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Lansoprazole long term side effects?

Posted , 13 users are following.

Williamm
Williamm

I started off taking 20mg of omeprazole In 2009 when I was 18 and took it basically everyday until 2012 when I was then switched to 30mg of lansoprazole. I have took lansoprazole basically everyday from 2012 to now. I am now 26 so have been taking a ppi basically everyday for the last 8 years. I suffer from anxiety and feel confused get concentration problems and blurry vision a lot and I am noticing I feel a lot better in the mornings before I take the lansoprazole. Recently I have realised that I seem to start getting these blurry vision concentration problems anxety about 30 mintues to an hour after I have took the lansoprazole? I am starting to think it is the lansoprazole that is giving me blurry vision, confusion, concentration problems and anxiety? I have tried to stop taking the lansoprazole recently and the heartburn was so severe I only lasted 3 days before I had to take the lansoprazole again. I tried anitacids when I tried to stop taking the lansoprazole and it only gave me very short mild relief. So I am just wondering coud the lansoprazole be causing these symptoms I describe? Are they bad news? Also does anyone know anyway I can wean off the lansoprazole without suffering such severe heartburn? Thanks

1 like, 29 replies

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  • Williamm
    Williamm

    Posted

    I forgot to mention another feeling I get is brain fog.
  • Guest
    Guest Williamm

    Edited

    Hi there, I'll son be 26 and I'm also on PPI, pantoprazole have been taking them since the age of 20. Basically I'm on the same boat as you are. 

    I've gotten anxiety last year but that's because I was worried about the drug. 

    PPIs are not causing your anxiety but they could be making it worse because of you worrying about them or something else. Anxiet is a genetic disease. My mother has anxiety, father, my Grandpa on the mother side had it and my Grandpa on the father side also had it. I've got no anxiety symptoms but it seems that I've got some kind of pressure in my body at least for the last year which doesn't go away.

    I'm on PPIs for life... and they are life safes, I can't go without this drug because of my hiatal hernia... I've got no side effects, sometimes I do get brain fog, blurry vision but I would attribute that to PPIs,

    Why are you on PPIs, what s your problem?

     

    • Williamm
      Williamm Guest

      Posted

      I am sorry to here you suffer from anxiety it is a terrible thing. I seem to be the only one in my family that suffers from really bad anxiety. The reason I feel anxious though is because I get brain fog concentration problems and blurred vision and I am thinking that it is the lansoprazole that might becasuing it. Because I always feel better when I wake up and for a few hours when I am up before I take the lansoprazole. I have noticed recently half an hour to an hour after taking the lansoprazole the blurred vision, brain fog and concentration problems begin. I am on lansoprazole for heartburn.
  • Barretts
    Barretts Williamm

    Posted

    It is unlikely the side effects you mention are a side effect of your medication particularly as you are a low dose..

    Some people do get a few rare side effects on one or other of the PPI drugs so if you think it is due to the lansoprazole, ask to switch back to omeprazole (which presumably didn't give you problems?) or pantoprazole instead.

    You don't say why you are on a PPI? They are normally prescribed for just a few weeks and if needed longer than that, the need should be investigated - usually by a gastroenterologist who may put a camera down your throat.

    For some conditions (eg Barrett's oesophagus) you will need to continue taing them, under medical supervision, for life.

    PPIs are amongst the safest drugs, used by millions worldwide for nearly 30 years and probably responsible for saving millions of lives though there have been some unmerited scare stories propagated against them in the populist press recently.

    • Williamm
      Williamm Barretts

      Posted

      Confusion and blurred vision are listed in the side effects of all the ppi's though? and from what I have read they are apparentely causing people issues the longer they are on them? I have heard that they are one of the safest types of medication but I also notice when I am not taking them I am not getting these brain and vision symptoms but when I am taking the lansoprazole I am getting these symptoms. I began taking ppi's for very bad heartburn and I struggle to even go three days with the lansoprazole due to how bad the heartburn becomes. But I have heard that this can also be a rebound effect that you get at first when trying to stop the medication?

    • tony87416
      tony87416 Barretts

      Posted

      BARRATS.The results of a study published in BMJ 3/7/17 show that long term use of pips can result in premature death.to say they are among the safest drugs is misleading and dangerous.try googling"premature deaths ppis"the findings frightened me and I'm now on ranitidine(300mg daily)I've only been on these for 5days but up to now I've had no reflux,whereas with lanzoprazole(60mg daily)I was having about 2 a week.I tried going cold turkey twice with lansoprazole both times had to resume them due to horrendous reflux I was ill for 3 and 2 months respec'with chest infections.

  • jhleerph
    jhleerph Williamm

    Posted

    I feel your pain.  I took H2s for a year and then Prevacid 30mg everyday for another 5 years for terrible reflux.  I was not on any other medications.  I can relate with some of your symptoms.  Brain fog/concentration and some anxiety like symptoms.  I suffered from muscle tightness (especially around my trunk) -this is what I would perceive as anxiety b/c I just felt tight all the time, my BP and heart rate were up and unable to relax.  I was never formally diagnosed with anxiety.  I also had episodic vertigo.  My doctors dismissed that PPIs were the primary cause.  I got multiple lab and imaging tests but nothing conclusive.  Through lots of research and reading blogs like this, I just decided that I wasn’t getting the magnesium and calcium (along with other minerals) that my body needs.  You probably already know that PPIs change the acidic environment which is needed for absorption of these important minerals and that both minerals are essential for proper neuromuscular function.  1 year ago I weened myself off PPIs (with doctor’s approval).  That was extremely difficult.  Fortunately I did not have a hernia or any sort of erosive conditions.  I also took Magnesium, Calcium, Vit D supplements.  I still have some residual muscle tightness symptoms but nothing compared to how bad it used to be.  Vertigo and brain fog are gone.    

    I would not stop PPIs without talking to your MD as this could have severe consequences depending on what you are taking it for.  I would also recommend talking to your MD (or getting a second opinion) or even a nutritionist about potential long term consequences. 

     I know everyone’s experience is different.  Some people get no symptoms at all from chronic PPIs.  You may not agree with what I am writing and will certainly get others that do not agree with my opinion.  I hope that this at least gives you the initiative to do more research and decide for yourself.  

    • Guest
      Guest jhleerph

      Posted

      yeap, some people use them for 30 years without any sides and some use them for 10 days with unberable side effects its the same as cigarettes I would say. Some smoke for life, others get cancer in merely 1 year...
    • Williamm
      Williamm jhleerph

      Posted

      I was actually at the doctor recently and he gave me a prescription for 15mg of lansoprazole to try and wean off them. But I haven't put in that prescription yet. I am also getting blood tests done to check and see if the lansprazole is possibly making me defiecent in anything. What my doctor exactly said to me is ppi's do tend to have one of the safest drug profiles and gastrologists are all for them.  Apparentley ppi's were considered revolutionary are treating peoples heart burn and other conditions. But they have seen some issues with long term use of them making people deficent in certain vitamins and them not allowing the body to absorb important minerals like you say. They also seem to sometimes cause fractures in older people he said. He said he thinks they're relitivaley safe but if I can it's better to not be on them if I can go without them. He said at the end of the day they're still going against mother natuare and that acid is there for a reason. If I am being honest if I knew for a fact it was the ppi's that were causing the blurred vision, brain fog, concentration problems and anxiety then I would have to get off it some way or other. I would rather have heartburn than all those other horrible symptoms.

    • jhleerph
      jhleerph Williamm

      Posted

      Williamm, I agree all the statements about it being a safe drug. Just not for me.  I took a stab at it and it worked out for me.  I still don't know if my issues were due to PPIs (and may never know) but the science made sense to me.  I can't fault them for doctors for prescribing PPIs b/c it does what it's supposed to but my two cents is that chronic use of PPIs has become too casual.

      The fractures are real in that population.  PPIs inihibit the absorption of Mg and Ca both of which are needed for bone density.  If your body (PTH) senses a low level of Ca, where do you think the Ca comes from?  Bones.  So over a long period of time on PPIs this is another issue to be wary of.  Best of luck to you.  I hope you have good news in the near future.

    • Williamm
      Williamm jhleerph

      Posted

      Thanks very much. I am going to try stop taking the lansoprazole but I know that it is likely that I am going to be in with a hard time with heartburn. Do you have any tips to avoid heartburn when weaning off the lansoprazole? Thanks
    • Guest
      Guest Williamm

      Posted

      I would say that stomach acid evolved for a reason and that's because our ancestors ate food wich wasn't washed, coocked and full of bacteria, in order for them to survive they had to had stomach acid to kill the bacteria. Nowadays food which enters our organism has much more less bacteria then the food previously eaten, therefor lower stomach acid would be ok...  This is my thought...

    • jhleerph
      jhleerph Williamm

      Posted

      Williamm,

       This took some tinkering to get off the PPIs and again I may not recommend the same path.  Like I said before, I did not have any sort of erosive disease so I was able to get my doctor’s approval.  I decreased the dose of PPI over months from every day to every other day to every third day.  I had some relapses during that time where I had to increase the PPI frequency.  Eventually I was able to use H2s and/or antacids to quell the burn.  What also helped me was using digestive enzymes along with small doses of apple cider vinegar with food.  Sounds crazy and counterintuitive but my thought was that PPIs suppressed HCL which suppressed the digestive juices for such a long period that peristalsis was delayed and so was the digestive process.  The food as a result stayed in the stomach causing more stress on the esophageal sphincter and this became the norm.  With enzymes and ACV, over time, gastric emptying happened a lot faster (I could hear the gurgling) and the reflux did not appear to be as bad.  I did also use probiotics to reset the normal flora as this helps with digestion as well.   Last but not least, taking a vitamin/mineral supplement with Mg and Ca as those minerals have been proven effective against reflux.  Just my two cents from my experience.

      The other more obvious tips are to stay away from your reflux triggers.  Certain foods, alcohol/cigarettes (if applicable).  You probably know what these are. 

      Best of luck

  • Gillian_68
    Gillian_68 Williamm

    Posted

    Try a vegan diet, it certainly helped me stay off them. Make sure you eat more Alkaline fruits and veg than acidic. 👌😁

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