Long-term use of certain antacids may be associated with dementia, study finds

BOSTON - There's a warning that long-term use of certain over-the-counter antacids may be associated with dementia.

A new study in Neurology found that people who take heartburn medications called proton pump inhibitors for four-and-a-half years or more had a 33 percent higher risk of dementia compared to people who did not take these drugs.

Long-term use has previously been linked to stroke, bone fractures, and kidney disease. Proton pump inhibitors include brand names like Prilosec, Prevacid, and Nexium. And while the study did not prove that these medications cause dementia, just that there was an association, it does raise a red flag.

So if you have been on these pills for years, talk to your doctor about whether you should continue or whether alternative treatments may be available. 

In:
• Health
• Dementia

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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