FDA Warns Of Antacid Risks

Researchers from the US Food and Drug Administration have warned that 14 deaths, 31 hospitalizations and four cases of disability linked to magnesium poisoning from antacid overuse have been reported since 1968.

Man C Fung, lead author of the FDA report, said that in the case of common products such as Maalox and Mylanta, "people drink them like water." Dr Fung and his co-authors said consumers often underestimate the danger and may not recognize the symptoms of magnesium poisoning, which include clumsiness, weakness, paralysis, drowsiness, confusion and coma.

Some types of Mylanta and Maalox do not contain magnesium, and Dr Fung advises consumers to check ingredients. However, Robert Kneffen, a spokesman for Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals (which makes Mylanta), said that the product was safe when used in accordance with the package labelling. A spokesman for Ciba-Geigy, which produces Maalox, declined to comment.