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Prilosec
and Prevacid
were found to be ineffective for many. This article will
offer natural options to these expensive and potentially
dangerous drugs.
A recent online survery of over 4200 patients taking Priolosec
or Prevacid found:
- 35% to 41%
of the respondents continue to experience daily
heartburn symptoms.
- As many as 60%
of the respondents reported experiencing symptoms three
or more times per week.
- 75% of PPI patients also take nonprescription medications,
such as Pepcid,
Maalox
and Tums.
- Up to 25% of the respondents said they take over-the-counter
medications in place of their prescription medication.
The problem seems to be that many patients are (using)...
combinations of prescription and over-the-counter medications,
and often too quickly switching to newer medications.
The study was commissioned by a group of drug manufacturers
and conducted by Acuity and Harris Interactive.
Prevacid and Prilosec are heavily promoted
by pharmaceutical companies to physicians and,
more recently, to consumers through advertising. Each brand
attracts a somewhat different type of consumer, reflecting
again thecombined impact of :
- Managed care formulary
restrictions
Many patients are sometimes given stomach acid-suppressing
medication, the effect of Helicobacter pylori -- the bacterium
that causes ulcers -- on these patients has not been clear.
In the study, eliminating
H. pylori with antibiotics appeared to be just as effective
as Prilosec for preventing bleeding in patients taking aspirin
who had experienced stomach problems in the past.
Patients on aspirin who were treated for H. pylori had
a 2% risk of
bleeding while those taking aspirin and Prilosec had about
a 1% risk,
although the difference was not considered statistically
significant.
The New England Journal
of Medicine March 29, 2001; 344: 967-973
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