Users say heartburn meds caused them weight gain; doctors disagree

Some users say medication used to relieve heartburn is causing them to gain a significant amount of weight.

Proton pump inhibitors, like Nexium or Prilosec, are commonly used to treat acid reflux.

Jane Ocker began using PPIs in 2010, after she underwent surgery to fix a problem with her esophagus. She weighed less than 100 pounds when she left the hospital, but she progressively gained weight.

“It didn’t seem to matter what I did diet-wise, or exercise-wise or anything else,” she said. “I was still gradually gaining a pound, pound and a half a month.”

Ocker thinks it was the PPIs making her gain weight. She took them twice a day. Online, users support her theory, sharing their own weight gain stories.

But doctors reject it.

“If people think that they’re gaining weight from proton pump inhibitors, it is highly unlikely,” said Peak Gastroenterology Associates Dr. Prashant Krishnan. “The only article that I could find was something from 2009, and it did not really specify that it was the medication itself that was causing the weight gain.”

He said PPIs can have side effects, but significant weight gain isn’t one of them. He has an explanation for why users might gain weight while on them.

“If the medication is controlling the symptoms, it’s more likely that you’re going to feel more comfortable eating, because when you’re not on the medications, and you have these types of symptoms, you don’t want to eat as much,” he said.

Ocker doesn’t believe the explanation. She stopped taking PPIs three months ago, and she has since lost more than 10 pounds.

“Last year I was wearing (size) 14s, and I’m going to be back in my 14’s just any day now,” she said.

Doctors said they like to treat symptoms directly, instead of keeping patients on medication. They said acid reflux symptoms can be treated with lifestyle changes, like losing weight and staying off coffee, alcohol and cigarettes.