Popular heartburn meds increase hip, wrist, and spine fractures

Scooped Again

More than three years ago I sent you an e-mail alerting you about a way to avoid painful and debilitating bone fractures.

And now the FDA has finally caught up.

I admit, scooping this agency is really nothing to boast about. FDA bureaucracy moves slower than a sloth at naptime. But once again it’s time to help get the word out about the bone-crushing side effects of a very popular drug.

Break it up

First we’ll set the Way Back Machine for January 2007, when I told you about new research in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The study compared the use of Nexium, Prilosec, Prevacid, and other proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) in 135,000 subjects without fractures and more than 13,500 subjects who had fractured hips.

Results showed that subjects who used PPIs for more than one year increased risk of hip fracture by 44 percent compared to subjects who didn’t use PPIs. High doses of the drugs were also linked with greater fracture risk.

Absorption is the most likely problem. PPIs are believed to interfere with calcium absorption, and may also reduce bone resorption (part of the natural process that constantly renews the structure of bones).

Now we jump back to spring 2010, and, wouldn’t you know it? It’s even worse than we thought.

Recently, the FDA issued a PPI warning about “possible increased risk of fractures of the hip, wrist, and spine with high doses or long-term use.” In addition, the agency will require PPI makers to include revised product labeling in prescription and OTC PPIs.

An FDA safety officer suggests that doctors who prescribe PPIs “should consider whether a lower dose or shorter duration of therapy would adequately treat the patient’s condition.”

Well, that’s ONE way to go.

But given that PPIs also increase the risk of digestive inflammation and diarrhea caused by a bacterium that’s usually kept under control by stomach acid (yeah, I told you about that one in 2006), I think the average heartburn patient will have a strong desire for relief that doesn’t add more health problems.

I’ve got just the thing.

Burn control

Several times in the past I’ve told you about Dr. Allan Spreen’s simple two-step plan to relieve heartburn and acid reflux. And now’s a great time to remind you again about this inexpensive and very effective method.

Dr. Spreen starts with acidophilus supplements, available at most health food stores and through many Internet sources. He recommends refrigerated varieties in capsules or powdered form. And he adds: “They should be measured in billions (with a ‘B’) of cfu (colony-forming units).”

In step two, believe it or not, acid is added, along with digestive enzymes.

Dr. Spreen explains: “It isn’t acid that’s the problem (you need it desperately for digestion); it’s acid reaching the esophagus.

“Proper digestion allows for higher concentration of acid while tightening the GE junction and protecting the esophagus. I do that using Super Enzymes by TwinLab, two capsules at mid-meal.

“I hate to push just one company, but it’s one of the few enzymes that includes betaine hydrochloride, a plant-based form of acid.”

You’ll find more details about Dr. Spreen’s heartburn protocol (including a backup plan if steps one and two don’t work) in “Fire Down Below.”

To Your Good Health,

Jenny Thompson

Sources:
“FDA: Possible Fracture Risk with High Dose, Long-term Use of Proton Pump Inhibitors” FDA Press Release, 5/25/10, fda.gov

“Long-Term Proton Pump Inhibitor Therapy and risk of Hip Fracture” Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 296, No. 24, 12/27/06, jama.ama-assn.org
“Use of Gastric Acid–Suppressive Agents and the Risk of Community-Acquired Clostridium difficile–Associated Disease” Vol. 294, No. 23, 12/21/05