Acid Reflux Drugs No Help to Asthma Sufferers, New Study Shows

Acid reflux drugs are no good at helping control breathing problems in people with asthma, despite previous suggestions that the drugs may be effective in that role, new medical research shows.

Researchers led by the University of California, San Diego published their findings in the New England Journal of Medicine. They report that Nexium, Prilosec, and other acid reflux drugs called proton pump inhibitors should not be prescribed to improve symptoms in asthma patients who do not also have acid reflux.

However, asthmatics who also have acid reflux should continue taking the drugs for that condition, the researchers said. It’s just that the new research dispels the myth that the drugs have the dual purpose of treating acid reflux and asthma.

Millions Use Acid Reflux Drugs for Asthma Symptoms

Many physicians have suspected a link between acid reflux and asthma and have prescribed proton pump inhibitors designed for acid reflux to treat asthma symptoms. As many as one in four of the 30 million Americans with asthma take proton pump inhibitors, an expensive category of drugs that can cost as much as $180 a month, officials said.

Proton pump inhibitors are among the most commonly prescribed drugs in the United States, accounting for about $14 billion in sales in 2008.

However, more recent research called into question findings of a link between acid reflux and asthma, leading to further research of the issue. By limiting the use of such drugs in asthmatics without acid reflux, patients can save money and cut down on unnecessary prescriptions, which cost patients and insurers about $4.1 billion each year.

Asthma Can Elude Treatment

Asthma, the chronic lung disease that causes shortness of breath with exertion, wheezing, and a feeling of tightness in the chest, can be difficult to treat in some patients. While many types of medications are approved to treat or prevent asthma symptoms, not every patient benefits from treatment.

Acid reflux causes the contents of the stomach to be pushed up into the esophagus, where acid from the stomach can trigger heartburn, nausea, and chest pain, as well as permanent damage to the esophagus.

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