Popular Heartburn Drugs Reduce Plavix Effectiveness

Federal health authorities on Tuesday issued a public health advisory warning patients and physicians of a potentially serious adverse drug interaction between Plavix, an anti-clotting medication, and Prilosec, which is used to reduce stomach acid. The agency says the warning is based on a yet-to-be-published study that provided evidence that omeprazole, the active ingredient in Prilosec and other popular heartburn drugs, “reduces the pharmacological activity of (clopidogrel-Plavix) if given concomitantly or if given 12 hours apart,” thus increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. In most cases, a heart attack or stroke is caused by a blood clot that reduces or blocks the flow of blood through an artery. Plavix helps keep platelets in the blood from sticking together and forming blood clots. It is generally prescribed for people who have suffered a recent heart attack or stroke, or who have been diagnosed with Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD), conditions that increase the risk for future heart attack or stroke. However, because Plavix can cause stomach upset and bleeding, doctors also prescribe acid-reducers such as Prilosec. Prilosec belongs to a class of drugs called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). Several previous studies have suggested that PPIs might interfere with Plavix, and the new data confirms it. In fact, the latest study shows that Prilosec lowers the effective of Plavix by half. Mary Ross Southworth, deputy director for safety in the FDA’s division of cardiovascular and renal products, said it believes that the “mechanism of action is because of omeprazole’s activity on the 2C19 enzyme,” which is needed to convert Plavix into its active form in the body. If the action of the enzyme is blocked, less Plavix is available in the bloodstream. Share and Enjoy:

Excess weight gain may increase risk of prostate cancer

We are all aware of the plethora of complications that can arise from packing on excess pounds, the most common being high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and diabetes. Obesity also results in an increased risk of stroke, heart disease, and some forms of cancer. In females, there is up to a threefold increase in the incidence of breast, cervical and ovarian cancer, while the risk of endometrial cancer is up to seven times higher. For men, there is an increased incidence of colon cancer and, according to a new study—prostate cancer, especially for white men who gained excess weight in young adulthood. To find out more about the relationship between weight and prostate cancer, researchers at the University of Hawaii collected and analyzed on nearly 84,000 men of different ethnic groups; African-Americans, Japanese, Latinos, Native Hawaiians and Caucasians, all of whom had participated in a long-term study called the Multiethnic Cohort. Overall, more than 5,500 were diagnosed with prostate cancer. Share and Enjoy:

12 Top health threats for women

Men and women have different health needs, and each gender finds itself with special health risks and needs. Women, in particular, are required to pay particular attention to certain health ... Share and Enjoy:

New stent aims to help erectile dysfunction patients

We are all used to getting spam e-mails offering discounts on medications such as Viagra, Cialis, or Levitra, but if the new clinical trial is successful, men that suffer from ... Share and Enjoy: