Inhibitors outside the pharmacy

Until now, these drugs were available only at the pharmacy. Previously written from a doctor's prescription, they have been available for sale for a few years now. Is it a good and safe idea to expand access to these substances outside the pharmacy?

Proton Pump Inhibitors

IPP have an interesting mechanism of action. They are absorbed in the small intestine to finally reach the parietal cells of the stomach. There, they irreversibly inhibit the enzyme responsible for the last phase of hydrochloric acid production (proton pump H⁺/ K⁺ ATPase). The effect of these drugs is to reduce the acid secretion in the stomach, both at rest and stimulated. Proton pump inhibitors are used in the treatment of gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer, Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, oesophageal ulceration as a result of nutritional excretion. They are also used prophylactically as a "cover" in the treatment of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Pros for the patient

Availability of drugs from the IPP group in non-pharmacy sales will be beneficial for patients who know these medicinal substances. Their action is effective in treating heartburn when taken for two weeks. This may be easier, for example, during holidays, when many dishes are heavy on the stomach causing unwanted reflux symptoms. Also in the case of longer, self-curing painkillers, access to the protective substance will be beneficial for people with sensitive stomach.

Consistent access to IPP outside the pharmacy

IPPs like any drugs have their side effects. Used without medical control, especially by people struggling with, for example, underlying cardiovascular diseases, they can harm the patient through interactions. Omeprazole, for example, increases the half-life of, inter alia, warfarin. It can also inhibit the absorption of digoxin. This is particularly dangerous when the medicine is taken without control by elderly cardiac patients. Another issue is masking symptoms. Something that may look like ordinary heartburn can be a nonspecific symptom of other serious diseases of the digestive tract. Therefore, intake of substances from the IPP group will delay getting the patient to the doctor and making the correct diagnosis and starting the proper therapy.

Unfavorable change

In my opinion, allowing drugs from the IPP group for non-pharmacy sales is not a favorable change. They are not drugs for immediate and short-term use, and this should be the main criterion of medicines that we can buy outside the pharmacy. Another aspect is the financial aspect itself. The treatment prescribed by the doctor will be less burdensome for the patient's pocket than the use of these drugs in self-treatment. In the pharmacy, it is always possible to advise and inquire about the patient. It may turn out that a person does not need to use these medicinal substances at all. However, buying in a store or at a gas station will not find out because there will be no professional staff who will provide such information.