Reducing the risk of stomach ulcers

By Geoff Michaels, June 13th, 2013 | Health | 0 Comments

Adding an anti-ulcer drug to pain medication helps people avoid gastrointestinal complications.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including the COX-2 inhibitors, are used for the treatment of pain, including that arising from arthritis. But they often have the side effect of causing stomach problems. In a study, a team at the University of Michigan looked at whether Nexium (esomeprazole magnesium) could help to protect the stomach.

Nexium is a drug which helps prevent stomach ulcers. Fewer patients taking Nexium with their NSAID or COX-2 inhibitor developed a stomach ulcer – five per cent versus 17 per cent. The differences appeared within a month of treatment starting and were maintained during the six months of the study. The researchers note that patients who already have a high risk of ulcers tend to be the ones who also use NSAIDs and COX-2s for other reasons, which compounds the problem. The addition of Nexium may help them take their pain and inflammation relief medication without fear of gastrointestinal side effects.