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Discontinuation of Proton Pump Inhibitors in Patients on Long-Term Therapy: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial
E. BjÖrnsson; H. Abrahamsson; M. SimrÉn; N. Mattsson; C. Jensen; P. Agerforz; A. Kilander | Disclosures
Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2006;24(6):945-954.
DISCUSSION
During the last two decades, peptic ulcer as an indication for PPIs has decreased whereas GERD has become a major indication although dyspepsia and prophylactic therapy are also common indications.[1-7] In a recent study, approximately 60% of patients on long-term PPIs had GERD.[15] This is very similar to our original cohort of PPI users participating in our symptom survey.[16] However, 78% of patients willing to participate in the current study had GERD. We observed a positive association between GERD as an indication for PPIs and the need to resume PPIs. Consequently, the proportion of patients resuming therapy seems to depend to a great extent on the indication. At the end of follow-up 27% of patients were off PPIs in the current study but this proportion would probably have been larger if more non-GERD patients had participated. Our results do not permit firm conclusions to be drawn on the proportion of long-term PPI users in general who could do well without medication. However, it seems unlikely that the patients who were willing to participate were in less need of PPIs than those who did not, as GERD was more common in the participants than in those who chose not to participate.
Very limited data exist on the need for long-term acid-suppressive therapy in PPI users in general. Cooper et al.[17] carried out an audit of PPI prescribing in general practice in the UK and 12% of patients had their acid-suppressive therapy discontinued completely. However, the proportion of PPI users with a confirmed diagnosis of GERD was unclear, follow-up was short and no quality of life assessments was made.[17] In the current study, we found that 79% of GERD patients had resumed PPIs at the end of follow-up whereas 21% were off PPIs, although two patients used H2-receptor antagonists occasionally. Our results with 19% of GERD patients being asymptomatic without medication are similar to the 15% of GERD patients not needing medical therapy in a study of step-down management of PPIs.[8] However, no upper endoscopy was performed and their method of tapering down the PPIs for successful discontinuation was not evaluated.[8] In the current study 14% of the patients who had endoscopy had oesophagitis and had a very similar reflux score at baseline compared with those without oesophagitis. It would therefore appear to be reasonable to perform an upper endoscopy before a decision can be made in patients with GERD to discontinue PPIs completely as patients who are already on long-term PPIs but still have erosive disease should not have their PPIs discontinued.
The GERD patients who reinstituted PPIs shortly after discontinuation seem to have a truly acid-related disorder whereas the non-GERD patients resumed PPIs after a median of 95 days. One patient resumed PPIs just 4 days after the start of the study medication, choosing the same treatment that she was on previously. Psychological factors in these patients cannot therefore be ignored.[18]
Recent studies have shown that many GERD patients take PPIs on demand.[1, 19-22] In the current study, patients taking PPIs on demand were excluded. Most patients with GERD were willing to continue with PPIs on demand to control their symptoms but 5060% of patients continued with placebo on demand.[21-22] The reasons for the different results of these trials compared with our results are unclear. Placebo treatment is not equivalent to absence of therapy. The recruitment of patients was also different and prior long-term therapy was not a prerequisite for inclusion but 'endoscopy-negative GERD as defined by symptoms'.[22] As our patients were strictly those who used PPIs every day it seems logical that it might be more difficult for these patients to discontinue PPIs completely.
We observed a significant improvement in the quality of life as measured by the PGWB index at all intervals in those who were off PPIs. The improved quality of life is probably not due to the absence of PPIs but rather associated with being in a clinical study with endoscopy, lab tests, being cared for by a study nurse and evaluation by a gastroenterologist with reassurance. Those who were off PPIs also had unchanged or fewer GI symptoms. Thus, most patients who were off PPIs at the end of follow-up had been prescribed PPIs for symptoms unlikely to be due to acid production.
Acid rebound hypersecretion after discontinuation of acid-suppressive therapy has been well documented with acid output measurements.[9-11] The clinical implication of the acid rebound hypersecretion after discontinuation of PPIs is still unclear. It is conceivable that this might lead to exacerbation of reflux symptoms and explain the clinical experience of many doctors that discontinuation of PPIs is difficult due to symptom recurrence. The short period of tapering did not seem to make it easier for patients to be off PPIs compared with patients who discontinued therapy promptly. It is possible that a more prolonged tapering would have been more effective in order to step down from a PPI to no therapy. Very limited data exists on symptoms associated with discontinuation of PPIs. A pilot study with a short-term course of omeprazole 20 mg in healthy volunteers induced significant rebound heartburn symptoms.[23] The current study is the first to test the hypothesis that tapering might be helpful in stepping down from a PPI to no therapy. Withdrawal of ranitidine induced dyspeptic symptoms that lasted for only a few days[12] and in a previous uncontrolled study tapering was performed in 2 weeks.[8] However, the results of the current study put the question of tapering into a new perspective. Gastrin at baseline was significantly higher in GERD patients who resumed PPIs vs. GERD patients who were off PPIs and was independently associated with PPI requirement. Long-term hypergastrinaemia is associated with increased gastric acid secretion.[24] Furthermore, Gillen et al.[10] demonstrated that the degree of increase in maximal acid output after discontinuation of omeprazole was related to fasting gastrin levels. It thus seems likely that GERD patients with high fasting gastrin might be more prone to develop symptomatic acid rebound and would therefore experience more difficulty in discontinuing PPIs. It is conceivable that only patients with high gastrin levels would need tapering in order to decrease the risk of a clinically significant acid rebound. We found gastrin levels above the upper limit of normal in a minority of our patients, which is in line with other studies.[1, 25-26]
In conclusion, discontinuation of PPI was successful in 27% of long-term PPI users. GERD patients had more difficulty discontinuing PPI than non-GERD patients. Hypergastrinaemia seems to be an important predictor of PPI requirement in GERD patients. Discontinuation of these drugs might be possible in some PPI users without a strong indication for the drug, especially if they do not have symptoms of GERD, although recommendations on the mode of discontinuation can not be made at the present time.