A prominent medical study in 2007 found that all common acid reflux prescriptions, including Nexium, Prevacid and Prilosec make hip fractures far more likely. Nearly 50% more hip fractures occurred after just one year of taking the most effective "proton pump inhibitor" drugs! 17190895 (Reference number, see below)
This is shocking news, because one in five people dies after a hip fracture, according to Dr. David Forcione; and it can be presumed that the risk becomes greater with every year that reflux drugs are taken. It now seems that reflux drugs, which act by limiting the acid we produce, thereby limit the amount of calcium we absorb (calcium reacts with acids), imperiling our bones to a startling degree.
Yet both the new and old drugs do not stop reflux, heartburn, or GERD since reflux is "primarily a motor disorder." 15729198 They only reduce the amount of acid within the fluids that come up. Also, older drugs were found to thin bones less only insofar as they were less effective in reducing acid in the first place, so switching back to such drugs as Zantac doesn't help you avoid osteoporosis any more than reducing the dosage of the more recent drugs would.
But there may be worse news hidden in this new study. It may even be that the most profound and common long-term side-effect of reflux drugs is... worse reflux over time! This is because calcium is essential in controlling reflux, not just neutralizing the acids in it. Calcium seems to increase gut mobility 15628717 and have anti-inflammatory action as well as immediately neutralizing acids. 17201221 So if modern acid reflux medications are indeed reducing our calcium intake, then more and worse reflux may be an all-too predicable consequence of taking those drugs for long periods. These drugs may actually be helping to cause the problem they are being prescribed to cure.
Calcium and magnesium are a common treatment for acid reflux, and not just because the calcium we've just eaten combines with acid to neutralize it in the stomach. The calcium available in our body also helps us to deal with stomach acid in reflux by being released and neutralizing it, as well as improving gut mobility and more. Therefore taking calcium long before an episode of acid reflux helps, but only if the calcium is absorbed, needless to say; and current acid reflux medications are helping to prevent that. If over time we have less calcium in our body thanks to reflux drugs such as proton pump inhibitors or older drugs such as Zantac, still worse reflux months or years later may be a likely result. Sadly, the new finding about hip fractures may also explain why so many people who start taking acid reflux drugs end up staying on them year after year, and even decade after decade.
Other conditions can also be strongly affected by calcium deficiency, including epilepsy, anxiety, and muscle spasms. So combining reflux medication with these conditions may not be advised. It is also known that low acid interferes with natural B-12 absorption.
So what to do if you have reflux? The first thing: take all the calcium and B-12 you should (which for almost everyone means taking calcium/magnesium supplements). Note, however, that if you are still taking reflux drugs, these may prevent you from absorbing any calcium from these supplements, as well. At a minimum, it's worth finding out, in consultation with your doctor, whether taking substantial calcium supplements will allow you reduce your dosage of reflux drugs such as PPIs, or help you withdraw from them.
If acid reflux drugs are indeed addicting, then only being off them for some time, during which calcium can be replaced; will tell you if you truly still need them. You should expect a transition period during which reflux is more noticeable because it's now more acidic, before things get better. Take a probiotic as a precaution, because your digestive system may need a whole new kind of bacteria to deal with a more acid enviroment, and because probiotics have been recommended as a treatment for acid reflux symptoms.
Do consider the possibility that your reflux is being caused by other medications you are taking. Asthma medication, anti-depressants and aspirin-class NSAID painkillers can all cause reflux, and taking female hormones may do so. Also, any drug which is a sedative or tranquillizer may slow the peristaltic waves within the esophagus that clear food. Lose weight if you can, since extra pounds worsen reflux.
Other ways of helping acid reflux:
Make sure you are getting enough fiber, since this also helps intestinal mobility. Raise the head of your bed a few inches, and do not use abdominal muscles when you rise from bed - roll onto your left side and use your uppermost arm to raise your upper body. Be certain to drink a full glass of water after taking any medication, as this limits damage to the esophagus. Exercise!
Short term strenuous exercise can cause reflux, but as you learn to "isolate" abdominal muscles and not clench them unnecessarily as you move (a lot easier as other muscles such as leg muscles become stronger) you'll have far less reflux. Limit smoking, alcohol, chocolate, coffee and tobacco and if you do take them, try to do so only in the morning, since these stimulants may possibly cause reflux by altering the stomach and intestine's daily cycles. The good news is that if you've improved these habits since you started taking reflux drugs, the only thing now causing your reflux, might be the acid relux drugs themselves!
