Heartburn medications are designed to alleviate acid reflux and GERD in patients.

However, recent studies may have uncovered an issue with these popular medications: they may lead to kidney disease.

Heartburn drugs, which are professionally known as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), may be linked to chronic kidney disease according to two studies. Prilosec, generically referred to as omeprazole, was one of those medications.

How Prilosec Is Used

Prilosec and other PPIs are used to help reduce acid reflux by lowering the amount of acid present in the stomach and produced in the future.

The medication is prescribed to those with a history of reflux and heartburn and it is taken by pregnant women as well with pregnancy-related heartburn.

What The Studies Indicate

The study was published in the January 2015 edition of the JAMA Internal Medicine. While the study was suggestive, some physicians are no longer prescribing the medications or they are being more cautious until a more definitive study is released.

The study did not create a direct cause-and-effect relationship between PPIs and kidney disease. However, there was an increased associated risk especially for patients who have an increased dosage amount. Therefore, the authors of the study felt that the link should be mentioned in their article.

One study involved over 24,000 patients and spanned over 2001 to 2008 examining the number of kidney disease cases that occurred. It was found that one out of every four patients that had chronic kidney disease had been prescribed a PPI. They also noted that PPI patients were twice as likely to die prematurely.

The study also concluded that PPI users were 50 percent more likely to develop chronic kidney disease than non-PPI users.

Appropriate Prescribing Verus Inappropriate Prescribing

One issue with the medications may be the fact that the drug has not been used correctly by physicians. Some of the long-term users cited in the study could have stopped taking the medication without recurring symptoms, and there was no need for some patients to remain on the drug.

Physicians failures to follow up with the patients and adjust or stop their PPI intake could partially be the reason there is a heightened link between the drug’s usage and kidney disease. An accident lawyer in Hudson Valley may be able to retrieve compensation for a drug defect in this type of case.

Over time, chronic kidney disease may lead to renal failure, which is a serious condition. The patient may have to undergo dialysis on a regular basis, have a kidney transplant, or they could die.

Because of this risk, the FDA has released a statement that patients should only be prescribed the medication if it is needed and not to treat heartburn only. Instead, a patient should have acid reflux to have this drug prescribed to them.

Diagnosing The Issue

The exact reason for the link is unknown. However, PPIs have been shown to decrease magnesium in the blood. When this is lacking severely in a patient’s body, they could suffer from damage to the kidneys.

Other variables have made it difficult for researchers to pinpoint the exact correlation and further studies will be needed. That being said, an accident lawyer in Hudson Valley should be consulted for any patient that has suffered chronic kidney disease or failure because of their PPI.

Those who have suffered from a chronic kidney problem should speak with an accident lawyer in Hudson Valley to explore their legal options for compensation.