Affairs of the Heartburn: Drugs for stomach acid may hike pneumonia risk
By Nathan Seppa
In a study sure to cause indigestion among those who can least abide it, Dutch researchers have found that acid-blocking drugs might boost a person’s chance of getting pneumonia. For millions of people who have come to rely on the popular drugs, the news is a bitter pill to swallow.
Acid blockers come in two forms. So-called histamine2-receptor antagonists include ranitidine (Zantac), cimetidine (Tagamet), and famotidine (Pepcid AC). More-potent drugs called proton-pump inhibitors include omeprazole (Prilosec), pantoprazole (Protonix), lansoprazole (Prevacid), and rabeprazole (Aciphex).