Antacids Pose Unique Dangers for Seniors
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/09/01/antacids-pose-unique-dangers-for-seniors.aspx
[...] Heartburn, acid reflux, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), peptic ulcer disease and other acid-related conditions are extremely common, and as a result acid-reducing drugs like Zantac, Pepcid, Prevacid and Nexium are among the most widely prescribed medications in the world.
Unfortunately, the drugs are so common that they’re handed out for countless cases of mild indigestion, heartburn and even for “preventive” measures. But these drugs are not only vastly overused … they’re very dangerous as well and in many cases will only make the underlying problem worse.
Acid-Reducers Common Among Seniors
If you have seen a conventional physician for any of the above complaints, there’s a strong likelihood that you’ve been offered an acid-reducing drug as a solution. Likewise, if you’ve been in the hospital recently, you may have even been given the drugs as a solely “preventive” measure.
In one study of 213 patients admitted to the University of Michigan Hospital, only 29 percent were taking acid-reducing drugs before they entered the hospital, but this rose to 70 percent upon admission. Further, half continued taking the drugs unnecessarily after they went home.
This is a serious problem, especially for seniors who are not only at an increased risk of the drugs’ side effects, but who may take the drugs for far longer than they should.
One Canadian study even found that use of the acid-reducing proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) rose 60 percent among seniors from 2001 to 2008, while also showing that an increasing number of the elderly were using the drugs for longer periods of time.
It’s not uncommon for seniors to remain on acid-reducing drugs for up to 15 years at a time, which could have devastating health consequences.
Why are Acid-Reducing Drugs Dangerous, Especially for Seniors?
It’s a two-fold problem beginning with the fact that proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are drugs that VERY effectively block your stomach’s ability to produce acid.
While that may sound like a good thing, in most cases it is the absolute worst approach possible for problems like heartburn and acid reflux, as typically with these conditions your stomach is producing too little stomach acid.
So taking these drugs will only WORSEN your condition.
According to Mitchell Katz, director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health who wrote an editorial on this topic, PPIs are only warranted for the treatment of:
* Bleeding ulcers
* Infection with the ulcer-causing bacteria Helicobacter pylori
* Zollinger-Ellison syndrome (a rare condition that causes your stomach to produce excess acid)
* Severe acid reflux, where an endoscopy has confirmed that your esophagus is damaged
PPIs were never intended for people with heartburn, and according to Katz, "about 60 to 70 percent of people taking these drugs have mild heartburn and shouldn't be on them."
However, I believe the number may be even higher than that, because there are over 16,000 articles supporting the fact that suppressing stomach acid does NOT treat Helicobacter pylori infection, which Katz included above.
One of the explanations for this is that when you suppress the amount of acid in your stomach, you decrease your body’s ability to kill the helicobacter bacteria. So it actually makes your condition worse and perpetuates the problem.
Did Your Doctor Tell You About These Serious Side Effects?
PPIs are also touted as being completely safe, when in reality they carry steep risks. One of the primary concerns is that reducing acid in your stomach diminishes your primary defense mechanism for food-borne infections, which will increase your risk of food poisoning and also your risk of infection with Clostridium difficile, a harmful intestinal bacteria that is common in the elderly.
PPIs also increase the risk of other ailments that seniors are already at an increased risk for, making their risks exponentially higher:
* Pneumonia
* Bone loss
* Hip fractures
The risk of a bone fracture has been estimated to be over 40 percent higher in patients who use these drugs long-term, which again applies to many seniors.
Additionally, if you fail to digest and absorb your food properly, which can occur if you suppress your stomach acid, you will not only increase your risk of stomach atrophy but also nearly every other chronic degenerative disease.
The drugs also lead to both tolerance and dependence on them, so unfortunately you can't stop taking them without suffering repercussions, which may be even worse than your original symptoms.
If you’re already taking a PPI, you'll want to get on a lower dose than you're on now, and then gradually decrease your dose even further. Once you get down to the lowest dose of the proton pump inhibitor, you can start substituting with an over-the-counter H2 blocker like Tagamet, Cimetidine, Zantac, or Raniditine.
Then gradually wean off the H2 blocker over the next several weeks while implementing the lifestyle strategies addressed below.[...]
