Sick persons often have to combine different medications. This is because the various drugs often have unique treatment roles. Furthermore, sometimes, patients already have long-standing medications they take. In such cases, they’ll have to combine these with new prescription drugs. The above scenarios occur with people taking proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) too.
Unfortunately, taking PPIs with certain drugs is dangerous. The PPI can react badly with these medications, so you should avoid them. Worse still, PPIs have some dangerous side effects which the manufacturers didn’t warn consumers about. So, if you suffer any such harmful effects, it would be best to speak to the best mass tort lawyers. These experienced lawyers can evaluate your case and determine whether you have a valid lawsuit.
What Are Proton Pump Inhibitors?
Doctors recommend Proton Pump Inhibitors for treating gastrointestinal diseases. They do this by reducing the amount of acid your stomach produces. Moreover, PPIs achieve this by targeting the proton pumps in the stomach. Then, they reduce the acid these pumps produce. You can get PPIs over the counter and as prescriptions.
- PPIs treat the following diseases:
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)
- Zollinger-Ellison syn
- Gastric and duodenal ulcers
- Erosive esophagitis
PPI Interactions
PPI interactions can occur with many medicines. This is because PPIs affect the stomach’s PH (how stomach acidity is measured). This pH tampering can then alter how some drugs work in the body. For instance, it can change how the body alters or filters medicines. In addition, PPIs can alter how your body reacts to these drugs.
All PPIs don’t react with the same drugs or have similar reactions. Fortunately, too, some PPIs react badly only with a drug, while another PPI operates fine with that medicine. That’s why it’s best to inform your doctor of any drugs you’re taking with PPIs. With this information, they can recommend another PPI. Alternatively, they can instruct that you stop taking the other medicine.
Specific PPI Drug Interactions
PPIs reduce the absorption and concentration of Ketoconazole in the blood, reducing the drug’s effectiveness. Conversely, PPIs can increase the absorption and concentration of Digoxin (Lanoxin), leading to Digoxin toxicity.
Omeprazole can reduce the breakdown of some drugs by the liver. Consequently, this will increase the medicine’s concentration in the blood. The drugs in this class include Diazepam (Valium), Warfarin (Coumadin), Celexa (Citalopram), and Phenytoin (Dilantin). In addition, Omeprazole reduces the effect of Clopidogrel (Plavix). It does this by blocking its conversion into its active form by the enzyme CYP2C19.
Other drugs that can interact with PPIs include:
- Harvoni
- Trexall (Methotrexate)
- Viracept (Nelfinavir)
- Edurant (Rilpivirine)
Why Are Proton Pump Inhibitors the Subject of Lawsuits?
PPIs are currently the subject of thousands of lawsuits around the US. Plaintiffs are claiming damages for kidney disease, injury, and failure. Furthermore, some PPI users have filed claims arguing that PPIs caused them acute interstitial nephritis (AIN) and stomach cancer. It’s crucial to note that these lawsuits have named the following PPIs:
- Dexilant (dexlansoprazole)
- Nexium (esomeprazole)
- Protonix (pantoprazole)
- Prilosec and Prilosec OTC (Omeprazole)
- Prevacid (Lansoprazole)
Therefore, the defendant manufacturers include Takeda Pharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, Procter & Gamble, and Pfizer. Plaintiffs are arguing that these manufacturers didn’t adequately warn consumers of the potential dangers of their drugs to the kidneys. So, if you’ve used PPIs, it’ll be best to check your kidneys for any complications. The results will show whether you can join a lawsuit against these manufacturers.
How Do PPI Interactions Affect My Lawsuit?
Clearly, many drugs can react badly with PPIs. Therefore, it’ll be pretty challenging for manufacturers to warn about interactions in every instance. That’s why it’ll be best to tell your doctor about any drugs you want to combine with PPI prescriptions.
Experienced medical personnel can best explain the possible effects of any such combination. Therefore, if your doctor doesn’t warn you of PPI interactions with your medication, they may be liable. As a result, you may be eligible to file a medical malpractice claim against them.
Here, their negligence has caused you harm from the PPI interactions. In addition, PPI interactions aren’t the reasons consumers are filing claims against PPI manufacturers. Consequently, a PPI interaction may not extinguish your right to sue the manufacturers.
Mass Tort Lawyers Can Represent You Against PPI Manufacturers
If you’ve used any of the PPIs in this article, the chances are high that you have kidney problems or stomach cancer. If your doctor confirms this, it’ll be best to sue the manufacturer for damages. However, proceeding against Big Pharma alone is unwise. This is because they have the money and resources to defend themselves. Therefore, you’ll need the best mass tort lawyers available. So, why not contact the law offices of Rueb Stoller Daniel for an evaluation of your PPI stomach cancer claim.
