If you took PPI meds like Nexium and experienced stomach or kidney problems, you may have a legal claim. Currently, lawyers are investigating patient claims that their kidney problems were caused by PPI medication use.

PPI meds (proton pump inhibitors) are common medications used to treat heartburn and acid reflux. They work by lowering the amount of acid produced in the stomach. Prilosec, Nexium, and Prevacid are common PPI medications. However, recent studies have shown that they can have a negative impact on a user’s stomach and kidneys.

Currently, these drugs are very commonly used, and some experts say that they are overused. Dr. Pradeep Arora, a nephrologist and associate professor at the SUNY Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Science observes that “according to U.S. data, 90 percent of the prescriptions for PPI are not related to FDA-approved indications,” according to WebMD. He goes on to state that as a country, “we are using this medication right and left, and it may be counterproductive for many patients.”

Though many patients use these medications for common heartburn, Arora states that the evidence suggests that people use PPI medication only for serious gastrointestinal disorders like GERD, which is the use for which the Food and Drug Administration initially approved the drugs.

However, as these drugs are so widely used, many patients report PPI kidney problems like chronic kidney disease, a condition in which a person’s kidneys cannot filter blood the way they should. The number of Americans who suffer from chronic kidney disease is increasing, with a reported 20 million Americans living with the condition.

PPI kidney problems have long been studied, but have previously been thought to be limited to short-term kidney problems and acute interstitial nephritis, an inflammatory kidney disease. However, new research suggests PPI kidney problems can be more serious, often even chronic.

In a study of 24,000 patients who developed chronic kidney disease between 2008 and 2008, one out of four patients had previously been taking PPI medication. Additionally, kidney disease sufferers who had taken PPI meds were nearly twice as likely of dying early as kidney disease sufferers who had not taken PPI meds.

In another study, PPI users were found to be more than 50 percent more likely to develop chronic kidney disease than non-PPI users.

Though a cause and effect link has not yet been proven between PPIs and chronic kidney disease, Arora states that “it is very reasonable to assume that PPIs themselves can cause chronic kidney disease,” given the correlation between the two.

Given this mounting evidence, lawyers are investigating if PPI medication manufacturers may have known of the risk of PPI kidney problems but continued to market the drugs to consumers nonetheless. Lawyers are investigating the possibility of holding PPI manufacturers accountable for their possible role in the rise in kidney disease, as it relates to a rise in PPI use.

Joining a PPI kidney problems lawsuit could help you gain compensation for the injury you suffered as a result of PPI med use. If manufacturers are found responsible for wrongdoing, they could be liable for consumer injury.