The prominent US medical journal, Archives of Internal Medicine highlights some alarming concerns over the long-term safety and appropriate use of the most commonly prescribed antacid drugs, namely the proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). Conclusions are that the benefits of PPIs probably do not justify the risks for many users.
The lower gastric acid resulting from PPI use facilitates the growth of clostridium difficile infection. Studies have associated PPI use and other gastric acid suppressants with a variety of gastrointestinal infections, including salmonella and campylobacter. PPIs have also been associated with increased incidence of pneumonia.
