Aluminum hydroxide is commonly used as an antacid to help relieve acid indigestion, upset stomach, and heartburn. Together with magnesium hydroxide, aluminum hydroxide is typically used to treat these symptoms in people suffering from gastritis, peptic ulcer, esophagitis, gastric hyperacidity, and hiatal hernia. The compound mixes with stomach acid and succeeds in neutralizing it. These drugs may be bought over the counter, but in addition to its function as an antacid, a doctor may prescribe it for other uses.
Aluminum hydroxide usually comes as a liquid for oral consumption, or as a chewable tablet. For liquids, they should be shaken well before use in order to mix the drug evenly, and it may be mixed with milk or water. For tablets, they need to be chewed thoroughly and not swallowed whole. A full glass of water should be taken after the tablets are chewed.
Since the drug may be bought without a prescription, many people who struggle with hyperacidity may become largely dependent on the medication for daily use. If you are currently taking an antacid regularly, perhaps you will benefit from learning the possible side effects there may be from taking aluminum hydroxide.
Generally, the majority of aluminum that a person ingests leaves the body via the gastrointestinal tract. However, absorption of aluminum as well as a rise in serum concentrations has been observed in some cases. Of course, this accumulation, as well as the resulting toxicity, has been found limited to patients who have renal dysfunction, which results in an impaired elimination process of the element. Patients who have renal failure tend to have high levels of aluminum not just from aluminum hydroxide but also from the water used for dialysate solutions.
What are the common side effects of aluminum hydroxide?
1. General effects - Long term use of aluminum hydroxide has been shown to have aluminum deposited in a person’s joints, bone, and brain.
2. Gastrointestinal effects - The most common side effects reported for aluminum hydroxide is constipation and impaction. This is why aluminum hydroxide is generally combined with another antacid in order to counterbalance the effect of constipation.
3. Metabolic effects – One of the side effects of long-term therapy of aluminum hydroxide is hypophosphatemia, which comes about when aluminum hydroxide combines with phosphate in a person’s gut to form insoluble aluminum phosphate. This keeps dietary phosphate from being absorbed. Hypophosphatemia may result in hemolysis, encephalopathy, muscle weakness, and rhabdomyolysis.
4. Musculo-skeletal effects – Osteomalacia is a common side effect of taking antacids in high doses over the long term. This typically comes about as a result of hypophosphatemia, or from the accumulation of aluminum in the bone. The condition, when it is brought about by hypophosphatemia, is usually accompanied by bone pain, bone fractures, muscular weakness, and malaise. Those that are caused by aluminum depositions typically manifest similar symptoms, though they happen mostly in patients who suffer from chronic renal failure.
5. Nervous system effects – Side effects on the nervous system include encephalopathy, which has sometimes been observed in patients with renal failure who are on long-term aluminum hydroxide therapy. The condition typically manifests in the form of speech disorders, dyspraxia, dysarthria, dysphasia, myoclonus, seizures, tremor, coma, and even death.
6. Renal effects – Side effects on the renal glands have been reported, in rare cases, to include the formation of renal calculi as a probable result of hypercalciuria.
7. Other side effects – Other side effects of taking antacids is the interference with drug therapies, due to their influence on gastric pH. They may also exhibit adsorption or binding to drugs, and may cause changes in the urinay pH of a person.
Although these side effects typically come about from taking high doses of antacids on a long-term basis, it would always be best to consult your doctor for conditions that do not seem to go away. If you suffer from hyperacidity and have come to rely on antacids for daily life, perhaps it is time to consider a serious lifestyle adjustment, such as in terms of changes in diet or changes in reaction to stress triggers. The right mindset may do more for improving your gastrointestinal tract in the long run than simply relying on aluminum hydroxide to do its wonders.
