Now we can add fractures to the list of side effects for these dangerous drugs. Action Alert!
A new study has found that proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are associated with an increase in fracture risk among kidney transplant recipients. Unfortunately this is just one more item among the many dangers that have been associated with these drugs. In fact, there are lawsuits currently alleging that PPIs cause kidney damage. You can help us get these and other dangerous drugs off the market by visiting our Legal Center.
It gets even worse. One recent study found that kidney transplant recipients are prescribed PPIs with no indication—that is, for no stated reason—and PPI use in these patients can persist after transplant for up to three years. This finding was confirmed by other researchers, who further found that transplant patients taking PPIs were at a higher risk of contracting clostridium difficile (C. diff), a debilitating bacterial infection that hits 500,000 Americans a year and kills 30,000.
Then there are the side effects, which we’ve written about extensively. Acid blockers:
- Increase the risk of bacterial infection, including pneumonia, and bone fracture.
- Shut down lysosomes (the cell’s garbage disposal) in every cell in the body, inhibiting energy production and detoxification.
- Cause both acute and chronic kidney disease.
- Increase the risk of dementia by as much as 52%.
- Raise the risk of heart attack by as much as 20%.
- Increase the risk of babies developing asthma by 30%, with some acid blockers (like Pepcid and Tagamet) increasing the risk by 46%.
Acid blockers do not address the root cause of stomach trouble, which is often too little stomach acid, not too much. This means that in many cases, taking acid blockers simply makes your stomach problems even worse. Public health experts say between 60 and 70% of people who take these drugs don’t need them.
There are also natural ways to address acid reflux and too much stomach acid. Lifestyle changes can help, which include avoiding certain foods such as coffee, chocolate, alcohol, spicy foods, and carbonated beverages; quitting smoking; losing weight; avoiding eating close to bedtime; elevating the head while sleeping; and limiting use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Nutrients that can be helpful include calcium, magnesium, calcium, melatonin, and raft-forming agents—combinations of a gel-forming fiber (e.g., alginate or pectin) with an antacid buffer (commonly sodium or potassium bicarbonate).
With the long list of negative side effects, it should come as no surprise that there are pending legal cases against PPIs. These cases have been slated to be consolidated into a Multi-District Litigation (MDL), which centralizes pretrial activities for multiple cases to save time, court costs, and attorney’s fees.
PPI brands include:
- Aciphex (rabeprazole)
- Dexilent/Kapidex (dexlansoprazole)
- Nexium (esomeprazole)
- PrevAcid (lansoprazole)
- Prilosec (omeprazole)
- Protonix (pantoprazole)
- Vimovo (esomeprazole and naproxen)
- Zegerid (omeprazole/sodium bicarbonate)
Visit our Legal Center and help us remove dangerous drugs like PPIs from the market. You can also take action below to support important reforms to the drug approval process and the post-approval safety monitoring of drugs.
