Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) such as Prilosec, Nexium, Protonix, and Aciphex have been available for about 20 years and each year about 15 million people use them and bring in $10 billion every year. PPIs are vastly overprescribed by MDs and because they are available over the counter, are overused by patients.
The major known side effects of PPIs include poor digestion, poor absorption of B12, iron, calcium, and magnesium which lead to an increased risk for osteoporosis, senile dementia, C difficile infections, pneumonia and now according to articles in the January 11, 2016 issue of the journal Internal Medicine an increased risk for having chronic kidney disease and, as documented in the June of 2015 issue of the journal PLoS One, heart attacks. PPIs also block the metabolism of Valium, Coumadin, DIlantin, Digoxin and probably decrease the effectiveness of Plavix.
