Heartburn Medicine: Is the Cure the Cause?

Prescription heartburn medications are among the most widely prescribed drugs in America. Millions of people take them and they are a very effective way to treat heartburn. But there's scientific evidence that these medicines might also cause the problem they're designed to cure.

Initially, these drugs were developed for a rare medical condition but over time they've become the standard treatment for heartburn. Now we're learning that overusing these wonder drugs can come at a cost to your health and pocketbook.

“(Heartburn is) probably the most common gastrointestinal complaint people have." Dr. Marcus Thygeson said.

But millions of people are like Vince Squillacioti and suffer from heartburn at least twice a week. Left untreated, the damage can get worse and make it difficult to even swallow. Squillacioti's doctor put him on a popular type of drug that reduces the amount of acid his stomach makes so his esophagus could heal.

“Within a week, I was feeling better," he said.

For most people, eight weeks on the drug should be enough to fix things. But Squillacioti is now into his seventh month of taking the medicine. When he doesn't take it everyday, Squillacioti says he feels acid in his throat.

Could it be that the cure for Squillacitot’s acid reflux is causing the problem too? The drugs are called proton pump inhibitors or PPI's. Some of the most popular brand names include Prilosec, Prevacid, Aciphex and Nexium, which is the second best selling prescription drug in the country.

Stephen Schondelmeyer from the University of Minnesota says about $14 billion are spent on these drugs each year. He says a lot of people are stuck using PPI's far longer than they should.

“They think their heartburn problem is coming back when they stop the medication when in fact they may be suffering a form of addiction withdrawal," Schondelmeyer said. “Their body adjusts to it and their body needs it and then when they withdraw from it their body over secretes the acid and it really causes a need to use the drug again."

J.D. Mayes also has heartburn. His doctor put him on Omeprazole, a generic kind of acid reducer. The recommended standard treatment is four to eight weeks.

In Mayes' case, as soon as he stopped taking the drug the acid came back with a vengeance.

“I’ve been on it ever since," he said. "It’s been two and a half, three years now."

A recent randomized study in Denmark took a group of healthy people who did not have any acid related disease or symptoms and put half on a PPI drug and the other half on a placebo for several months. The ones who took the acid reducer actually developed heartburn problems after they stopped taking the drug.

“They’ve gradually over time become the standard treatment for heartburn because they are very effective." Dr. Marcus Thygeson said.

Experts say staying on the drugs has a cost both physically and financially. Treatment with some of the prescription brand names costs as much as five dollars a day. An over the counter generic version sells for about 60 cents.

But since most insurance plans will only cover prescribed medications that's what a lot of people are using.

“We’re spending $2,000 a year for some patients when really an appropriate therapy should be one month long and cost about $40.” Schondelmeyer said.

There’s also concern that prolonged use blocks your body's ability to absorb calcium and other vitamins. Dr. Thygeson says It can cause various kinds of malnutrition that can lead to weak bones and other kinds of nutritional deficits.

America’s obesity epidemic may also be driving the huge demand to get medicated for heartburn. A few extra pounds of flab around the stomach can trigger the problem. So does smoking and too much alcohol.

Susan Jones suffers from an inherited condition that caused constant heartburn. She was on prescription medicine for seven years.

As long as she took a pill every day she could eat whatever she wanted. Jones says, If I would forget for a day or two it would come back again. Three years ago Jones went on a diet and dropped 80 pounds. Gone is the heartburn and the prescription.

“I just had to eat better,” she said.

Jones had never heard that the drug she was taking might be contributing to her heartburn. Are drug companies telling doctors and patients about that research showing PPI's can actually induce acid problems?

The FOX 9 Investigators contacted the makers of Nexium and other PPI brands.

They all told us that since the Denmark study only looked at healthy volunteers and not people with acid reflux disease the results may not be the same. When used as directed, they say, their products are safe.

Astra Zeneca, which makes the blockbuster drug Nexium, told us there is research which contradicts the Denmark study. We asked an expert from the University of Minnesota to review that research.

It does show that when people are on the drugs for less than six weeks they rarely have problems after stoPPIng treatment. But it also mentions beyond eight weeks