Acid Reflux Drugs Cause Rebound Symptoms
While proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) treat acid reflux symptoms very effectively, a new study suggests that patients who stop using them may experience rebound symptoms. Researchers at Copenhagen University studied 120 healthy adults who had no symptoms or history of acid reflux disease. The participants who took daily doses of the PPI Nexium for eight weeks reported almost 30% more acid-related symptoms than the participants who took placebos.
Christina Reimer, MD, the lead researcher, suggests that this acid rebound effect, known as “rebound acid hypersecretion,” is a result of a stomach acid-stimulating hormone called gastrin. In response to the PPI-related acid suppression, gastrin is overproduced, and once the PPI is stopped, the stomach works overtime to create acid.
The relevance of this study has been questioned by a manufacturer of Nexium and Prilosec. Blair Haines, a spokesman for AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, said, “This study was conducted in healthy volunteers, and the authors acknowledge that they can’t be sure that the conclusion can be carried over to patients who have started PPI therapy because of dyspeptic symptoms.”
The study does appear to consider that issue by admitting that the benefits of PPI therapy still appear to outweigh the risks for patients who have established acid reflux disease. Additionally, it’s unlikely that people who take the over-the-counter version of Prilosec for short periods of time will experience rebound acid hypersecretion.