Famotidine Fatalities and link to Endotoxin
Famotidine Fatalities and link to Endotoxin
The 66th most commonly prescribed drug in US, Famotidine, Pepcid is associated with 1,100 Deaths in the FAERS database. Does the benefit outweigh the Risk?
Until today I had never heard of Famotidine, sold in Australia under the brand name Ausfam.
I saw it being promoted by Dr Peter McCullough as a Do-it-Yourself treatment in a video clip circulated to the very large audience of Vigilant Fox on Twitter.
I delved and found it is associated with 1,100 Deaths reported to the US FAERS database. Here is the output captured today of Deaths and Disabled by year from 1995 to June 2023, which looks like it will be the worst year on record.
With a Death to Adverse Report Ratio of 5.67%, it raises alarms bells.
Deaths in Australia from Famotidine
6 Deaths from 418 cases have been reported to the TGA DAEN after the victims took Famotidine. How many other Deaths were actually caused by taking this antacid given the known under-reporting? It clearly damages the Liver, Heart and nervous system.
Cardiologist Peter McCullough promoting Famotidine
The Tweet that caught my eye! Note 359,100 views in just a few hours.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1694753709996101938
Here is Peter McCullough Protocol recommending Famotidine, along with Pfizer’s Paxlovid, Azithromycin, Doxycycline, Hydroxychloroquine, Ivermectin and other drugs for “Covid-19-like illnesses”.
Robert W Malone Self-treated
Looking for other Substack articles, I found this very useful one from October 2022.
Dr Malone was lead author of a paper on Famotidine in 2020 that has had 161,813 views at date of writing this article.1
Endotoxin toxicity ameliorated by Famotidine
Mice injected with Endotoxin (Lipopolysaccharide E. coli. 0111:B4, Cat# L2630) had less severe reaction when treated with Famotidine.2 The authors presented evidence that this effect might be mediated via action on the Vagal Nerve by injecting directly into the Spinal Theca.
Famotidine Structure
I am always interested to look at the chemical structure of drugs prescribed or purchased over the counter.3
The chemical name for Famotidine is N2-(aminosulphonyl)-3-[[[2-[(diamino methylene)amino]thiazol-4yl]methyl]thio]propanamidine.
Increased Mortality in Famotidine Hospital Use
Apart from a number of studies showing No Benefit from its use4, one careful study found increased Death Risk.5
analysis, accounting for interaction between in-hospital and at-home famotidine use, showed that patients not using famotidine at home but receiving famotidine in the hospital were at higher risk of 30-day mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 1.77; 95% confidence interval, 1.03–3.03).
Case Reports of Heart Damage by Famotidine
In 1999 a patient suffered multiple Cardiac Arrests after he was repeatedly given Famotidine.6
A small clinical trial found that administration of Famotidine led to a significant fall in stroke volume and cardiac output as compared with placebo (both p < 0.05).7
Side Effects listed by the TGA
[Very Common (>1/10) Common (>1/100, <1/10) Uncommon (>1/1000, <1/100) Rare (>1/10,000, <1/1,000) Very rare (<1/10,000) including isolated cases Not known (cannot be estimated from the available data)]
Blood and the lymphatic system disorders
“Very rare” Thrombocytopenia; Leukopenia; Agranulocytosis; Pancytopenia; Neutropenia
Psychiatric disorders
“Rare” Reversible psychic disturbances including Hallucinations; Confusion; Anxiety disorders; Agitation; Depression
“Very rare” Disorientation; Reduced libido; Insomnia.
Nervous system disorders
“Common” Headache; Dizziness
“Uncommon” Taste disorder
“Very rare” Paraesthesia; Somnolence; Epileptic seizures; Convulsions; Grand Mal Seizures (particularly in patients with impaired renal function)
Gastrointestinal disorders
“Common” Constipation; Diarrhoea
“Uncommon” Nausea; Vomiting; Abdominal discomfort or distension; Flatulence; Dry mouth
Hepato-biliary disorders
“Rare” Intrahepatic Cholestasis (visible sign: Jaundice); Hepatitis; Cholestatic jaundice; Increase in Liver Enzyme Abnormalities (Transaminases, Gamma GT, Alkaline Phosphatase, Bilirubin)
Metabolism and nutrition disorders
“Uncommon” Loss of appetite (Anorexia);
Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders
“Uncommon” Rash; Pruritus; Urticaria; Acne; Dry skin; Flushing
“Very rare” Alopecia; Stevens Johnson syndrome/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis sometimes Fatal
Immune system disorders
“Rare” Anaphylaxis
“Very rare” Hypersensitivity reactions (Angioneurotic Oedema, Bronchospasm)
Respiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders
“Very rare” Interstitial pneumonia sometimes Fatal
Muscoskeletal, connective tissue and bone disorders
“Rare” Muscle cramps; Arthralgia
Cardiac disorders
“Very rare” AV block with H2 receptor antagonists administered intravenously; Palpitations; prolonged QT interval
“Rare” Bradycardia; Arrhythmias
General disorders and administration site conditions
“Uncommon” Fatigue
“Very rare” Chest Tightness, Fever, Tinnitus, Orbital Oedema
Reproductive system and breast disorders
“Rare” Angioedema
“Very rare” Impotence; Gynaecomastia
Mania caused by Famotidine
In 2002 German medicos reported Manic behaviour and Epileptic Seizures lasting 3 months after she was given Famotidine.8
Haemodialysis does not remove Famotodine in Kidney patients, leading to massive Central Nervous System accumulation of the poison in a 1994 report.9
Comparative Toxicogenomics Database resource
The US government Comparative Toxicogenomics database is a great place to do further study on the Diseases caused by Famotidine, epigenetic mechanims and toxic pathways are laid out.10 Here is their simplified chart of Harms.
Hands Up who would recommend this Drug?
Malone RW. 2020. COVID-19: Famotidine, Histamine, Mast Cells, and Mechanisms. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2021.633680/full
Yang H, et al. 2022. Famotidine activates the vagus nerve inflammatory reflex to attenuate cytokine storm. https://molmed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s10020-022-00483-8
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Famotidine
Long B, et al. 2021. Clinical update on COVID-19 for the emergency and critical care clinician: Medical management. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8956349/
Yeramaneni S, et al. 2021. Famotidine Use Is Not Associated With 30-day Mortality: A Coarsened Exact Match Study in 7158 Hospitalized Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019 From a Large Healthcare System. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7550093/
Schienwald PK. 1999. Complete Atrioventricular Block and Cardiac Arrest following Intravenous Famotidine Administration. https://pubs.asahq.org/anesthesiology/article/90/2/623/37738/Complete-Atrioventricular-Block-and-Cardiac-Arrest
Halabi H and Kirch W. 2009. Cardiovascular Effects of Omeprazole and Famotidine. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/00365529209011178
von Einsiedel RW, et al. 2002. H2-Histamine Antagonist (Famotidine) Induced Adverse CNS Reactions with Long-Standing Secondary Mania and Epileptic Seizures. https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/s-2002-33193
Yoshimoto K, et al. 1994. Famotidine-associated central nervous system reactions and plasma and cerebrospinal drug concentrations in neurosurgical patients with renal failure. https://ascpt.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1038/clpt.1994.86
https://ctdbase.org/detail.go?type=chem&acc=D015738&view=disease