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Digestive Disorders

Prilosec and aplastic anemia

06/13/2001

Question:

My doctor prescribed prilosec for my gerd. I looked it up in a prescription book and it said aplastic anemia was a risk factor for taking this drug. Now I am leery about taking it. How often does it cause aplastic anemia?

Answer:

I`m not sure what prescription book you were reading. Aplastic anemia is an extremely rare side effect or complication of omeprazole (Prilosec). In fact I reviewed the literature for a published case report and could not find any. Of the millions of people worldwide treated with omeprazole since it became available over 10 years ago, I would guess that there may have been a few cases of aplastic anemia that were associated with its use. However the company and prescription books are obligated to list it as a potential side effect despite its extreme rarity. Thus concern about this complication should not be a reason to not take the drug.

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Response by:

University of Cincinnati John D Long, MD
Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine
Division of Digestive Diseases
Department of Internal Medicine
College of Medicine
University of Cincinnati