Heart Attacks From Heartburn Meds

The information here is mainly from Dr. Joseph Mercola’s article Popular Heartburn Drugs Linked to Heart Attacks, July 9, 2025.

Heartburn & Acid Reflux

Acid reflux is very common and affects around 50% of Americans. The main symptom of acid reflux is heartburn, which at times can be severe enough to feel like a heart attack. Acid reflux is thought to be caused by excessive amounts of acid, and anti-acids are usually prescribed, yet this actually compounds the problem.

The Cause
After food passes through the esophagus to the stomach, a muscular valve called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) closes, preventing food or acid to move back up. Acid reflux occurs when the LES relaxes, allowing acid from the stomach to flow backward into the esophagus.  It is important to understand that acid reflux is not caused by excessive acid production in the stomach, but a symptom related to Hiatal hernia and/or Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori) infection.  Hiatal hernia can be adjusted by a skilled chiropractor.   Many who have a hiatal hernia also have H. pylori, which cause a chronic low-level inflammation of the stomach. In the early 1980’s, Dr. Barry Marshall speculated that H.pylori is a major factor in acid reflux.

Drugs can also cause heartburn.  Common ones include antidepressants, osteoporosis drugs, antibiotics, blood pressure medication, nitroglycerin, pain relievers.  Drugs are never safe.  As much as possible, it is best to use herbs and natural remedies that produce health. 

Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPI)

According to Dr. Mercola’s article, PPI’s are commonly prescribed for Acid Reflux, yet there are several problems with these:

• PPI’s are linked to 16% higher risk of heart attacks
• PPI’s double the risk of dying from cardiovascular events
• PPI’s worsen the problem by suppressing acid production
• Long term use of PPI’s damages kidneys, weakens bones, impairs nutrient absorption, and  increases infection risk.

Study Linking PPI’s to Heart Attacks

In a large-scale analysis published in PLOS One, scientists from Stanford University reviewed more than 16 million electronic clinical documents covering 2.9 million patients. Their goal was to determine whether PPIs — drugs like omeprazole (Prilosec) and esomeprazole (Nexium) — were associated with cardiovascular events, specifically heart attacks.[1]  There were several revealing things that were found in this study:

H2 blockers did not show the same cardiovascular risks — To compare drug types, researchers also studied H2 blockers like famotidine (Pepcid), which reduce stomach acid by a different mechanism. Unlike PPIs, H2 blockers showed no increased risk of heart attack or cardiovascular death. This key distinction suggests the problem is something unique to how PPIs work.

The biological mechanism involves a molecule that blocks nitric oxide — PPIs interfere with an enzyme responsible for breaking down a naturally occurring molecule that inhibits nitric oxide production. Nitric oxide is essential for healthy blood vessels, helping them stay relaxed, elastic, and resistant to clots.

Without enough of it, the lining of your blood vessels stiffens and becomes inflamed. In vein samples from coronary bypass patients, PPIs were shown to suppress nitric oxide production, confirming the drug’s impact on actual human blood vessels, not just cells in a lab.

To read the full article by Dr. Mercola, go to: Popular Heartburn Drugs linked to Heart Attacks

HELP!!
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Amy Willis MH, CTN

Sources:
[1]  Popular Heartburn Drugs Linked to Heart Attacks