Alzheimer’s linked with PPI use.

Sorry, forgot to remove quote once I had copied and posted the bit I wanted! The PPI's are obviously working.

Esspee A question of you pays your money and takes your choice. One study proves that PPIs increase the dangers of dementia, another study says they do not . Both reputable reaerch projects from reputable universities and published in peer revued journals.

NanTheWiser

I always find it rather concerning when I read of so many people taking PPIs long term. They should only be taken for a short period for relief of reflux, as there are contraindications to taking such medications long term.

As we grow older, our digestive system declines, and stomach acid reduces, but has the same symptoms as overproduction of acid, surprisingly. PPIs are the go-to medication by the medical profession, as they work so well, but no-one is ever tested for low stomach acid.

Stomach acid is essential for digesting food, and protects from several unpleasant infections such as Clostridium difficile, and absorption of necessary nutrients, such as calcium and Vit B12.

Long term use of PPIs can lead to Osteoporosis, and Pernicious anaemia, not to mention duodenal polyps which can become cancerous.

This web page by Chris Kresser, a leading practitioner Of Functional medicine (in the USA), is one of many he has written about the over use of PPIs, and the possible dangers.

chriskresser.com/what-everybody-ought-to-know-but-doesnt-about-heartburn-gerd/

I have had IBS for many years, and GERD/GORD too, as they seem to go hand-in-hand, but would refuse PPIs. I did try Nexium OTC once, but didn’t feel good on it, and it made me vomit, so I try to find alternative methods for relief such as Betaine HCL with pepsin, which replaces reduced stomach acid, and helps digestion.

I have had IBS for many years, and GERD/GORD too, as they seem to go hand-in-hand, but would refuse PPIs.

If you can do that, good for you, but many of us can't. I do try to reduce my dosage regularly but after 30 years of taking the medications, camera tests show that I still show signs of reflux damage to the throat.

I always find it rather concerning when I read of so many people taking PPIs long term. They should only be taken for a short period for relief of reflux, as there are contraindications to taking such medications long term.

As we grow older, our digestive system declines, and stomach acid reduces, but has the same symptoms as overproduction of acid, surprisingly. PPIs are the go-to medication by the medical profession, as they work so well, but no-one is ever tested for low stomach acid.

Stomach acid is essential for digesting food, and protects from several unpleasant infections such as Clostridium difficile, and absorption of necessary nutrients, such as calcium and Vit B12.

Long term use of PPIs can lead to Osteoporosis, and Pernicious anaemia, not to mention duodenal polyps which can become cancerous.

This web page by Chris Kresser, a leading practitioner Of Functional medicine (in the USA), is one of many he has written about the over use of PPIs, and the possible dangers.

chriskresser.com/what-everybody-ought-to-know-but-doesnt-about-heartburn-gerd/

I have had IBS for many years, and GERD/GORD too, as they seem to go hand-in-hand, but would refuse PPIs. I did try Nexium OTC once, but didn’t feel good on it, and it made me vomit, so I try to find alternative methods for relief such as Betaine HCL with pepsin, which replaces reduced stomach acid, and helps digestion.

Monica the research which led to this thread states categorically that the odds of developing Alzheimer’s was significantly higher when taking PPIs.
See my post at 23:22:14.

I was prescribed lnzoprazole after I had been diagnosed as having a duodenal ulcer. my stomach problems improved but still acid relux.
About a year ago my GP changed my prescriptiion from -prazole to Peptac which I find just as good. I think it's based on peppermint.

I have just increased my dose on the doctors recommendation. We had a long discussion about it and she didn't seem worried about the risks. I just add it to all the other medications I am taking and hope for the best. I am sure they all have adverse effects but I believe they are designed to prevent cancer, strokes, heart attacks etc.

My doctor has been very strict with my Omeprazole. I'm on the lowest dose possible. However , Im with Marydoll, it's about quality of life for me. Plenty people who are not on PPIs sadly get Dementia/ Alzheimers. I'm not going to worry about it. All my medications have risks, but I would be in a worse position ( and possibly dead), if I didn't take medications. Each person has to weigh it up. If you stop taking PPIs, there is also a risk of Barrett's Oesophagus or Oesophageal Cancer. So not taking them can have other health risks. Life is risk and none of us live forever.

This is the problem OakDryad

The article you quote, from a reputable peer reviewed journal says .
proton pump inhibitors affect the synthesis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which plays a significant part in conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.
But doesn't say whether, in fact, this does lead to a known increase in dementia in people on PPIs long term.

The research that led to this thread, from another reputable peer reviewed journal - Nature - says
Our data analysis demonstrated no association between the use of PPIs and incidence of AD, and a discretely increased risk of non-AD dementias after adjusting for comorbidities.
(AD _ Alzheimer's Disease, the main cause of dementia)

In other words although PPIs adversely affect a known factor in dementia, it has no effect on the incidence of the disease if the dementia is caused bt Alzheimer's disease, the main cause of dementia (60-70%) and only a slight affect for the smaller group with other forms of dementia. Not really worth worrying about.

There is a seperate argument about people being left on medications long term without regular checks to see if they are still needed because of the long term problems and signs that any of those problems are developing.

I think one of the biggest problems we face is the way doctors prescribe drugs and just keep repeating th eprescription, or, in my case, tell me to just keep buying them over the counter.

I saw my GP about a specific problem with a known cause.The remedy was a prescription for a month on PPI's, yet my GP told me to just keep taking them afterwards but to buy them from any chemist. I knew I didn't need them long term so once the problem was resolved, I stopped taking them.

Thank you Esspee. I read about his in GEN Gentetic Engineeering and Biotechnology News. The key paragraph:

We’ve been able to show that proton pump inhibitors affect the synthesis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which plays a significant part in conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease,” says Taher Darreh-Shori, PhD, senior researcher at the department of neurobiology, care sciences and society. Since there’s no effective treatment for the disease, it’s important to avoid risk factors. We therefore want to draw attention to this so that the drugs aren’t used needlessly for a long time.

www.genengnews.com/news/dementia-link-to-long-term-proton-pump-inhibitor-use-clarified/

… needlessly for a long time.

It’s clear there are people with debilitating symptoms who would be in great discomfort without PPIs but there are also (I suspect) many people taking them who, arguably, might be able to control reflux by dietary changes. I’ve lost count of how many people I know in their 40s and 50s who have been taking PPIs long term to counteract a diet rich in what are possibly trigger foods including alcohol.

I’ve been down the reflux, endoscopy, nothing found but take prescription PPIs anyway route. I wasn’t happy and tried an elimination diet. I found my trigger was a common food. Once eliminated from my diet, the reflux went too.

Sound advice, Monica.

Whenever, I have new medications, I read up on them and weigh up the risks against the benefits. It is about having a balanced approach.
My main priority now, is quality of life. It may not be the best, but I want to live it to the full, as best I can, for as long as possible.

Consider the risks if you dont take your medication for GORD. I think they will even up and the health risks of not taking the pills will more than compensate for any very slight risk of taking them.

Remember the research ( see my post up thread), showed that taking PPIs did NOT increase your risk of getting Alzheimers, the main cause of dementia and only a slight increase in non-Alzheimers caused dementia.

This whole thread is a storm in a teacup.

I’ve read similar worrying reports about various drugs, including the BP pill I’ve been taking for the past 20 years, but I can’t afford to stop it or change it as it suits me unlike others. To be honest you often read other reports contradicting the original, so I wouldn’t worry too much.

MissAdventure

Oh that's awful.
I'm much the same, though, when going through a bad patch.
Just lucky I've only vomited on myself.

Its hellish, especially if you vomit acid, with no warning. It's so embarrassing, even if you are on your own and no-one sees.
Miss A, I hope that things improve for and you get the help and support, you so obviously need.

Oh that's awful.
I'm much the same, though, when going through a bad patch.
Just lucky I've only vomited on myself.

I have been on various meds for reflux and a hernia for the last 30 years. My adult children have had to take it too as they suffer from the same problems. I have worried because my Granddad and my Mum have had/have Alzheimers and I once met a young woman who had Parkinsons which was triggered by the medication which is very, very rare but possible. However, no matter how much I try to control when and what I eat, I have appalling reflux which has to be controlled by medication
My son once had an incident when the reflux was so aggressive and sudden, he sprayed the person he was talking to. Although that person was very understanding, my son was mortified and sobbed for ages afterwards. It was heartbreaking.

I came off omeprazole a few weeks ago having read bad things about some of the prozole family. Including bone thinning and yes Alzheimer’s or some sort of dementia that these drugs might contribute to… luckily mine isn’t too bad and I’ll just take a peppermint liquid or if I’m at work I take Rennies with me

Marydoll

Good advice Espee for those who self medicate.

I havent got any room left for self meds.
I'm too full up with prescribed ones, like you.

My mum took no medication at all, she was fit, healthy and led a very active life - yet she developed Alzheimer’s and died from it just five days ago. I honestly don’t think anyone knows why some people develop Alzheimer’s or dementia when others don’t and such articles can be very upsetting to families involved.

Good advice Espee for those who self medicate.

The paper referred to in my post is not the study in Nature where the age group included was 45 years and over referred to by growstuff and M0nica.
It is the paper by Abdulla Hashmi in Medscape where the age group included was 60 years and over.

The conclusions were:-

“The odds of developing Alzheimer’s disease were significantly higher in current (odds ratio [OR], 1.36; P< .001) and past (OR, 1.11; P< .001) in the control group.
Participants with PPI prescriptions for fewer than thirty days or more than 90 days all had higher odds of developing Alzheimer’s disease than those in the control group. An increased association between the cumulative duration of PPI exposure and the development of Alzheimer’s disease was also observed. The odds of developing Alzheimer’s disease were higher for users with more than 30 days exposure than for users with less than 30 days exposure.”

I know people who self medicate with PPIs and felt it would be helpful to other gransnetters if I aired this research so that anyone on here who felt it was the equivalent of antacids might now consider discussing it with their doctor.

When I spoke to my consultant about this a few weeks ago he was quite cynical about it and assured me that in my situation it was better to keep taking the PPI medication rather than suffer when the incidence of Alzheimer’s was very low. I’ve taken his advice.

I've only taken PPIs post heart attack, when I had to take other medication which could have caused stomach problems. Apart from that, I've never had to take them. However, if I did, I wouldn't bother too much. I've heard from other people how horrible acid reflux etc is. There are loads of factors which have some link to dementia and I doubt if we can avoid them all.

Coughing up acid can lead to Barretts eosophagus, which increases a persons risk of eosophagal cancer.