allopurinol during a gout attack may make the attack worse or increase the likelihood of an attack right after you’ve started taking it. Edwards says about 10% of patients can’t tolerate the drug because of stomach problems or rashes.

    Uloric (febuxostat) is another XOI that can reduce uric acid production, thus reducing the frequency and severity of attacks. But it can cause joint and muscle pain and nausea. Zurampic (lesinurad) can be prescribed along with an XOI to help reduce uric acid levels if an XOI isn’t effective enough on its own. However, the Mayo Clinic warns it can increase cardiovascular risks. It can also cause other side effects, such as headaches, flu-like symptoms and kidney stones.

    If other gout medications haven’t done the trick, Krystexxa (pegloticase) can be given every two weeks as an intravenous infusion. It changes uric acid into a substance called allantoin that is easily eliminated from the body. It can cause gout flare-ups, allergic reactions and chest pain. . . .

    Dietary Changes to Minimize Medicines

    Although gout may be inevitable for some, dietary and lifestyle changes may reduce gout flare-ups and reduce the needs for drugs. Certain foods, such as red meat, some seafood and alcohol, are known to contain high levels of purines, substances in plant and animal food that your body converts to uric acid. Bhatt recommends a vegetarian, low-purine diet to decrease the likelihood of gout attacks. Low-purine foods include low-fat non-fat dairy products, vegetables, nuts and grains. He also recommends that patients maintain a healthy weight, as obesity is associated with gout.

    The Gout & Uric Acid Education Society also recommends limiting intake of fruits that contain a high level of fructose, a naturally occuring sugar, as well as cutting back on soft drinks, which contain high-fructose corn syrup. Fruits high in fructose include apples, grapes, peaches and pears. In addition, you should avoid cereals, ice cream, candy and fast food, as they can be high in sugar and salt.

    As part of the long-running Nurses’ Health Study, researchers looked at the relationship between coffee consumption and the risk of gout in nearly 90,000 women over the course of 26 years. It found a reduced risk for women who consumed coffee, according to a 2010 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

    Meanwhile, a study published in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism in 2012 found that consuming cherries can help reduce uric acid and was associated with a 35% lower risk of gout attacks. Eating 20 cherries a day provided the beneficial effect. Less than that number didn’t help. Using a cherry extract also helped to lower gout attacks. And combining cherries and allopurinol was found to reduce the risk of gout attacks by 75%.

    Edwards says drinking cherry juice can decrease gout flare-ups, but patients who need “a uric acid medication need to stay with it for life.”

    This article was exerpted from and originally published in Medshadow.org.

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  • How to ensure the drugs you take are safe and effective

    How to ensure the drugs you take are safe and effective

    Drugs recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration–within the last ten years–may turn out not to be safe or effective. How can this be? And, how can you ensure the drugs you take are safe and effective?

    To be clear, the FDA only approves drugs that it finds to be safe and effective.  But, it bases its approval on limited data. So, what might appear to be safe and effective at the drug approval stage, may turn out not to be. One in seven older adults experience harmful drug side effects.

    To get a drug approved, pharmaceutical companies must conduct clinical trials or lab tests that show the drug is safe and works better than a placebo, essentially a sugar pill or nothing. But, clinical trials are usually performed on a small cohort of people, a tiny fraction of the number of people who will end up taking the drug. Often the people in the clinical trials are not elderly or children or otherwise like the people who are prescribed the drug. As a result, in the real world, outside of the clinical trials setting, the drug may be ineffective or, worse still, dangerous for some people who take it. Drug safety is a big issue.

    Sometimes, a drug’s potentially dangerous side effects may only become evident after six months or a year of a person taking it. But, a clinical trial may last for only six months. And, about 10 percent of the time, a drug may be prescribed for off-label use. When prescribed off-label, for a different condition from which it was tested, people may experience dangerous side effects. Keep in mind, as well, that peer-reviewed papers showing the value of the drug for a particular condition, may be biased. Too often the papers’ authors have financial ties to the drug industry.

    Unfortunately, the FDA does not do the job it needs to do monitoring drugs after they are approved and publicly reporting their side effects. Indeed, because it is very hard to prove that people’s side effects stem from a particular drug, drugs with dangerous side effects may not be pulled from the market for many years. Even warnings about these side effects may not be published.

    What can you do? 

    1.  Choose your doctors carefully. Make sure that your doctors listen to you and take the time to know you.
    2. At each doctor’s visit, question whether you still need to be taking the prescription drugs your doctor has prescribed or whether it is possible to stop taking one or more of them.
    3. Check to see whether your doctor is taking money from drug companies on Dollars for Docs. If so, consider talking to your doctor about that in connection with the drugs your doctor has prescribed for you.
    4. If there’s a generic substitute for the drugs you take or a lower-cost alternative, ask your about switching to that drug.
    5. If a drug you are taking was recently approved by the FDA, ask about side effects and whether there is an older drug you could be taking instead. With an older drug, you have a better sense of the drug’s safety and usually pay less for it.

    Ironically, the FDA does not allow people to import drugs for personal use for “safety” reasons. That said, Kaiser Health News reports that 19 million Americans import drugs from abroad every year. No one has ever reported a safety issue from prescribed drugs bought from a verified pharmacy abroad. Indeed, by some counts 70 percent of the drugs we take in the US were manufactured abroad.

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  • Tips for driving safely

    Tips for driving safely

    As you get older, it can become increasingly challenging to drive. A variety of health conditions can affect your ability to drive. If you are concerned about whether you or someone you love is a safe driver, talk to your doctor. Don’t risk hurting yourself or others. Here are tips for driving safely from the National Institutes of Health.

    If your joint and muscles are stiff, you may have difficulty turning your head to see oncoming cars or responding to a situation where you need to turn the steering wheel or brake quickly. In these situations, you are likely better off driving an automatic car with power steering and brakes and big mirrors. And, you should exercise so that you are as strong and flexible as possible.

    If your vision is not what it used to be, you may have trouble seeing people and things in front of you as you drive. You also might struggle to see at night. Visit the eye doctor to ensure your vision is as good as possible. You also might consider stopping driving at night.

    If your hearing is failing, you may not hear horns and sirens and may not be warned when you need to get out of the way. Make sure to have your doctor check your hearing. Also, consider keeping the radio off while you are driving so that you are better able to hear outside noises.

    If you have mild dementia, you may continue to drive. But, you want to stop when your memory weakens and you are unable to remember where you need to go. You may not appreciate the challenges of driving.

    As your reflexes slow down, you may not be able to respond as quickly as needed while you are driving. Try to not to get too close to the car in front of you, brake sooner, and, if possible, stay out of rush-hour traffic. If you need to drive when the roads are busy, try to keep to the right lane.

    If you are taking medicines, be sure to note whether the warning label includes side effects like drowsiness or lightheadedness.  If so, driving can be unsafe, and you should not be driving. Be sure to check the warning labels on your medicines and discuss them with your doctor to see whether you should be driving while taking them.

    To be safe, try not to drive when the weather is bad and at night and avoid highways, if possible. Here are helpful tips on how to help someone you love decide when to stop driving.

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  • Lasik surgery may permanently harm your eyes

    Lasik surgery may permanently harm your eyes

    Before deciding to spend your money on Lasik surgery (laser eye surgery) to correct your vision, you should understand the potentially harmful side effects. Roni Caryn Rabin reports for The New York Times that Lasik surgery may permanently harm your eyes. Blurry vision and dry eye are two common side effects of Lasik surgery, which can last a lifetime.

    Lasik surgery is a fairly common procedure. Since it was first approved, nearly 10 million Americans have gotten Lasik surgery to correct their vision. Yet, many of them appear not to appreciate the potential side effects.

    The side effects of Lasik surgery range in number and severity. Some people experience irreversible damage to their eyes, with serious trouble seeing and agonizing eye pain after Lasik surgery. One person featured in Rabin’s story reported seeing in triplicate, extreme sensitivity to light, light rings around bright objects, dry eye, a burning sensation in his eyes, and poor night vision.

    The FDA lists several side effects of Lasik surgery on its web site, but reports that “most patients are very pleased with the results.” Results of a recent clinical trial of Lasik surgery patients published in January 2017 in JAMA Ophthalmology suggest that the FDA may be overstating people’s satisfaction with the results. “Many participants without visual symptoms at baseline developed symptoms following the procedure,” according to the JAMA study.

    Almost half of people who had healthy eyes and received Lasik surgery developed visual aberrations afterwards. Almost one in three people suffered dry eye pain after Lasik surgery. In a 2008 FDA hearing, people who received Lasik surgery testified to the chronic pain they experienced after surgery, as well as job loss, depression and suicidal feelings.

    No doubt, many people appear happy with Lasik surgery. And, some people who receive laser eye surgery experience harmful side effects that go away after a few months. But, the risks of blurry vision, chronic eye pain, light sensitivity, and poor night vision are real and should not be taken lightly.

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  • Osteoporosis, bisphosphonates and how to keep your bones strong

    Osteoporosis, bisphosphonates and how to keep your bones strong

    Bisphosphonate drugs, such as Fosamax, are marketed heavily to older adults as a medicine that keeps your bones strong, particularly for people with osteoporosis. Like all drugs, bisphosphonates have side effects. It’s important to know who benefits from bisphosphonate drugs before deciding to take one.

    Bisphosphonate drugs treat osteoporosis by decreasing the breakdown (resorption) of bone that is part of bone’s normal remodeling process but that speeds up with age. The FDA approved the first bisphosphonate, Fosamax or alendronate, in 1995. These drugs are marketed heavily to prevent broken bones in older adults.

    Osteoporosis is a key reason why a fall can be so catastrophic for an older person. A bone breaks and with the decreased mobility, a downward spiral begins. Hip fractures for example carry about a 25% risk of mortality within a year.

    Who do bisphosphonates benefit?

    Bisphosphonates are proven to benefit women with very low bone mineral density and women with a history of fractures. Their greatest impact has been on vertebral fractures, although they also have been shown to decrease rates of hip and wrist fractures. To get an idea of the size of the benefit, for every 100 women taking the medicines, six avoided a fracture of some sort over three years of therapy.

    Formulations of the bisphosphates exist where the drugs can be taken weekly or monthly, and these are as effective as the ones taken daily. People who take them should continue to take calcium and vitamin D.

    Good evidence also exists that the bisphosphonates help with the osteoporosis induced by the use of steroids, which sometimes have to be used for years for the treatment of various chronic inflammatory condition.

    Are bisphosphonates overmarketed?

    Some authorities believe that drug companies have overmarketed bisphosphonates, and that doctors prescribe  them to too many women who do not have osteoporosis, but “osteopenia,” a condition invented by the pharmaceutical companies. People with osteopenia have a lower bone mineral density than “normal” but not as low as to be diagnosed with osteoporosis. Our bone densities, muscle mass, brain mass, etc, decline with age.

    For the ravages of aging, the one best thing anyone can do (perhaps besides not smoking) is to exercise. As millions of women took bisphosphonates, reports multiplied of a rare fracture of the femur, after a patient has been on the drug for five years or so, and also of a rare type of deterioration of bone in the jaw. The latter tended to occur in people with cancer or otherwise suppressed immune systems. (You can read more on Just Care here.)

    The evidence is evolving on how long people should take these drugs. After a few years, you should discuss with your doctor whether you should continue, and make sure you understand the risks and continued potential benefits.

    Don’t forget calcium and vitamin D

    Calcium helps keep your bones strong and healthy. So, it is wise to incorporate foods with calcium, such as milk and yogurt, into your daily diet. If you’re not getting enough calcium, exercise may be your best bet for bone health; as I have explained in another post, the evidence is weak that calcium supplements will benefit you.

    Vitamin D supplements also seem to be over-rated as far as bone health, as supplements do not lower fracture risk for those living in the community. It is good to eat salmon and tuna or milk supplemented with vitamin D. For those living in nursing homes on the other hand, they do lower the risk of fractures from falls.

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  • New cancer drugs cause serious side effects

    New cancer drugs cause serious side effects

    Laurie McGinley at the Washington Post reports on new cancer drugs–checkpoint inhibitors–that cause serious side effects. These therapies treat people with advanced melanoma and complex bladder, kidney and lung cancers. But doctors are not always aware of the side effects, which may need to be addressed immediately to protect a patient’s health.

    One new cancer treatment put a 55-year old woman’s cancer in remission. At the same time, the cancer treatment caused Diane Legg to start seeing black specks in both eyes. She was misdiagnosed as having a torn retina requiring laser surgery, when in fact she had uveitis, inflammation of the eye. The misdiagnosis delayed her treatment for the inflammation. And, perhaps because of the delay, she continues to see specks.

    Different immunotherapy treatments using checkpoint inhibitors have different side effects. But, with some immunotherapies, as many as seven out of 10 patients may experience side effects. They can be minor rashes, to diabetes, to grave heart conditions. Legg’s cancer treatment caused her to get arthritis, lung inflammation, pneumonitis and liver inflammation, in addition to the uveitis.

    The side effects from an immunotherapy can present like the flu or food poisoning and get mistreated. Doctors need to know that and be prepared. Immunotherapy patients, in turn, need to be aware of the difference between immunotherapy and chemotherapy because they have different side effects. Any new doctors they see following their immunotherapy treatments need to understand they are immunotherapy patients in order to treat them appropriately. And, patients need to report what they might believe to be minor side effects as soon as possible to their doctors.

    Most doctors believe that treating the cancer through immunotherapy is worth the side effects because the cancer is life-threatening, unlike most side effects. And, on the face of the evidence to date, that makes sense. But, these are early days. Over time, there will be more data on the risks of harm as compared to the likelihood of benefit from immunotherapies.

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  • Prednisone can have sinister side effects

    Prednisone can have sinister side effects

    All medicines come with side effects, some good, some bad. The corticosteroid prednisone is no exception. Prednisone has life-saving anti-inflammatory properties. But this miraculous drug is also known to have sinister side effects.

    Most doctors will warn patients about weight gain, body hair growth, insomnia, acne, nausea, headache and redistribution of fat to various parts of the body. (Typically, these side effects are minor but increase with longer-term use. See Need to Know: Corticosteroids.)

    But too few patients are warned about the psychological side effects of prednisone, and patients can be surprised and confused.

    Prednisone affects areas of the brain that manage the regulation of different neurotransmitters, including serotonin and dopamine — the “feel-good” hormones. Feeling happy is a great side effect some people feel with prednisone. Other responses are more menacing, especially if you don’t know what to expect. The delayed effect I had to prednisone was startling and scary.

    Prednisone treats conditions such as allergic reactions, skin conditions, autoimmune disorders like lupus, breathing disorders, arthritis and ulcerative colitis.

    I was prescribed a 19-day high-dose course of prednisone to treat a severe allergic reaction. I was warned about the possibility of developing insomnia and several of the other physical reactions. Nothing was mentioned about a possible psychological response. When insomnia struck, I just went to the doctor to get a sleep aid. When I completed my course of prednisone without any other side effects, I thought I was in the clear. I was wrong. My prednisone problems were only beginning.

    Five days after my last dose, I was struck with sudden shortness of breath. I thought I was having a heart attack and went to the hospital. The doctor determined that my heart was fine, and diagnosed me as having had an anxiety attack. Neither the doctor nor I made a correlation between the prednisone and the anxiety attack. I’d never had an anxiety attack before, and felt like it had come out of the blue. I had not been battling any anxiety prior to the shortness of breath.

    Over the next month I continued to have smaller versions of the episode, resulting in many doctor visits. Finally, I was urged to see a psychiatrist about my recurring anxiety.

    Mystery Solved

    When I told the psychiatrist about my allergic reaction, which had ended 2 months ago, and my prednisone treatment, she reassured me that my anxiety was an expected side effect of the drug.

    While reassuring, it would have been nice to know that sooner. Not only could I have avoided many doctor visits and saved a lot of money in additional tests, I would have known that I wasn’t crazy. Looking through my medical charts, I saw my providers began to describe me as an “anxious” individual and did not seem to take my concerns seriously.

    According to a December 2013 study, 1 percent of the patients who take a dose higher than 40 mg will have an adverse psychiatric reaction. Females may be at a higher risk. The higher the dose, the higher the risk is for a psychiatric reaction. At 80 mg, the risk rises to 18.4 percent. I was high-dose, starting at 70 mg and stepped down by 10 mg every 3 days.

    A case study describes a 45-year-old woman with no past history of mental illness. She was being treated with prednisone and started reporting severe mood swings. Her symptoms were similar to severe bipolar disorder. It was determined that her psychiatric condition was prednisone-induced.

    Yes, There Are Upsides to Prednisone

    Many people enjoy the benefits of prednisone and other corticosteroidswhen they elevate mood, creating a sense of euphoria and excessive energy. Lene Andersen, a rheumatoid arthritis sufferer, has occasionally taken the drug. “I tend to feel really good on prednisone,” she says. “When I went to a higher dose I had some depression, though I’m not sure that was from the prednisone.”

    On the flip side, anxiety and irritability are a well-known side effect, she says.

    “When we live with rheumatoid arthritis, we often put up with serious side effects because of the benefit of the drug,” she says. “When it comes to emotional side effects, see if there are other solutions rather than adding more drugs to combat the psychological effects.”

    Looking for Alternatives

    For example, rather than taking antidepressants to treat depression, find emotional support from friends to lessen the impact.

    “Meditation cannot be underestimated,” she says. “It’s a way to take a deep breath and not get caught up in that spiral of emotional reaction.”

    There are pros and cons to knowing all the adverse side effects to prednisone before taking it, she says.

    “But information is power,” she explains. “It’s important to know what may happen to you. A lot of doctors will talk about the physical side effects, but not the psychological ones.”

    She urges those taking prednisone to ask friends and family to keep an eye on you. “Knowing what to expect psychologically may lessen the emotional toll of the side effects,” she says.

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  • Prolonged use of PPIs may increase risk of stomach cancer

    Prolonged use of PPIs may increase risk of stomach cancer

    Prolonged use of a class of drugs popularly used to control acid reflux and heartburn (proton-pump inhibitor or PPI) can significantly increase one’s risk of developing stomach cancer.

    Researchers looked at more than 60,000 adults who had taken a combination of a proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) and two antibiotics to kill H. pylori bacteria for 7 days. Eliminating that bacteria from the gut can significantly lower a person’s risk of developing stomach cancer. However, many people continue to take a PPI regularly after the bacteria has been eliminated, often for years.

    The patients were then monitored for an average of 7.5 years. The researchers compared those who were taking PPIs with another drug class used to decrease acid production in the gut, H2 receptor antagonists (H2 blockers).

    PPIs and H2 blockers are widely available over the counter. Common PPIs include Nexium (esomeprazole), Prevacid (lansoprazole) and Prilosec (omeprazole). Popular H2 blockers include Pepcid (famotidine), Tagamet (cimetidine) and Zantac (ranitidine).

    Those on PPIs had a 2.4 times higher risk of developing stomach cancer, the researchers reported in the journal Gut. However, taking an H2 blocker was not linked to a higher risk.

    The risk also increased the more frequently a PPI was used. Daily use was associated with a 4.5 times higher risk of developing stomach cancer compared with weekly use. Also, the longer a PPI was used, the greater the risk.

    After more than a year of use, the risk of stomach cancer increased 5-fold; 6-fold after 2 or more years; and more than 8-fold after at least 3 years.

    Other research has indicated long-term use of PPIs can lead to other side effects, including pneumonia, heart attack and bone fracture. The study’s authors say that doctors should exercise caution when telling patients to take a PPI for a long period of time.

    This post was first published in www.medshadow.org.

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