The Medical Risk: A Failed Experiment
About a week ago, I had an idea. I thought I would see what happened if I went off my proton pump inhibitor.
For those of you not in the know, a proton pump inhibitor, also known as a PPI is what people with heartburn take to reduce the amount of acid in their stomach. A lot of people actually prescribe them to themselves, as in they buy prilosec or nexium available over the counter.
Recent studies have linked proton pump inhibitors to a variety of medical issues, such as kidney problems or heart failure. That was...concerning, as I've been on PPIs since I started having acid reflux in 2002. Mind you, there are no conclusive causality links. That hasn't stopped the press from treating it like it is, or kept those commercials where you can sue a physician in the style of mesothelioma from appearing. But it might be something about the kind of person who takes PPIs, their habits or diet or something that causes these issues.
Still, in the great tradition of American hysteria, thanks for the hype, all. I even had a conversation with a concerned friend. Before that, I called my doctor, and we had a talk about medicine, illness and risk.
Have you thought about your medications? You know Americans pop NSAIDs like they're candy, but they can cause serious effects too. For a while Motrin was getting all the love, but everyone wants to sell Advil. And yes, that pain I can tolerate when my knee gets bad. I take Advil as little as possible, exceedingly intermittently over a prescription arthritis med.
Mirrored from Writer Tamago.