Nearly all men die of their medicines, not of their diseases. ~Moliere~
Well, not everyone might agree with the words said by French dramatist Moliere, but it is no hidden fact that modern medicines especially the allopathic medicines do leave undesired side effects. The medicines prescribed for acid reflux are no different.
During the normal digestion process, the lower esophageal sphincter allows the passage of the food from the esophagus into the stomach. The lower esophageal sphincter is a lump of muscle, which is strategically located between the esophagus and the stomach. It acts like a non-return valve i.e. it allows the food to enter the stomach but prevents its re-entry into the esophagus. Whenever, the lower esophageal sphincter stops functioning properly, the food along with acidic digestive juices find its way back into the esophagus. The acidic content causes irritation in the lining of the esophagus. This irritation is termed as acid reflux in medical terminology.
The medications available for acid reflux can be categorized into antacids, H2 blockers, and proton pump inhibitors.
Antacids provide relief by neutralizing the stomach acids. However, antacids use chemicals such as magnesium hydroxide, sodium bicarbonate, calcium carbonate etc. to neutralize the acids. But neutralizing the acids also obstructs other important functions performed by acids such as food digestion, absorption of vitamins and other vital nutrients. Since the acids are neutralized, the stomach produces more acids and this leads to an increase in acid reflux for which more antacids are popped in. This creates a never-ending cycle commonly termed as ‘acid rebound’. In infants, the regular use of antacids might lead to the draining of calcium from the bones leading to rickets.
H2 blockers are medicines that reduce the amount of digestive acids produced in the stomach. Cimetidine, Ranitidine, Famotidine, and Nizatidine are some of the common H2 blockers used for acid reflux. Since they reduce the acid production, in effect they reduce the quantity of hydrochloric acid in the body. This severely hampers the assimilation of vitamin B12 and calcium from the food into the body. Vitamin B12 is attached to the food proteins. Hydrochloric acid helps in detaching vitamin B12 from proteins. In children, the effects such as pain, vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, headaches etc .are observed due to the consumption of H2 blockers.
Proton Pump Inhibitors [PPI] provides relief by preventing acid production. This is achieved by disabling the enzyme present in the stomach walls, which is responsible for production of stomach acids. They the long-term affects of PPI are not yet known; they cause headache, nausea, constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and rash in patients.
Thus many of the drugs used for treating acid reflux are known to cause side effects. This calls for a discerning use and constant regulation of the drug intake by the doctors.