Ulcer Drugs Found to Cause Diarrhea and Colitis

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http://www.mercola.com/2006/jan/5/trade_your_heartburn_for_diarrhea.htm

 

Ulcer Drugs Found to Cause Diarrhea and Colitis

 

 

People who take widely used heartburn drugs like Prilosec, Prevacid

and Nexium may be trading heartburn for another problem: a potentially

dangerous diarrhea caused by Clostridium difficile bacteria.

 

C-diff, as it's known, causes severe diarrhea and the intestinal

inflammation, colitis.

 

C-Diff Cases on the Rise

 

Researchers from McGill University in Montreal studied more than

18,000 patients from 1994 to 2004. They found that the number of

C-diff cases has been increasing, from less than one case per 100,000

people in 1994, to 22 per 100,000 in 2004.

 

What's more, the researchers found that patients taking prescription

heartburn drugs had a much higher risk than those who did not. The

drugs reduce levels of gastric acid that control C-diff bacteria. The

study found:

 

* Patients taking proton pump inhibitors (Prilosec and Prevacid)

were almost three times more likely to have a C-diff infection than

non-users.

* Patients taking H2 receptor antagonists (Pepcid and Zantac) were

twice as likely to have a C-diff infection.

 

Antibiotics and Hospitalization Also Risks

 

People who are hospitalized, and those on antibiotics, also have a

higher risk of C-diff infection.

 

But while some blame the increasing number of C-diff infections on

overuse of antibiotics, the new study points to overuse of

acid-fighting drugs as another likely culprit.

 

Journal of the American Medical Association December 21,

2005;294:2989-2995

 

MSNBC December 19, 2005

 

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

 

Once you understand natural medical principles you will realize that

the likelihood of any synthetic drug or chemical to be an authentic

solution for any chronic health problem is about as likely as the

Chicago Cubs ever winning a World Series (Cubs last won in 1908).

 

Relying on a drug to relieve your chronic health problem is a

prescription for disaster, somewhat like trying to close a stuffed

suitcase. You tuck it in on one side and now can close that side but

by so doing so the other side pops up and now cannot be closed.

 

If you don't take some clothes out of the suitcase, or in the case of

your health, address the underlying problems causing it, any

short-term solution will likely cause you some problems -- and the

longer you use it, the more likely the problem will be to happen and

be more serious.

 

About 40 million Americans suffer from frequent heartburn, and drugs

like Prilosec, Prevacid and Pepcid are the common solution.

 

The proton pump inhibitors like Prevacid and Prilosec and the H2

blocker agents like Tagament, Pepcid and Zantac are some of the worst

drugs that you could possibly take.

 

Along with increasing your risk of C-diff infection, they

significantly reduce the amount of acid you have, inhibiting your

ability to properly digest food. Reduction of acid in the stomach also

diminishes your primary defense mechanism for food-borne infections

and will increase your risk of food poisoning.

 

These drugs have even been linked to an increased risk of pneumonia.

 

Subjecting yourself to this impressive list of potential side effects

is one thing if the drugs are truly necessary. But when it comes to

heartburn, this just simply isn't the case.

 

Here's something those drug makers surely don't want you to know:

 

Heartburn is one of the easiest medical problems to treat.

 

Here's a summary of an article I previously wrote on this:

 

* Learn your metabolic type (you can take our free online test to

do so) and follow a solid eating plan tailored to your specific type.

* Drink up to one gallon of pure water every day combined with

high doses of a good-quality probiotic (beneficial bacteria).

* Eliminate sugars and grains from your diet.

* Eat one to two cloves of fresh, raw garlic per day.

* You can juice fresh red cabbage, as this is particularly healing

to the gut. However, please note that many people (especially protein

metabolic types) do not tolerate large amounts of fresh vegetable juices.

 

Finally, for a more in-depth discussion of how you can recognize and

treat this condition, as well as why you'll want to avoid heartburn

drugs, check out my past article, How to Recognize and Treat Upset

Stomach and Heartburn.

 

Related Articles:

 

How Drug Companies Deceive You - - Inside Story of Nexium

 

Why Did Prilosec Disappear From Drug Stores?

 

How to Recognize and Treat Upset Stomach and Heartburn