People are under more and more stress these days, which can lead to stomach issues such as indigestion, heartburn, acid reflux, irritable bowel and even ulcers. Many people turn to popular over-the-counter medications for relief of symptoms.

A popular class of heart burn medications, called Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs), are designed for short-term relief of symptoms. However, many people end up taking these medications indefinitely and find they can’t get off of them.

According to a study published in July 2013 in Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology, long-term use of PPIs has been associated with a wide variety of health issues such as drug-induced nutrient depletions, rebound acid reflux upon discontinuation and several adverse effects including bone fracture, osteoporosis, magnesium and calcium depletion, iron and vitamin B12 deficiency, anemia, increased risk of C. Difficile and pneumonia infection, dementia and progression of kidney disease.

Dana Reed-Kane, Pharm.D. of Reed’s Compounding Pharmacy, in Tucson, offers a personalized taper regimen that slowly decreases the dose of the patient’s medication while providing patient education on identifying trigger foods and supportive nutritional therapies to help patients successfully discontinue these medications. Connect at 520-318-4421, [email protected] or ReedsRX.com.