(21-03-11) Prescription stomach acid drugs lead to magnesium deficiency

by Jonathan Benson, staff writer

(NaturalNews) Popular prescription proton pump inhibitor (PPI) drugs like
AstraZeneca Plc's Nexium and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd's Prevacid will now
contain new labels warning patients that long-term use may cause magnesium
deficiency. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that the more than
21 million patients who take prescription PPIs for conditions like ulcers and
acid reflux disease many need to cease use if magnesium supplementation does
not correct the problem.

According to health officials, using prescription PPIs for as little as three
months can lead to magnesium deficiency. Since most users take the drug for at
least six months, the overall risk is high among users. At least 25 percent of
patients who tried to take magnesium supplements as a remedy, however, were
unsuccessful, resulting in them having to cease the medication altogether.

PPIs are among the most widely prescribed drugs for common ailments like
indigestion and heartburn. A 2010 study published in the journal Archives of
Internal Medicine found that PPIs are highly over-prescribed, even though they
are fraught with negative side effects like an increased risk of bone fractures
and life-threatening infections (http://www.naturalnews.com/028878_p...).

Interestingly, prior to the FDA's recent announcement about PPIs and magnesium
deficiency, the agency actually approved the drugs' use in young children with
gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Even though the drugs can cause an
increase in heartburn, indigestion, and reflux symptoms following the
discontinuation of their use, the FDA claims the drugs are safe for children as
young as one year old (http://www.naturalnews.com/023016_c...).

Other prescription PPIs implicated in causing magnesium deficiency include
Takeda's Dexilant, AstraZeneca's Prilosec and Vimova, Santarus Inc's Zegerid,
Pfizer Inc's Protonix, Johnson & Johnson and Eisai Co Ltd's Aciphex, as well as
generic varieties of many of these PPIs.

as young as one year old.

Sources for this story include:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011...

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In evidenza

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