Heartburn drugs and diarrhoea

 United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notified the public that the use of stomach acid drugs known as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) may be associated with an increased risk of clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea (CDAD).

A diagnosis of CDAD should be considered for patients taking PPIs who develop diarrhoea that does not improve. The FDA is working with manufacturers to include information about the increased risk of CDAD with use of PPIs in the drug labels.

PPIs are marketed under various brand and generic drug names as prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) products. They work by reducing the amount of acid in the stomach. Prescription PPIs are used to treat conditions such as gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD), stomach and small intestine ulcers, and inflammation of the oesophagus. Over-the-counter PPIs are used to treat frequent heartburn. PPIs include:

AcipHex (rabeprazole sodium)

Dexilant (dexlansoprazole)

Nexium (esomeprazole magnesium)

Omeprazole (omeprazole) OTC

Prevacid (lansoprazole) and OTC Prevacid 24-hour

Prilosec (omeprazole) and OTC

Protonix (pantoprazole sodium)

Vimovo (esomeprazole magnesium and naproxen)

Zegerid (omeprazole and Sodium bicarbonate) and OTC

The FDA is also reviewing the risk of CDAD in users of histamine H2 receptor blockers. H2 receptor blockers are used to treat conditions such as GERD stomach and small intestine ulcers, and heartburn.

Source: US Food and Drug Administration