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Can Long Term Use Of Propulsid Causes Cardiac Complications?
Question: Hello. My 16 year old daughter fainted today. She was checked at the hospital (EKG, blood, urine). All were fine. But for about a year as an infant she took Prepulsid for reflux, from 2 weeks of age to about one year. Could the Prepulsid have caused long-term damage, which might be causing an arrhythmia now, which might have caused her to faint?
To clarify - I mean could the Prepulsid have caused long-term damage to the heart, that might cause an arrhythmia all these years later, causing her to faint.
To clarify - I mean could the Prepulsid have caused long-term damage to the heart, that might cause an arrhythmia all these years later, causing her to faint.
Brief Answer:
No data available to support LONG TERM CARDIAC COMPLICATIONS
Detailed Answer:
Good evening. I understand your concern with your daughter's fainting spell. There are many causes of fainting which can occur in a young 16 year old girl, none of which are related to a LONG TERM consequence of drugs such as PROPULSID, and which still needs to be elucidated or at least searched for before considering the medication for any reason.
Propulsid's cardiac effects in mainly causing arrhythmias is well known. However, in all the case reports that I'm aware of the complications of heart arrhythmias and in some cases, death as a result of these issues happened within a short period of time being on the drug....not decades later. The other element here to consider in your daughter is that you say her EKG was normal. If her fainting spell were because a cardiac arrhythmia and if that arrhythmia were as the result of a medication side effect causing PERMANENT or LONG TERM damage to the heart muscle then, the abnormality (known as a prolonged QT interval) would HAVE TO SHOW up on the EKG. It would not be possible for the medication to cause such a defect on an occasional or intermittent basis....make sense? It's an all or none deal in something like this...We would not expect that a permanent consequence of electrical transmission would be something that could COME AND GO meaning that the EKG would have to show the abnormality.
And so, in your daughter my approach to her situation would be to FIRST investigate for any and all causes of syncope which might even include an MRI of the brain, a HOLTER MONITOR of the heart (30 day event monitor, better yet), and an EEG (perhaps even a 60 min. prolonged sleep deprived). I would also recommend looking at full blood panels for thyroid disease, cortisol levels, possible anemia, and then, do full ORTHOSTATIC BP's to see what her autonomic system is like, and whether or not there were any chance that she were actually DEHYDRATED before launching into all sorts of other theories.
If no other cause to her spell can be found and if there were detectable cardiac abnormalities on the EKG or echocardiogram or if there are head imaging studies which show other things going on then, you may be justified in questioning the Propulsid...but again, without any long term data in pediatric patients it would be impossible to ascribe any type of actual risk factor to such remote use.
I hope this answer satisfactorily addresses your interesting question. If so, may I ask your favor of a HIGH STAR RATING with some written feedback.
Also, if there are no other questions or comments, may I ask you CLOSE THE QUERY on your end so this question can be transacted and archived for further reference by colleagues as necessary?
Please direct more comments or inquiries to me in the future at:
bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi
I would be honored to answer you quickly and comprehensively.
Please keep me informed as to the outcome of your situation.
All the best.
The query has required a total of 25 minutes of physician specific time to read, research, and compile a return envoy to the patient.
No data available to support LONG TERM CARDIAC COMPLICATIONS
Detailed Answer:
Good evening. I understand your concern with your daughter's fainting spell. There are many causes of fainting which can occur in a young 16 year old girl, none of which are related to a LONG TERM consequence of drugs such as PROPULSID, and which still needs to be elucidated or at least searched for before considering the medication for any reason.
Propulsid's cardiac effects in mainly causing arrhythmias is well known. However, in all the case reports that I'm aware of the complications of heart arrhythmias and in some cases, death as a result of these issues happened within a short period of time being on the drug....not decades later. The other element here to consider in your daughter is that you say her EKG was normal. If her fainting spell were because a cardiac arrhythmia and if that arrhythmia were as the result of a medication side effect causing PERMANENT or LONG TERM damage to the heart muscle then, the abnormality (known as a prolonged QT interval) would HAVE TO SHOW up on the EKG. It would not be possible for the medication to cause such a defect on an occasional or intermittent basis....make sense? It's an all or none deal in something like this...We would not expect that a permanent consequence of electrical transmission would be something that could COME AND GO meaning that the EKG would have to show the abnormality.
And so, in your daughter my approach to her situation would be to FIRST investigate for any and all causes of syncope which might even include an MRI of the brain, a HOLTER MONITOR of the heart (30 day event monitor, better yet), and an EEG (perhaps even a 60 min. prolonged sleep deprived). I would also recommend looking at full blood panels for thyroid disease, cortisol levels, possible anemia, and then, do full ORTHOSTATIC BP's to see what her autonomic system is like, and whether or not there were any chance that she were actually DEHYDRATED before launching into all sorts of other theories.
If no other cause to her spell can be found and if there were detectable cardiac abnormalities on the EKG or echocardiogram or if there are head imaging studies which show other things going on then, you may be justified in questioning the Propulsid...but again, without any long term data in pediatric patients it would be impossible to ascribe any type of actual risk factor to such remote use.
I hope this answer satisfactorily addresses your interesting question. If so, may I ask your favor of a HIGH STAR RATING with some written feedback.
Also, if there are no other questions or comments, may I ask you CLOSE THE QUERY on your end so this question can be transacted and archived for further reference by colleagues as necessary?
Please direct more comments or inquiries to me in the future at:
bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi
I would be honored to answer you quickly and comprehensively.
Please keep me informed as to the outcome of your situation.
All the best.
The query has required a total of 25 minutes of physician specific time to read, research, and compile a return envoy to the patient.
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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