How many years is considered long term drug/medication usage
Patients tend to worry about the side effects that may be caused by longterm drug/meds usage. How many years do you have to consume the drug/meds to say that you are longterm on it? Likewise, if you get off the drug for let's say a couple of months or one year and then start again, is the "longterm" word meaning disrupted?
Example: I've been taking PPIs (proton pump inhibitors) for 5 years, but the first year I've taken them for 2 months, second year 2 months, third year 1 month, fourth year less than a month and fifth year 4 months on and off. Am I a longterm user of the drug or not?
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Yes, you have been on the PPI's long term. Not to be confused with continuous long-term, which is because you broke the cycle several times in the five years. Criteria;
Taking them for 5 years
Taking them for a month or almost a month
Taking them for a reason that may not go away(not sure, but if the condition is chronic then you will need the meds chronic/longterm) signifying that you will continue to need them
Medscape:
a definition in the literature for "long-term" is lacking; neither the
AGA guidelines nor the ACG guidelines define what is considered
long-term. For the rest of this article, the authors use long-term to
designate therapy greater than 14 days
So we can deduce that if you continue therapy for longer than 14 days every year you will be long term.
About.GERD.com
Be aware that the OTC proton pump inhibitors should only be used as
directed for 14 days for the treatment of frequent heartburn. If your
heartburn continues, talk to your healthcare professional. No more
than three 14-day treatment courses should be used in one year.
So from here we can see that PPI's here are only indicated for around 14 days 3 times a year.
Are Heartburn Medications Safe for Long-Term Use?
Approved dosing chart for how long to take and amount of PPI
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