Acid-Suppressing Drugs Linked to Vitamin B12 Deficiency
Dec-12-2013

People who use certain acid-suppressing drugs for two years or longer are at increased risk of vitamin B12 deficiency, which can lead to anemia, neurological problems or dementia, researchers reported on Tuesday.

The drugs in question are called proton-pump inhibitors, or P.P.I.'s, and histamine 2 receptor antagonists, and they are available by prescription and over the counter under brand names like Prevacid, Prilosec and Nexium. Nearly 157 million prescriptions were written for P.P.I.'s alone last year.

"People who are taking these medications are more likely than the average person to be vitamin B12 deficient, and it's a potentially serious problem," said Dr. Douglas A. Corley, senior author of the new study, published in The Journal of the American Medical Association. "This raises the question of whether people taking these medications for long periods should be screened for vitamin B12 deficiency."

Click the link below for the rest of the article!

Visit Website

Posted by Ken at 4:50 AM - Link to this entry  |  Share this entry  |  Print