Millions of people depend upon a PPI medication to control heartburn, but this class of drugs may place patients at risk of serious side effects.

What Is an Example of a PPI Medication?

Nexium (esomeprazole), Prilosec (omeprazole), Prevacid (lansoprazole), Protonix (pantoprazole) and Zegarid (omeprazole/sodium bicarbonate) are all heartburn medications that are PPIs.

What Does PPI Stand for?

PPI means Proton Pump Inhibitor. The PPI drugs inhibit the action of the proton pump in the stomach that is responsible for creating acid in the stomach.

Isn’t Stomach Acid Needed for Digestion?

Stomach acid is an important chemical component to natural digestion, but when a person has too much stomach acid, it can build up and rise into the esophagus, which can suffer irritation and lead to heartburn. When this occurs often, the person is said to suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Too much stomach acid also may initiate stomach ulcers. PPI drugs treat this overproduction.

Are All Heartburn Symptoms Indicative of GERD?

According to a study published in September 2015 in Neurogastroenterology and Motility, one-third of 106 patients who had reflux did not have GERD, but had a condition known as functional heartburn that is not associated with acid reflux. Functional heartburn is a feeling of pressure behind the breastbone and is not helped through acid reduction.

Are All PPIs the Same?

Although all PPIs work by reducing stomach acid production, you might have side effects from one and not from another.

Does Taking a PPI Medication Increase My Risk of a Bone Fracture?

According to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, patients who had taken a PPI drug for more than one year saw a 44 percent increased risk of incurring a hip fracture. Even though the body absorbs calcium through the small intestine and not the stomach, research indicates PPI drugs still might cause a reduction in the proper absorption of calcium.

If I Take a PPI, Do I Have an Increased Risk of Pneumonia?

By inhibiting the acid levels in the stomach, PPIs might allow some bacteria to survive that usually would be inhibited by stomach acid. If any acid reflux that contains bacteria backs up into the esophagus, there is a chance this bacteria may be inhaled into the lungs, causing pneumonia.

Can a PPI Increase My Risk of Stomach Cancer?

Studies suggest that long-term use of a PPI may be associated with an increased risk of stomach cancer. One study found that patients who take PPIs for an extended period of time have more than twice the risk of stomach cancer, also referred to as gastric cancer.

Is There Any Link Between PPI Drugs and Kidney Disease?

At the University at Buffalo, researchers determined PPI patients had a 20 percent increased risk of kidney disease and a four-fold increased risk of kidney failure compared to people who had never taken a PPI. Researchers examined 190,000 patients’ medical records. The risks were deemed higher in patients who were a minimum of 65 years of age.