Taking gastric acid inhibitors for a long time is not necessary for almost 90 percent of the Dutch, according to research among general practices. Due to the use of the pills, the real causes of the stomach complaints do not become clear quickly, such as unhealthy food or excessive alcohol consumption.
The commonly prescribed antacids help well and have few side effects, Tijn Kool of Radboudumc told De Volkskrant. ‘But antacids mask the real causes behind stomach complaints, such as eating unhealthy foods, being overweight or drinking alcohol.’
A lot of time pressure, so a lot of stomach acid inhibitors
According to GP Just Eekhof, antacids are number three among the most prescribed medicines. That is because of the time pressure. Lifestyle recommendations are often not followed properly, while an antacid works immediately. ‘That is also the feeling among doctors: bang boom, and you have a satisfied patient,’ says Eekhof.
2.4 million antacids are prescribed every year, according to the Foundation for Pharmaceutical Statistics. It is not clear how many of these are intended for long-term use in patients.
The researchers looked at the drug use and patient data of about three hundred general practices between 2016 and 2019, after which they compared these with the guidelines of the Dutch College of General Practitioners.
Lifestyle should be tackled at the base
According to Kool and Burgers, the real problem is not safety for the patient or the price, but rather that the poor lifestyle is not tackled at the root. This can cause problems if patients return to the doctor with other complaints. According to Burgers, ‘with pills you create an extra problem.’
The project ‘Do or leave?’ is committed to raising awareness about appropriate care for stomach complaints. The site Thuisarts.nl also has a decision aid for stomach complaints, so that patients with heartburn can take over the idea that they may not need a pill, but can do something about their complaints themselves.
Source: De Volkskrant