Most popular acid reflux medication linked to ‘cascade’ of life-threatening side effects
Scientists believe one of America’s most popular medications could be sapping the body of vital minerals, potentially harming the roughly 20 million Americans who take it.
Omeprazole, marketed as Prilosec, is a widely used proton pump inhibitor (PPI) available both over the counter and as a prescription.
It has been trusted for over three decades for reducing stomach acid to treat frequent heartburn, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), stomach ulcers and erosive esophagitis, causing inflammation and damage to the esophagus lining, usually from chronic stomach acid reflux.
PPIs like omeprazole reduce gastric acid, which is also crucial for mineral absorption, but they are intended for short-term use only.
Scientists at the Federal University of São Paulo in Brazil gave rats a standard human-equivalent dose of omeprazole and saw they developed blood markers consistent with early anemia, or iron deficiency, and showed a significant disruption in how their bodies stored essential minerals.
The research revealed a cascade of problems, beginning with plummeting copper levels in the liver, which impairs iron absorption, while iron itself accumulated abnormally in organs rather than circulating for red blood cell production.
At the same time, shifts in where calcium was stored in the rats’ bodies suggested the body was pulling the mineral from bones to maintain blood levels, a process that could weaken skeletal structure over time. These findings offer a potential biological explanation for the increased fracture and anemia risks observed in some long-term human users.
The researchers stressed that the drugs are typically recommended for four to eight week courses, yet millions use them indefinitely, compounding the risks.
Research suggests long-term use of a popular heartburn medication may deplete essential minerals, weakening bones and impairing blood health over time, raising concerns about indefinite use (stock)
To test the drug’s effects, researchers gave a standard dose of omeprazole to groups of rats daily for 10, 30 and 60 days, comparing them to a group of untreated rats at each stage. This dosing strategy was designed to model human short-term prescription use at its upper limit of 60 days.
At each time point in the study, published in the journal ACS Omega, researchers conducted a comprehensive analysis. Blood was drawn for complete cell counts and key organs – the liver, spleen and stomach – were dissected.
Researchers measured the levels of key minerals like iron, calcium and copper in the liver, spleen and blood of the mice to track how the drug altered the body’s natural mineral balance over time.
The 60-day study revealed a chain of negative effects on the rats’ health.
Their blood showed clear signs of developing anemia with key markers like red blood cell count and hemoglobin declining over time.
Their bodies also struggled to maintain adequate levels of essential minerals.
Copper levels in the liver dropped sharply, a critical problem because copper is required to absorb iron from food.
At the same time, iron itself began accumulating in organs like the liver and spleen instead of circulating in the blood where it is needed. This combination cripples red blood cell production.
Red blood cells contain hemoglobin, a protein that binds to oxygen in the lungs and delivers it to every cell in the body.
Over the 60-day period, iron levels in the group that received generic Prilosec steadily dropped, ending up markedly lower (180.23 μg/dL) compared to the control group (215.1 μg/dL). This shows that continuous omeprazole use directly led to reduced circulating iron in the bloodstream
Hemoglobin levels in the generic Prilosec group fell steadily over the 60-day experiment. They started slightly higher than controls at day 10 but then fell below control levels by day 30 and continued to drop, reaching a low by day 60. The control group remained stable
In cases of anemia, when RBC production drops, tissues and organs do not get enough oxygen and cells cannot produce energy efficiently through their normal metabolic processes.
This oxygen starvation manifests as relentless fatigue that cannot be relieved by rest, breathlessness from simple tasks like climbing stairs, and persistent brain fog.
The drug also appeared to trigger a harmful trade-off for bone health. Calcium was pulled from its storage in the liver, while blood calcium levels rose slightly.
This pattern suggests the body was breaking down bone to maintain necessary blood calcium levels, a process that could weaken the skeleton over time. The rats’ immune systems also appeared to respond, with elevated white blood cell counts.
This could indicate an inflammatory response, possibly because reducing stomach acid, the drug’s intended effect, can allow more bacteria to survive and migrate, putting the immune system on alert.
Prilosec ranks among the top 10 most prescribed medications in the US with over 45 million prescriptions annually
Prilosec ranks among the top 10 most prescribed medications in the US with over 45 million prescriptions annually.
While this research was conducted on rats, and findings in animals do not necessarily apply to humans, the fundamental biology of mineral absorption is similar.
Long-term use of these medications is appropriate for specific diagnoses like Barrett’s esophagus. However, many users do not have such a condition.
Even when treatment is warranted, patients should be regularly monitored with blood work to detect issues like anemia or low mineral levels early, before symptoms develop.
These results reinforce existing warnings from other studies about the long-term use of acid-blocking drugs and their possible links to anemia, bone fractures, magnesium deficiency and kidney issues.
