Dr. Mercola March 26 2000 1,626 views
The popular nighttime heartburn drug, Propulsid, will be pulled from the market after being linked to dozens of fatal heart rhythm abnormalities. The removal was the second this week of a widely used prescription drug.
Janssen Pharmaceutica will stop marketing the prescription heartburn drug Propulsid (cisapride) in the United States as of July 14, 2000. A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) statement issued Thursday notes that the drug has been associated with 341 reports of heart rhythm abnormalities including 80 reports of deaths.
The drug is used to treat severe nighttime heartburn in adult patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) that does not adequately respond to other therapies. Its labeling has been revised several times since it was approved in 1993, to point out its risks.
Currently, about 350,000 Americans are taking Propulsid. Since the drug hit the market in 1993, some 30 million U.S. residents have taken the medication. While Propulsid is one of Johnson & Johnson's top-selling drugs, its sales are far behind market leader Prilosec.
Washington Post Friday, March 24, 2000; Page A11
This week, two drugs bit the dust. Both really had very little use, if any. I have never found the need to use Propulsid. Generally, following the diet recommendations and stopping all fluids but water (and drinking one quart for every 50 pounds of body weight) is sufficient to reverse most cases of GERD.
It is great that Propulsid will no longer be available; but its H2 blocker cousins, like Prilosec, are actually far worse. Suppressing one's acid is a profoundly effective way to impair digestion while doing absolutely nothing to correct the underlying problem of why one has "heart burn" or an ulcer.
It has been my experience that the increased water intake alone is enough to resolve the ulcer in over half of patients. When they apply the diet recommendations and a potent form of good bacteria, the response rate is over 95% without the use of medications.