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Several weeks ago there were a number of reports in the Archives of Internal Medicine about the potential dangers of acid-suppressing drugs. Now the FDA has issued a caution to doctors and patients about an increased risk of fractures associated with such proton pump inhibitors. These are medications such as Aciphex, Nexium, Prilosec, Protonix and Prevacid.
The FDA stresses that this is only a possible risk and the concern is for long-term use. But because the drugs can cause rebound acid, people sometimes stay on them for a long time. Patients taking such medicines should discuss the benefits and risks with the prescribing physician. If they decide together that it is time to stop the medicine, the patient may need the doctor's help.
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I had a patient ask me about the risk of bones breaking from Prilosec use. They wanted to know what a better alternative would be. Any thoughts?
I told them that Tums might be a better option, but wondered if this side-effect was due to lowering stomach acidity. I cautioned that using a lot of Tums throughout the day might lower the acidity just as much and not be much better than the Prilosec.
Please share your thoughts