anyone thats had Gastritis and with experience with omeprazole thats could give me some advice?
Posted , 7 users are following.
Good Evening everyone,
for years i was suffering from stomach issues, docs told me it was IBS, symptoms got worse and i started experiencing stomach pains especially in the mornings, and vomiting after eating. october 2018 i had an endoscopy and i had chronic gastritis caused by h.pylori, eradication therapy went ahead and also omeprazole, may 2019 i get urea breath test and it confirmed the helicobacter was gone, my doctor told me i can't be on omeprazole long term so i came off them and i felt back to normal for a month and then suddenly the stomach pains came back and the vomiting etc... my GP put me back on omeprazole and only amount that works and takes the pains away is 40mg per day.
My questions is if the helicobacter was causing the gastritis and is now gone how am i still experiencing all the symptoms, is there anything i can do to help myself? and how long can you be on PPI's for, im guessing they do long term damage if my doctor wants to keep taking me off them?
thank you very much
0 likes, 28 replies
moon53540 joe93594
Posted
I have been on ppis for years, some people have to be. Do you mind me asking what country you are in? I have asked my gp about the dangers of being on ppis longterm and I was told the studies looking into certain risks which have been highlighted in the press recently, are not conclusive and the benefits outweigh the risks. But I have noticed quite a few people here say their doctors advise them not to be on them long term, and I am wondering which countries advise this, I am in the UK and have never been told this. If you are prone to ulcers and have any stomach cancers running in your family, apparently long term ppis are advised to prevent this. This is what I have been told anyway. Every time I cut down my PPIs recently, I get really bad stomach problems. I have tried other medications, but it just doesn't work for me. I don't want to put myself at risk for ulcers or cancer so I carry on taking the PPIs but I do worry about the longterm potential side effects.
If you have had h pylori for years with chronic gastritis, my guess is it will take longer to heal. I would try another couple of months on the PPIs on 40mg then cut down to 20mg for another couple of months then try giving up. Ask your doctor what they think. If you smoke or drink alcohol, it is really bad for gastritis.
joe93594 moon53540
Posted
im also from the unite kingdom, my doctors say its because acid fights off bacteria and if i keep takng 40mg then i will be going round in circles and also that 40mg is a big amount to be taking..
they never mentioned any long term effects rather than like most prescription drugs there isn't enough evidence to suggest if it has or hasn't any long term health issues related to ppi's.
they tried to give me 20mg but wasn't helping the pain, only 40mg helps with the pain. i'm an ex smoker quit around 5 years ago but only because i switched to vaping instead so i do vape and alcohol i would have a few drinks out with mates once every saturday or second saturday.
the things i've noticed that can cause a flare up is milk, tomato, lemon, chinese and spicy foods... and i still cant tear myself away from something spicy, i think im doing much better so have something spicy and its all back to vomiting and can't digest my food and also constipation.
it is hard not going to the football with mates, eating bland foods for months... almost like living life like a monk
pippa58442 joe93594
Posted
When I suggested milk, I didn't realise it was one of your trigger foods.
moon53540 joe93594
Posted
Have you tried a good quality prebiotic and probiotic tablet? Ask your doctor to recommend a good make, they are quite expensive but can really help some people. You can take ranitidine and rennies as well as the ppis if you are having really bad reflux.
Do you take any other medication like ibuprofen or aspirin? They can really upset your stomach.
Well done for quitting smoking, I know how hard that is, but really worth it. I don't know if vaping causes reflux to be honest, but it it should be a lot better for your stomach than cigarettes.
mary19068 joe93594
Posted
Hi jo93594
H.Pylori can ravage your gut over time. Also, the 3 course antibiotic treatment can also cause damage to your gut and destroy good bacteria in the gut. So in affect you have suffered a double whammy to your stomach and digestive system which will take a good while to heal. You have to make sure the food in your diet is not irritating your gut. Foods such as spicey and fried foods, fizzy drinks and too much sugar. Too much sugary foods will feed the bad bacteria, take probiotics to put good bacteria back into your gut. Avoid very hot drinks, have them, but just warm - hot, also avoid alcohol. Eat bland meals boiled or roast chicken and fish, soups and veggies, cereal, fruit but not citrus. It will be a long journey before your digestive system returns to normal....keep a food diary to see what foods affect your stomach and cause pain. Try and get off the omerprazole. There is light at the end of the tunnel...just hang in there...best wishes...
joe93594 mary19068
Posted
thank you for this reply it just gets depressing at times, especially when you thought it was over with.
pippa58442 joe93594
Posted
H pylori and the strong antibiotics can really upset your gut and can leave chronic gastritis behind. The best thing you can do is to keep taking your PPI since it works and eat blandly avoiding rich fatty and spicy foods. Try some soothing probiotic foods like yoghurt which can help to rebuild good gut bacteria stripped out from taking antibiotics and try a food diary to see what foods could be irritating your stomach. Milk is also very good for soothing an irritated stomach so long as you are not lactose intolerant.
You are doing the very best you can; don't worry.
joe93594 pippa58442
Posted
thank you for replying, i felt like i just wanted to speak to someone that had similar experience as it was starting to depress me that im back to the beginning after feeling back to myself for a while.
pippa58442 joe93594
Posted
You were very wise to op for a throat spray endoscopy. Sedation causes anxiety and depression and I was not warned about this and when I flagged it after I had gone through three weeks of post endoscopy depression, I was fobbed off and informed that seemed to have tolerated the procedure was was not true because I felt panic when I felt the tube going down and wanted to scream but couldn't because I was sedated. I was told the reaction was unusual which was also untrue because I later read that this side effect is quite common. The annoying thing was I had a private appointment to avoid complications so good money was wasted! I suspect doctors prefer doing sedation endoscopies because they earn them more money because of the drugs used.
joe93594 pippa58442
Posted
i have crazy thoughts because of anxiety, of things like that happening while being sedated especially during an operation... thats why i opted for the throat spray, im glad i did now! that sounds horrible, maybe that information could help someone who can't decide if they should get sedated or numbing spray.
thank you
pippa58442 joe93594
Posted
I only had the endoscopy because I had heard it usually got done with a numbing spray as was the case with a friend. I also thought I would get a choice which I didn't. I couldn't pull out of the procedure because I was only told I was getting sedation once i was being taken down for the procedure so I feel I wasn't really looked after properly in this respect. I should have been told much earlier so I could have given informed consent. It just goes to show that a private appointment isn't much better than an NHS one. The only real difference is the shorter waiting times. I had the procedure over the weekend to give me time to recover before my university week began should I have a reaction. I ended up having to work through the depression while attending lectures which was hard going, but being kept busy and among fellow students helped me not to be alone with my thoughts.
I talked myself into believing that I would be ok because I was given conscious sedation rather than a GA which makes me vomit and get anxiety and depression. I now know that any sedation at all should be avoided in my case.
joe93594 pippa58442
Posted
that is crazy to hear especially it being private, i got mine done through the NHS and was sat down with the nurse before giving consent i was giving the option of sedation or the spray, at that time i had no idea what i wanted... infact i didn't want the procedure in all honesty! it was my second time there as first time i made an excuse to leave.
the second time the male nurse sat me down and spoke to me like i was his mate, explaining he has had it done in the past and is only uncomfortable with the numbing spray and no restrictions, i could leave straight after it and said if i was him i would get the numbing spray like he did i could go straight home and have a few beers to settle the nerves and be glad its over as i was taking panic attacks about having it done and was a friday night, so thats what i did. it was uncomfortable, eyes watering and boaking as if you are putting your fingers down your throat but no pain during or after, if i was to get it again i think i would get numbing spray again as i know what to expect.
but that is crazy to hear that you never got that option especially when you went private that should be one of the luxuries of going private, waiting times and everything done the way you want.
was there a reason why you never got the option on how you wanted it done? how old are you if you don't mind me asking
pippa58442 joe93594
Posted
I have no idea why I wasn't given treatment options. I was in my 20s at the time and I am now 46 With hindsight I should have asked about options and I should have asked what drugs I had been given so i would no what I was hypersensitive to.
It worries me hearing the symptoms you had with the throat spray. I assumed there would be no discomfort at all with a numbing agent similar like what you get at the dentist. I think I would have panicked if I began to boak and had watering eyes. I can't even have a dental X Ray because it is too big for my mouth and I think I am going to choke to death. So, I will have to have it done a different way in hospital.
joe93594 pippa58442
Posted
the spray only prevents pain, you still have your gag reflex and can feel the movement of the tube which they say makes it uncomfortable but for me it was the gagging that was uncomfortable but never painful as the stomach lining doesn't have any nerves.
half the people opt for the spray because with sedation you can't drive, work or do anything really for at least 24hours, the main benefit to the spray is you can leave the hospital straight after the examination which convinced me as i hate hospitals.
i think you have to stay in the hospital for 1-2 hours after sedation.
pippa58442 joe93594
Posted
The movement of the tube was what frightened me. However, after I left hospital, I had no desire to rest and did not restrict myself in the slightest and carried on as normal despite the depression which started several hours afterwards. I don't drive anyway. I simply ignored the wooziness and let it pass as if it had never happened.. I tried resting in hospital to get rid of the slight groggy feeling but I was unable to do this because I have a high adrenaline level which keeps me super energetic no matter what. The nurse did comment on me not wanting to rest, but this is the way my body is because I am autistic.
The hospital phoned to find out if i vomited because I told them that this can happen but it didn't and my mental health reaction has not started at the moment of the phone call which was a pity because they might have been able to help me through it.
joe93594 pippa58442
Posted
was it reaction to the sedation? is it valium they give you? sounds like you have had a pretty bad time in the past
pippa58442 joe93594
Posted
It definitely was a reaction to the sedation because it happened within a few hours of the procedure. I have no idea what they gave me because I was too traumatized to ask. I'll need to check my medical notes to see if they mentioned what drugs I got. I suspect it will be noted down that I had this reaction because i reported it at my follow up appointment.