Attorney Michael de Broglio on: South Africa, Law, Politics, Attorneys, Sport, Photography, Technology, Gadgets, Media, Crime, Road Accidents Fund,
Divorce, Maintenance, Personal Injury, Medical Negligence
There is seldom a day that goes by without some product somewhere being declared a risk in one way or another. This one hit me a little bit more than most because I have taken lots of Zantac in my life. Zantac works by reducing the amount of acid that your stomach produces, and it is used to treat and prevent ulcers. I took quite a bit of the medicine over the years and was quite shocked to read recently about the carcinogenic fears associated with Zantac. In fact, the concerns are so serious that numerous pharmacies around America have taken the brand off their shelves and Canada has ordered a halt to all distribution of Zantac while it investigates. On 13 September the FDA said they found low levels of a cancer-causing contaminant in the heartburn medications. The contaminant is a type of nitrosamine that can cause tumours in the liver and other organs in lab animals and are believed to be carcinogenic in us humans.
Posted by Michael de Broglio on Monday 02-Dec-19
Post a Comment
Comments
Sinead said:
on Friday 10-Jan-20 04:24 PM
Many people don't like relying on medication to get well. And I see this more and more these days. Most are trying to go more herbal than anything.
I'd also much prefer to go the "home remedy" route first.
It's quite scary to think that these things can actually have a negative effect on us long term. Even something silly like Panado shouldn't be overused.
Lourien said:
on Monday 06-Jan-20 12:15 PM
All Medication is made to be used, again and again and before you know it you are addicted to it. Don not use medication longer than two weeks, because then it does not work. If it does not cure you its not working as simple as that. Acid buildup can be reduced by using lemons, lemons is a natural way of reducing these acids in you body.
Shristi said:
on Thursday 19-Dec-19 08:40 AM
This is really scary.. But as most said, all medication has some side effect. It also recently came to light that Medformin (taken when you have diabetes) possibly has cancer causing contaminant and people have been taking it for years.
Brumilde Cronje said:
on Friday 13-Dec-19 11:57 AM
Every possible tablet(drug) you can think of has a warning on it. As with all things in life, dont overuse anything. Too much of a good thing is bad. You have people popping grandpa's everyday, not knowing the long term damage it does
Dasanya said:
on Friday 13-Dec-19 09:46 AM
I am not a fan of medication and take medicine only when it is an absolute necessity. I agree with Bronwyn that all medication affects us in some way be it now or at a later stage. Herbal and natural remedies would be the better option. My parents often speak of a time when doctors weren't needed to treat colds and flu and everyday minor injuries however today, we are so dependent on GP's to provide medicine for just about every symptom.
Bronwyn said:
on Friday 13-Dec-19 09:07 AM
I think all medication have side effects regardless, maybe if we try to go back to the old way of treating an illness with natural herbal remedies and just have more fresh,organic food we would not be needing all this medication.
Thembi said:
on Thursday 12-Dec-19 04:04 PM
I think all medication has side effect is not only zantac.I did try zantac ones for heartburn.
Zindy said:
on Thursday 12-Dec-19 08:56 AM
Many Years ago people didn't have all these medications because the lifestyles were so much different to now. Not as much processed foods. They ate more freshly grown more nutritional foods and had a lot more exercise. Today as a result of change of lifestyle they have developed a hundred different medications for the same problem Honestly We do rely on new age medications to help us in today's life, Not to say one thing works for you that it would work for someone else all boils down to trial and error to see what works for you
Bianca Taljaard said:
on Thursday 12-Dec-19 07:41 AM
I don't think there is one type of medication that does not have any side effects, best just try to avoid drinking medication for any and every small thing.
Ashleigh said:
on Wednesday 11-Dec-19 03:49 PM
It is normally only years later that you find out that the things that you have been consuming has been risky somewhere.
Brenda Du Toit said:
on Wednesday 11-Dec-19 03:31 PM
I have never used Zantac .But i must say all medication has their side effects.A person doesn't know what is safe and what not anymore. We need to be more careful of what we use Today.
Mathilda Du Preez said:
on Monday 09-Dec-19 03:29 PM
All medication has their side effects and some more than others.
I have never used any medication for heartburn as I'm lucky to not get it.
Sujata said:
on Friday 06-Dec-19 08:45 AM
Many medications have recently been brought to light to have or cause serious complications. Flouroqinolones such as ciprofloxocin gradually increases the risk of muscular skeletal complications following frequent intake.
Medicated Drug production in today's fourth industrial revolution is an international commodity as more pharmaceutical giants compete to produce and sell more medication than other competitors. Advertising also plays a crucial role as its the simplest form and means to communicate information about medications and is the more likely means at which consumers are told all but some of the truth.
The pharmaceutical industry is a business with concerns primarily based on product development, commercialization and profits and this should be a key point every consumer, patient and medical practitioner should bare in mind. Just as consumers know that smoking causes lung cancer they should also be made aware that continuous intake of medications causes permanent or prolonged complications.
Victoria said:
on Wednesday 04-Dec-19 11:44 AM
Scary to think that the kind of medicine we all take to help us actually in the long run will probably cause more problems then we started off with. I have never taken Zantac before.
Kayla said:
on Wednesday 04-Dec-19 11:41 AM
Its quite shocking to think of the amount of damage it can cause by trying to fix or make something else better. How many other brands or products are there that we are not aware of that has this same problem...
Michelle D said:
on Tuesday 03-Dec-19 06:14 PM
It's crazy that pharmaceuticals can still be sold and procedures done without being FDA approved. I recently watched an episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver who discussed it in depth. Some scary stuff
Claudia B said:
on Tuesday 03-Dec-19 08:46 AM
I have never used Zantac but it's scary to think what they actually put in everything we use as medicine, need to be more careful of what we use.
Megan said:
on Tuesday 03-Dec-19 08:21 AM
That's what they said about Eno's, they were recalled too because apparently there were also levels of a cancer-causing contaminant. Funny how they are similar in a sense that they aid with indigestion leading to heartburn, looks like there may never be a remedy for those symptoms.
Joyce said:
on Monday 02-Dec-19 04:59 PM
I think it is not only Zantac that has side effect, I think it is the whole lot of medicines, it is scary when you later discover about the danger of the medicine
Jadine Richards said:
on Monday 02-Dec-19 03:27 PM
I suppose this is the risk with all medication that we use. All we can do is hope and pray that it is not us who is patient zero. However, when it comes to a heartburn medication, seemingly harmless Zantac, this is deeply disturbing.
Prishani said:
on Monday 02-Dec-19 03:22 PM
This is very scary thought and leaves me feeling anxious. I guess as research improves we will have to deal with more shocking discoveries in terms of medicine.
Alexis said:
on Monday 02-Dec-19 03:20 PM
Everything taken has side-effects. Will most likely affect one person more than the other. It is always risky taking medication, and majority of the time, you will be given something to counteract the effects of the medication you are on for safety. I am not one to takes medication lightly regardless of what it is for.
Ziyanda said:
on Monday 02-Dec-19 02:59 PM
This is one of the reasons why I do not like taking tablets or medicines because there are always after-effects. But what is surprising is that the FDA approves the drugs and once it is discovered that they are bad for you. They then want to investigate which is what they should have done before approving something that is harmful.
Daniella said:
on Monday 02-Dec-19 02:20 PM
Its hectic how the FDA approves so many different medicines and only once people start figuring out that its actually bad for you -then only do they start investigating. They are suppose to protect the consumer before it gets to this point.
Melissa said:
on Monday 02-Dec-19 02:04 PM
This is absolutely shocking. It just shows you once again that you can't trust anything you buy anymore. A person doesn't know what is safe and what not.
Natasha Gouws said:
on Monday 02-Dec-19 01:30 PM
Its scary how their is Always a product that is dangerous and can kill you or cause serious illness.But honestly there is nothing we can do about it everything we take in can be dangerous we don't know the make all the things with different ingredients and some of them even come in food, so if you drink the tablets or eat the food you getting it in somehow. The other thing is there is ALWAYS going to be some sort of thing that is going to be dangerous and we take in so many of different things thats dangerous that are bodies are getting use to it.
patrick said:
on Monday 02-Dec-19 12:45 PM
It is becoming increasing difficult to know which products to trust. Manufactures have resorted to put profits forward over quality and thereby degrading the product.
Fikile said:
on Monday 02-Dec-19 12:28 PM
It's always important to read the instructions on the box of tables so that you also know what you are dealing with because if you don't read it you won't know what you are looking at. The instructions on the box always states the side effects that you will get when you take the tablets and that is always written as " do not take more than 5 or 10 days, before consulting with a doctor".
Nicolle said:
on Monday 02-Dec-19 12:22 PM
The thought and prospect of an aid which was meant to help a person now being able to, or having already caused damage, is terrifying.
It is concerning, this "Big Pharmaceuticals" issues surrounding their products, ineffective or irregular products, misrepresentation etc. This may just be a side-effect of Industrial Biotechnology.
Courtney said:
on Monday 02-Dec-19 10:32 AM
I hate when I have to take any pill's/medicine. I would rather wait until I cant deal with the pain or whatever it might be until I really can't no more. Herbal is so much better even though it's sometimes more expensive.
Sarah said:
on Monday 02-Dec-19 10:31 AM
I used A.Vogel Multiforce Alkaline Powder as well , it really does help and I also used lancap. Lancap helps instantly .I noticed a lot old medicine has been taken off the market for some or other reason
Bianca N said:
on Monday 02-Dec-19 09:38 AM
I think this is why more and more people are going organic. Fair enough, medication has side effects and consequences, but I don't think finding cancer-contaminant can be seen as just a "side effect", so I too would be shocked if I used medicine for a while and then found out. Would make me wonder how much damage it has done to my body that obviously can't be seen with the naked eye.
Michelle Smillie said:
on Monday 02-Dec-19 09:29 AM
This post reminds me of the saying 'too much of a good thing is a bad thing'. There are a lot of medicine that seem harmless on the surface, but can actually cause bad issues and symptoms. Although I would never have suspected heartburn medication to be carcinogenic.
Clare said:
on Monday 02-Dec-19 09:15 AM
This is crazy, I have not used Zantac, but now I will not use it at all. But just like everything in this world it comes with a Price. I have been using A.Vogel Multiforce Alkaline Powder, and it has been helping me. So you can always see if this will Help you. Well your Zantac is under investigates
Lucretia said:
on Monday 02-Dec-19 08:57 AM
Honestly, if we look at everything that is dangerous to our health, we may as well stop living. There are dangers with everything we eat and drink because of the rate at which they are speeding up the supply due to demand. I always think of my late grandmother, whom i never had the pleasure of knowing, that never touched a cigarette nor alcohol and died at the age of 46 with cancer. So what do we really do.....................
tamaryn said:
on Monday 02-Dec-19 08:47 AM
This is very concerning. If Zantac has carcinogenic ingredients, and I'm not sure whether those are the active ingredients or preservatives of a sort, then how many other of these heartburn medications contain the same? They are widely used and readily available.
Roxanne Rautenbach said:
on Monday 02-Dec-19 08:12 AM
A lot medication harms you more then it cures, it may cure one problem but causes another problem later on. i am a firm believer in herbal medication
sandra said:
on Monday 02-Dec-19 08:06 AM
Zantac, prozac or any pill out there have side effects and can harm a person. It can help with one ailment and cause another. Unless you go all natural and herbal, any pill that is a strong one will in the long run cause some or other thing in the body.
Johannesburg based attorney specializing in personal injury matters including Road Accident Fund claims and medical negligence matters. My interests include golf, reading and the internet and the way it is constantly developing. I have a passion for life and a desire for less stress!
