A pharmacist warns about the potential for PPI addiction due to overprescribing and lack of clear exit strategies for patients.
Millions of Brits who are 'hooked' on medication to manage acid reflux could alleviate their symptoms through diet and lifestyle changes alone, an expert has suggested. Proton pump inhibitors ( PPI s), one of the UK's most commonly used drugs, saw 73m NHS prescriptions dispensed in England in 2022-23, costing £190m. These drugs help to control the distressing symptoms of reflux, also known as heartburn.
However, there are concerns that long-term use may lead to worrying side-effects, from dementia to osteoporosis. Pharmacist Deborah Grayson argues that doctors are overprescribing PPI medication as a 'panacea for varied digestive symptoms, without a clear clinical need to suppress acid production'. She also claims there is no clear 'exit strategy', meaning many patients with acid reflux - where stomach acid painfully flows back up into the oesophagus, the tube connecting the mouth and stomach - can be 'hooked' on the drugs for life. Ms Grayson, the nutritional therapist in residence for Heartburn Cancer UK, aims to better educate doctors and patients on the appropriate use of PPIs and effective management of 'coming off' the medication via her work through Digestion With Confidence. She warned: 'We are sleepwalking into a significant culture of PPI addiction due to over-prescribing without clear reason and failure to give patients a clear exit strategy from the treatment.' 'We are sleepwalking into a significant culture of PPI addiction due to over-prescribing without clear reason and failure to give patients a clear exit strategy from the treatment.', reports the Manchester Evening News. Get all the latest and breaking news in Yorkshire by signing up to our newsletter here. 'It only takes three days' use of PPIs to be at risk of rebound heartburn, which can be five times worse than normal reflux. This can mean patients inappropriately assume that the medication is essential as excess acid must have been the issu
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