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Increase in Children's Use of Heartburn Drugs

-October 11, 2007 

New reports show that there has been an increase in the number of young children that are on prescription drugs for heartburn and other digestive problems.

Researchers claim that the prescription use among children has increased 56 percent in recent years and they believe this medication use could be contributing to the increase in obesity cases in kids.

Analysis Shows Increase

The sudden increase was found in a Medco Health Solutions Inc. analysis.

According to researchers, this data suggests that more than 2 million U.S. children who are 18 and under have used medications to treat digestive and gastrointestinal problems within the past year.

“It's a signal that something's going on that we need to keep an eye on,” says Dr. Robert Epstein, the chief medical officer at Medco.

Research Conducted at Medco

Researchers from Medco, a pharmacy benefits management company, analyzed the prescription drug claims from more than 575,000 children across the U.S.

The researchers found that 557, 259 infants and children under the age of four were taking prescriptions last year.

There was also reportedly a 31 percent increase in prescription use among children between the ages of five and 11 and an estimated one million children from the ages of 12 to 18 used were being medicated.

Obesity Caused by Heartburn Medications

Doctors claim that heartburn is a common complication of being overweight and the increase in children taking heartburn medications happened at the time of the nation's rising obesity epidemic.

Although parents are reportedly demanding that their children be prescribed medications for reflux and other problems, doctors say that they should avoid overuse and first try non-drug approaches.

(Source: Associated Press)

Do you have a child who has been harmed by taking a heartburn medication? If so, please contact us today to speak with an experienced attorney who will enable you and your loved ones to be compensated for any injuries that have been inflicted.

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