According to two experts in Britain the National Health Service (NHS) is needlessly spending at least £100m per year on indigestion drugs.
The gastroenterologists from King's College Hospital, London, say that proton pump inhibitors (PPI's) such as omeprazole, which inhibit the backflow of the stomach acid that causes dyspepsia (indigestion), are the most commonly prescribed classes of drug worldwide.
Globally £7bn was spent on these drugs in 2006, £425m of that in the the UK; indigestion is very common and most people will suffer from have it from time to time.
While for some people it is a mild bout of discomfort after a large meal that goes away on its own or with medicine bought at a pharmacy without a prescription, for others it can be very frequent and painful and they may need to see a doctor for more powerful drugs.
The two experts say despite the fact that there are cheaper and equally effective alternative drugs available for many patients, prescriptions for proton pump inhibitors have superseded all other acid inhibiting agents and now make up 90% of the NHS drug budget for dyspepsia treatment.
Dr. Ian Forgacs and Dr. Aathavan Loganayagam say these relatively expensive drugs are being prescribed too readily, contrary to guidance and they accuse doctors of ignoring prescribing guidelines and say cheaper but still effective drugs can be given.
They suggest they are overused and they compare their use to giving morphine for a headache.
According to a study of hospitalized patients, 63% of Australian, 33% of Irish, and 67% of British patients who are taking proton pump inhibitors do not meet their country's criteria for taking the medication.