30 years of taking Lansaprozole
Posted , 4 users are following.
I have been taking 30mg x twice daily for nearly 30 years. For the past 5 years i have had terrific bloating, pain, loose stools. I have had more tests than anything ranging from suspected Ceoliac Disease, Camera's in nearly every orofice, tested for Lactose/Lactoluse in fact every teat imaginable. My Specialist told me last week to stop taking Lansaprozole & instead use Gaviscon IF my "Heartburn" returns? After trying everything else i though i may as well give it a go! I cannot believe the results already? My stomach has reduced in size, no pains ( & up to now no heartburn)? He also gave me a 2 week prescription of Anti Biotics as he suspects because Lansaprozole had stopped the acid that normally occur in my stomach, that Bacteria has probably thrived, so the A.Biotics should get rid of them?
?Apart from the suffering I've had, (even Cancer was at one time suspected), what annoy's me more is the wasted monies the N.H.S. have spent on all the proceedurs/Test's that have been done. I think MORE test's should be done on any new medication BEFORE it being allowed for use on "Guinea Pig" patients?
1 like, 11 replies
Amber2016 steve51768
Posted
steve51768 Amber2016
Posted
Hi Amber,
?I just stopped. Had no bad effects in fact the opposite felt good the next day? I'm just so mad that it's taken 5 years of misery & expense for all the proceedures I've had, when it could have been solved by stopping this capsule. Anyway, good luck, & i sincerley hope you get the desired effects as i did?
chereene_93989 steve51768
Posted
When I was first prescribed Lansoprasole, I had never taken a pill for anything so I read the side effects list. As soon as I saw that permanent hair loss was apossibility, I simply didn't take them. I knew I didn't need them as I had no acid reflux or similar problems - I had what I thought was cyclic vomoting syndrome. Taking PPIs also stops your stomach from absorbing the goodness out of the food you take on board and I couldn't see the point of that. After three A & E visits, an x-ray each time and being dismissed with gastroenteritis, it transpires after a CT scan that I have a 6" x 4" tumour (cancer) growing from the tail of my pancreas. X-rays do not show soft tissue growths etc so the money spent on those could have gone towards a CT scan much earlier in the day which would have highlighted a much smaller and operable tumour. I have four of my six chemo sessions and luckily I still have my hair ironically! Two more to go and a CT scan this month and fingers crossed a tumour which gas shrunk to an operable size.
You are right Steve, the money spent on colonoscopies, gastroscopy and x-rays wasted along with crucial time when all I needed was a CT scan a year earlier when I had already lost 9kilos without trying and warning signs aplenty.
I am feeling remarkably well despite the intense chemo and am just hoping for a happy outcome.
Stick to the Gaviscon and to anyone else out there, read the leaflet and make your own mind up. Really try and pinpoint your symptoms including changes to your stools as these really are a huge indicator in whether something is radically wrong. If your doctor doesn't ask you the pertinent questions, make sure you've listened to your body down to last detail and tell them what is going on. Good luck to everyone out there with these problems!
Amber2016 chereene_93989
Posted
Very interesting reading....it is worrying that as you say so many resources are being used when perhaps a bit more time spent on diagnosis would work better both for us and for the over-stretched NHS. Just got back from annual visit to Oesteoporosis Clinic at UCH...asked consultant what he thought about lansoprazole and he is all for it - I gently suggested that perhaps I hadn't needed it - he wouldn't have it saying as so many doctors do that its been used for over 20years all over the Western world - "so what" I say! Good luck with your chemo and a full recovery after such a long journey.
steve51768 chereene_93989
Posted
Hi Chereene, so sorry to hear about your Cancer that surely puts my symptoms in the shade. I started losing weight 3 st. at one stage even though i was'nt trying to loose weight. I still have1 stone to make up for the loss. Mine was excerbated by the fact i am also Diebetic, so, watching what i was eating was a nightmare. Besides my stopping Lansoprazole my Specialist also prescribed a fortnights course of Anti Biotics to kill off any Bacteria in my Stomach that may grown because the stopping of the Acids apparently gives Bacteria a field day. It's early doors for me at the moment, but i can honestly say i have never felt better since my stopping Lanzaprozole. When i started them some 30 years ago, they did stop the reflux etc, but like a lot of things i don't think the long term effects are considered, yet even though i have had lots of Medicational "Reviews" no-one has ever picked up on this? Makes you think what else people take long term that will affect them badly? Here's hoping that all goes well for you & that any operation will be successful.
Guest steve51768
Posted
I will be on this drug longterm (am 25 now) so any additional info is very welcome from you. I doubt that anyone has such a lot of experience on this drug like you have.
steve51768 Guest
Posted
Hi esic, for the full 30 years i was on 30mg x 2 per day. Initially it was 30 mg a day, but after a few days i was advised to double the dosage by my then G.P. Don't get me wrong though the tablet did it's job in stopping the Reflux, but, as it became a daily ritual i took it without any concerns that it could have any adverse effects? It was 5 years ago when i started having symptoms of Bloating etc. & it's taken 4 Specialist's & persistence from myself & G.P. to get an answer? I am now 67 yrs. old. In hindsight maybe i should have cut it down to 30mg per day? Hope you have a better experience with it than I. Good Luck.
Guest steve51768
Posted
Tnx for the reply I'm on pantoprazole 20mg which is lanso 15 mg daily and this does the job for me for now. Maybe you should lower you dose and try it for a week and see how this goes...
steve51768 Guest
Posted
No have stopped it completely should i get any reflux/Heartburn I'm using Gaviscon. After the 5 yrs. of misery i had, I'm glad to be off it.
Amber2016 steve51768
Posted
After reading your experience I made an appointment with GP and will come off Lanzoprazole as soon as I've seen her, regardless of what she thinks! What you said about this makes perfect sense but my husband pointed out that its important to get the right anti-biotic. Can you by any chance remember what anti-biotic you were prescribed?
steve51768 Amber2016
Posted
Hello Amber, at the moment i have'nt got the name of them? However, one of my lads who is in Spain at the moment has the name of them in his phone. He's back week Friday, so I'll get it then, unless he phones in the meantime, & then I'll post the name for you.