While Aciphex is generally considered safe for long-term use, there have been some risks linked to patients who have used the drug for longer than three years. Aciphex, the brand name for rabeprazole, is a proton pump inhibitor most often prescribed for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease.
B12 Deficiency
Vitamin B12 deficiency has been observed from long-term use of Aciphex. Symptoms of Vitamin B12 deficiency include a sore tongue, unusual muscle weakness and numbness or tingling in the hands or feet, and patients who experience any of these are advised to contact a physician immediately.
Hip Fracture
According to a study reported in the Dec. 27, 2006, edition of the "Journal of the American Medical Association," proton pump inhibitors might deter the absorption of calcium. And the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, which conducted the study, concluded: "Long-term PPI therapy, especially at high doses, is associated with an increased risk of hip fracture."
Clostridium Difficile Infections
On Feb. 9, 2009, the Special Libraries Association's Biomedical & Life Sciences Division Blog reported on the debate about whether proton pump inhibitors, such as Aciphex, put patients at greater risk of clostridium difficile infection, which strikes the large intestine, leading to severe diarrhea and possibly major organ damage. Although the report concluded that there is no direct evidence linking PPIs to the infection, it cited almost two dozen studies that linked the decrease in stomach acid (brought about by PPIs) with eventual cases of clostridium difficile infections.
