Top Screwups Doctors Make and How to Avoid Them: Health care screwups are one of the leading causes of death in America, killing as many as 750,000 people annually. That’s more than heart attacks or cancer. And yet most people don’t know this, including most physicians. From diagnostic disasters to deadly drug interactions, the bestselling authors of The People’s Pharmacy expose the alarming epidemic of medical mistakes in America—and offer a lifesaving prescription to make the healthcare system safe again. Only $26.00 +s/h
Was this information helpful? Average rating: 5/5 (4 votes)
What do you think? Click the stars to vote!
If you have more to say, post a comment below!
Q. Is there a link between acid-suppressing drugs and forgetfulness? My mother has been on Tagamet, Zantac and now Prilosec for many years, and her forgetfulness seems unusual.
A. A recent study reported an association between the use of acid-suppressing drugs such as Pepcid (famotidine), Tagamet (cimetidine) and Zantac (ranitidine) and declining mental function. The subjects were older African Americans in Indianapolis (Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, Aug. 2007).
One possible explanation for such problems might be depletion of vitamin B12. This nutrient is essential for normal mental functioning. Vitamin B12 is absorbed best when there is acid in the stomach. Long-term use of acid-suppressors may make it harder to maintain adequate B12 levels.
Was this information helpful? Average rating: 5/5 (4 votes)
What do you think? Click the stars to vote!
If you have more to say, post a comment below!
I just read the comments from the lady whose Mama was having memory problems and had ALSO been taking acid reducers , like Prilosec, etc., for years.
I would like to ask if the mother had ALSO been on Cholesterol reducers(like Lipitor or other statin-reducers) for any length of time. Why? I was put on Crestor and had horrible memory problems. I complained to my doctor who switched me to Lipitor. Lipitor was even WORSE! The memory problems were caused by those cholesterol-reducing drugs! I would suspect statin drugs first.
Sheila H.
Branson, MO
These over-the-counter acid suppressors have caused me SEVERE DEPRESSION. Reading some other users' comments helped me in realizing that they were their cause, and therefore helped. I am quitting them NOW.
I heard that long term use of prilosec or other acid suppressing drugs could interfere with your stomach's natural enzymes ability to digest food. Is this true? I recently went to the health food store to ask supplements to take if I decided to quit taking this drug. I was given HCL with Pepsin and Digest More. I was told I could take as many of the enzymes as needed and up to 12 of the HCL. I tried it for 2 days and was very uncomfortable. I had horrible acid reflux at night. I quit and went back to the prilosec. I would like to stop taking it and need to know what to do to adjust to the change. Are there any natural products from the health food stores that would help?
I have had chronic GERD and gastritis since I took Nexium and had a horrible adverse experience with it. Since then I have used DGL deglicerized licorice, Aloe + L-Glutamine along with digestive enzymes. These could help you transition off your prescription medicine. Remember to not stop all at once, but to taper off slowly so you don't get a rebound acid attack. Another old remedy is to drink boiled cabbage or spinach water between meals... this really works well.
If you are taking Ranitidine, take some B12 tablets to help offset any memory problems.