That’s Right – Big Pharma Is Obeying The Law!

The Law Of Unintended Consequences, That Is…

By Nurse mark

Big Pharma gave us “the little purple pill” – that marvelous, wonderful, convenient cure for the discomfort of heartburn. Some people we know have been taking these PPI drugs for years.

Little did we know that when Big Pharma gave us this miraculous relief for GERD they were also giving us along with it a cornucopia of potentially deadly complications.

It seems that as with many things we do to try to trick Mother Nature, she is far smarter at keeping us healthy than Big Pharma is. When we try to fool Mother Nature she doesn’t like it and there are consequences. Serious consequences.

Acid Blockers – What a deal!

First, Not Only Will Your Heartburn Pill Stop You From Having Heartburn, It Will Stop You From Having Enough Of The Essential Mineral Magnesium.

From the FDA:

“[...] proton pump inhibitor (PPI) drugs may cause low serum magnesium levels (hypomagnesemia) [...] Low serum magnesium levels can result in serious adverse events including muscle spasm (tetany), irregular heartbeat (arrhythmias), and convulsions (seizures) [...] In approximately one-quarter of the cases reviewed, magnesium supplementation alone did not improve low serum magnesium levels [...]“

So, your heartburn medicine lets you eat a lousy diet and still feel great – as long as you don’t mind having low magnesium levels and the risks of having muscle spasms, heart arrhythmia, or seizures… and maybe you feel that not having heartburn is worth that risk.

“But Wait – There’s More!”

Now not only can you have the risks that come with low magnesium, you can enjoy the risks of fractures of the hip, wrist, and spine while you enjoy your heartburn relief.

Another notice from the FDA:

“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today warned consumers and health care professionals about a possible increased risk of fractures of the hip, wrist, and spine with high doses or long-term use of a class of medications called proton pump inhibitors.”

Well, alright – you figure that heartburn relief is worth the risk – after all, you can be really careful not to fall or anything that might bust a bone. And as long as you are sitting down when you have that seizure you should be fine…

“And If That’s Not Enough, A Bonus!”

Wow! Spasms, heart arrhythmia, seizures, and broken bones – all in the name of heartburn relief. How could it get any better?

How about… Watery Diarrhea!

That’s right, now, along with your spasms, arrhythmias, seizures, and fractured bones, you can have Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) – a bacterium that can cause diarrhea that doesn’t improve. Symptoms include watery stool, abdominal pain, and fever, and patients may go on to develop more serious intestinal conditions.

Again, from the FDA:

“FDA notified the public that the use of stomach acid drugs known as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) may be associated with an increased risk of Clostridium difficile–associated diarrhea (CDAD).”

Yowza! Spasms, arrhythmias, seizures, fractured bones, and to top it all off, diarrhea that just won’t stop! All these great health risks, all in just one little purple pill!

I’m going to run right out and get me some! NOT!

OK – I can hear you saying “Alright Mr. Smartypants, so what am I supposed to to? I have terrible heartburn and the pill fixed it. If I stop the pill I get the heartburn back. What’s your solution?”

Folks, this is one of the topics that we write about most often, since it is something that affects so many people. Please look through our previous HealthBet News articles.

To help you out, here is a recent HealthBeat News article about Acid Blocker Drugs that contains plenty of links to other news and information about PPI’s, GERD, Indigestion, and more: Please re-read More Risks From Acid Blocking Drugs (PPIs)

And for those who know that they are hooked on these nasty drugs and want help, please re-read: Help – I’m Hooked On Acid Blocking Drugs!

Or you can just keep taking your “little purple pill” – not only will you get relief from that nasty heartburn, you get to enjoy not one, not two, not even three or four – you get to enjoy five great life-threatening health risks!

What more could you possibly want? Hurry, Hurry, Hurry… step right up and claim your bonuses today!

References
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/SafetyAlertsforHumanMedicalProducts/ucm245275.htm
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/SafetyAlertsforHumanMedicalProducts/ucm290838.htm
http://www.fda.gov/newsevents/newsroom/pressannouncements/ucm213377.htm

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