Why You Should Take PPIS With Prescription and Caution

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The fact that about 15 million Americans take Nexium or similar medications is a big indication that the drug is highly effective. However, a couple of reports on Nexium lawsuit 2018 are also an indication that the drug is also coping with serious side effect issues.

AstraZeneca is doing all it can to suppress side effect-related issues about the drug. You can’t blame them. Nexium is one of their biggest cash cows. In fact, it is their second biggest cash cow. The drug fetched them about $6 billion in 2013 alone.

Dangers of Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs)

To buttress the dangers of taking Nexium and other Proton Pump Inhibitors, Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published a report a couple of years ago listing chronic kidney disease as one of the common side effects of Proton Pump Inhibitors.

In fact, the report puts the risk of chronic kidney disease at about 20 to 50 percent when you take PPIs regularly. The report concluded after mentioning all the known side effects of Nexium that the drug should be taken only when it is absolutely necessary and it should be taken with the prescription of your doctor.

University of Copenhagen published a study several years ago which actually showed that PPIs often initiate medical conditions that they are meant to treat even though Nexium wasn’t mentioned specifically. Nexium may continue to face litigation even in 2018 because a case management order was issued in January 2018 on it.

Unfortunately, more lawsuits will keep coming despite the fact that AstraZeneca has been settling them. The company needs to find a final solution. Perhaps they need to figure out the active ingredient causing the other medical conditions and lower its quantity.

On the other hand, if the quantity of the active ingredient in any PPI is reduced, will the drug still be effective? Maybe they need to find a balance between the two extremes. Dementia and chronic kidney disease are two side effects that require serious medical attention.

Health benefits of PPIs

You must be wondering what medical conditions PPIs treat that they can’t be banned completely despite their numerous side effects. Well, they are used for the treatment and prevention of the regular ulcer, NSAID-associated ulcer, Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, esophageal duodenal and stomach ulcer and several other conditions.

The other common side effects of PPIs are rash, nausea, vomiting, fever, flatulence, abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, and headache. More serious ones erythema multiforme, reduced liver function, pancreatitis, reduced kidney function, toxic epidermal necrolysis, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, and Serious allergic reactions.

Medicine Watch Companies

This is where various medical watch groups come in. These organizations help to reduce the cases of side effects in drugs by studying every drug. They provide accurate and ample information on both defective medical devices and defective medications. For victims of side effects, some of these companies will provide professional guidance and advice on when they can file a lawsuit, how they will go about it, necessary evidence and the chances of getting compensated.