Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are a group of drugs whose purpose it is to reduce stomach acid.
This is not to say that PPIs aren’t without their challenges or limitations.
Because of this, PPIs work for up to 24 hours and provide relief for up to 72 hours.
Tassii / Getty Images
H2 blockers, by contrast, work for 12 hours.
They all have similar mechanisms of action and similar rates of effectiveness.
The most common include constipation, diarrhea, flatulence, headache,upset stomach, nausea, and vomiting.
Increasing evidence suggests that long-term use may result in more serious problems.
This includes the part of a cell called the lysosome which uses acid to clear waste.
Without the means to do so, the waste can accumulate and cause the cell to deteriorate and age.
This phenomenon may account for the increases seen in the studies.
Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School.Proton-pump inhibitors.
Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School.Do PPIs have long-term side effects?
Masaoka T, Suzuki H, Hibi T.Gastric epithelial cell modality and proton pump inhibitor.J Clin Biochem Nutr.
2008;42(3):191-6. doi:10.3164/jcbn.2008028
Open Anesthesia.
The International Anesthesia Research Society.H2-blockers: onset time.
International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders, Inc.Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), questions and answers about PPIs.
2016;118(12):e36-42.
doi:10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.116.308807
Jacob Schoenfeld, J. and Grady, D. “Adverse Effects Associated With Proton Pump Inhibitors.
“Journal of the American Medical Association: 176(2):172-174.
