ANTACIDS AND HEART DRUGS
ANCHOR LEAD: TWO COMMON MEDICATIONS USED TOGETHER MAY NEGATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ONE OF THEM, ELIZABETH TRACEY REPORTS
If you have heartburn, chances are good you’re using one of a class of medications available without a prescription to manage it- so called proton pump inhibitors. But now a study has implicated their use with compromise of a drug used to reduce blood clot formation in some patients with heart disease. Patrick Okolo, a gastroenterologist at Johns Hopkins, comments.
OKOLO: I think the most cogent of those concerns is the concomitant use of proton pump inhibitors, and this would include Prilosec and Nexium in patients who are taking Plavix for coronary artery disease, usually following the placement of a stent. There are now enough studies that suggest that the concomitant use of proton pump inhibitors with Plavix may in some patients reduce the effectiveness of Plavix. :26
For now, Okolo says if you’re taking both drugs, don’t stop until you talk with your physician. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.
