Heartburn drugs have a new warning – find out what the REAL warning should be

Holding out on us

The FDA just made it official: One of the most popular drugs on the market could be more dangerous than we thought.

I’m talking about PPIs — proton pump inhibitors such as Prilosec and Prevacid. I would bet that if you know any people, you know someone who is taking a PPI.

These heartburn and acid reflux drugs often provide relief, but in exchange for that relief, patients may end up paying a very steep price in the form of increased health risks.

What’s worse, the FDA continues to protect these popular drugs by not explaining the full extent of the danger.

Kind of a big deal

Shutting down some of the pumps that produce stomach acids might seem like a wonderful idea if you suffer from heartburn or acid reflux. In reality, it’s a terrible way to control those conditions.

Two reasons:

1) Contrary to what you might have been led to believe, stomach acids are not there just to make your life miserable — they’re essential for digesting food.

And 2) Stomach acids perform other important tasks, such as protecting your stomach from C-diff (Clostridium difficile), a bacterium that can trigger severe digestive inflammation and diarrhea.

So stomach acid is your friend, not your foe.

But for many patients, PPI use can turn into a downright enemy.

A few months ago I told you about an FDA warning that hypomagnesemia (a dangerous magnesium deficiency) may occur in patients who take PPI drugs daily for three months to one year.

As usual, the agency is late to the party. Evidence linking extended PPI use with hypomagnesemia first emerged several years ago, and only now are FDA officials requiring label changes for all PPI drugs.

Good move, FDA. But it’s just not good enough.

The warning only addresses the extremes. That is: extreme use of the drug and extreme magnesium deficiency.

Here’s what the FDA isn’t admitting: Hypomagnesemia doesn’t develop overnight. After, say, eight months of PPI use, your magnesium level doesn’t suddenly drop off the table.

The decline is gradual.

Obviously, researchers need to get on this right away so we’ll know how soon magnesium depletion begins. Is it one month after use? Ten days? A week?

This is a HUGE issue for every PPI user, because even a gradual drop in your magnesium level can have negative health consequences.

Magnesium helps heart muscles relax, reduces blood pressure, helps control homocysteine, reduces risk of cognitive decline, and plays a key role in DNA production.

Pretty amazing stuff…

But, of course, it doesn’t stop there. You already know magnesium is essential for healthy bones. So this would seem to clearly play a role in the already-existing warning that long-term use of PPI drugs may be associated with increased risk of osteoporosis-related fractures.

Magnesium also helps maintain normal insulin levels. Deplete magnesium levels and you lose one of your key defenses against type 2 diabetes.

Please share this e-mail with anyone you know who suffers from chronic heartburn or acid reflux — because chances are they’re on a PPI (or will be given one soon). And they need a GENUINE warning about the true risks of depleted magnesium levels.

But PPIs are not the only option. There are safe alternatives that don’t put you at risk for more serious issues down the road. Get the details about one safe, effective, and inexpensive alternative treatment for heartburn here.

Sources:
“Detailed View: Safety Labeling Changes Approved By FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) – May 2011” FDA, fda.gov