Prilosec is one of the most widely prescribed heartburn medications on the market today. While it is effective at reducing stomach acid, it is a more dangerous drug than the lighthearted commercials would lead you to believe.

Prilosec side effects can include low magnesium levels and inflammation that contribute to kidney damage.

Prilosec is a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), which works by preventing acid from being pumped into the stomach. New research indicates that Prilosec and other PPIs can cause vascular cells to prematurely age.

This new evidence could be why PPI drugs have been linked to an increased risk in kidney problems and heart issues.

The American Heart Association published the study in its online edition of its May 2016 Circulation Research journal. Scientists from the Houston Methodist Research Institute’s Cardiovascular Sciences department examined the actions of  Prilosec, Nexium and other PPIs.

When stomach acid secretes into the stomach, it is the proton pump of a certain cell that allows the acid through. PPI medications stop the proton pump from letting that acid enter the stomach. This is how incidence of acid reflux, heartburn and GERD are controlled by PPIs.

Literature that accompanies a PPI prescription indicates the medication should not be used longer for 14 days at a time, and then repeated no more than every four months.

Thousands of people have relied on these drugs daily for years, not realizing that Prilosec side effects can include kidney damage and heart problems that can result from such overuse.

Studies Point to Kidney Problems

The Department of Veterans Affairs’ researchers conducted a study that showed patients who take Prilosec or other PPIs could be up to 96% more likely to develop kidney failure and 28% more likely to experience chronic kidney disease after using the drugs for five years.

The JAMA internal Medicine journal published a study in February that looked 260,000 patients in two communities. PPI users were shown to be at a 20% to 50% higher risk of developing chronic kidney disease than those who did not take the drugs.

Dr. Adam Schoenfeld, an internal medicine resident at UCSF, wrote an editorial expressing his concern not only about the relationship between PPI use and kidney problems, but also that the drugs are widely overprescribed.

Prilosec and other PPIs are the third most prescribed medications in the United States. The CDC published estimates that a minimum of 16 percent of the population between ages 55 and 64 take PPIs.

In 2014, researchers from the University of Findlay College of Pharmacy warned of widespread overuse and abuse of PPIs. Many people who take Prilosec or other such medications do so for more than four years straight as a way of life.

Many doctors maintain that most people could avoid Prilosec side effects and would not need to take such a dangerous drug if they would simply correct poor eating and drinking habits.

Prilosec’s commercial starring Larry the Cable Guy ends with him enjoying a BBQ meal, implying that the drug allows users to thumb their nose at healthy eating habits.

Kidney Damage Lawsuits

Makers of Prilosec and other PPIs are facing lawsuits from patients who are dealing with kidney damage after taking these drugs.

Many users say they found about Prilosec side effects too late. If the pharmaceutical companies had been forthcoming about the dangers of taking PPIs for the last 35 years, a majority of users indicate the warnings would have been heeded.

Thousands of lawsuits could be filed because millions of people take Prilosec and other PPIs. A class action lawsuit could be the best way to receive compensation for kidney problems that you or a loved one have suffered after relying on the supposed safety of Prilosec and other drugs in its class.