The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning that certain stomach-acid medications can trigger the development of a bacterial infection that can cause a dangerous form of diarrhea. The elderly are particularly susceptible, the agency said.

These drugs include such popular medications as AcipHex (rabeprazole sodium), Dexilant (dexlansoprazole), Nexium (esomeprazole magnesium), Omeprazole, Prevacid (lansoprazole), Prilosec, Protonix (pantoprazole sodium), Vimovo (esomeprazole magnesium and naproxen), and Zegerid (omeprazole and sodium bicarbonate).

The FDA advises users to consult their doctor if they develop diarrhea that does not improve.

The illness is called Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea, which is known to cause some 3 million cases of diarrhea and colitis annually in the United States. The mortality rate is 1 to 2.5 percent.  Many of the people affected have been recently hospitalized.

Early diagnosis and prompt aggressive treatment are critical in managing the illness, which requires antibiotic treatment.

 

Robert Jenner brings to the My Advocates medical and legal team more than 26 years experience representing injured consumers nation-wide against the manufacturers of dangerous prescription drugs, defective medical devices, tainted blood products, and other unsafe products. Mr. Jenner has been honored by his peers for inclusion in “The Best Lawyers in America” and “Maryland’s Super Lawyers”(named in Top 50). READ FULL BIO