Long term ppi

Posted , 9 users are following.

Hi

I'm on omeprazole 20mg twice a day for almost two years for reflux, constantly worried about the damage they may be doing, has anyone been longer on them and still OK, anytime I try to come off them I get horrible rebound reflux and end up back in square one, plus even though I'm on them I still have symptoms

2 likes, 27 replies

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  • Posted

    oh yes dear kate. ive been on ppis for 5 years now. tried many times to come off them but the rebound is terrible. i have a large hiatal hernia and mild gastritis. the side effects ...i experience daily hotflashes tinnitus and lower and mid back pain. my magnesium level dropped so i take daily supplements. i guess this is for life unless a miracle happens.
    • Posted

      Hi Alvin,

      Really appreciate you coming back to me, I also have hernia, doc says its small only 3cm I think,

      but sometimes one of worst symptoms is severe pain between shoulder blades, thankfully its not there now

      at moment the main symptom is burning chest pain and sore throat, but as you say maybe we just have

      to try live with it, have you ever considered surgery? some people seem to have had success with the nissen fundoplication procedure

      Good luck and good health to you

    • Posted

      oh yes, the shoulder pains, chest pains and back pains are always there. sometimes i wake up at night catching my breath. i know its the hernia pushing my tummy up my diaphragm. i am considering surgery but my hernia is large. im afraid it might cause more trouble. anyway, we must try to avoid stress and stick to a diet for our situation. hope u recover soon.
    • Posted

      Hi Alvin

      why not consider investigating having your hernia repaired and your acid barrier restored? 

  • Posted

    I was on them for  about a year I decided to stop because I was also worried about doing damage and they only helped a little.  I had  some rebound, the key is to stop slowly, take 1 pill a day for a few days then take 1 pill every other day do that for a week then take 1 pill every 3 days for a week or 2 then at that point only take a pill if it gets bad. the rebound doesn't take but a few weeks to go away.

    • Posted

      Hi  Debra,

      Thanks for your reply, can I ask is your reflux as a result of you maybe having a hernia, I have one, so I wonder if I will ever be able to come off the ppi, I will certainly give your advice a try though.

      Good health to you

      Kate

    • Posted

      I know I have a hernia at my Navel (belly button) not sure of anywhere else but I wouldn't be surprised.  My main symptom is breathing similar to an asthma attack rarely do i feel anything coming up my throat.  It is very annoying lately it has been really bothersome, oh yes and the congested nose.  I was fine until I went on a 10 day water fast no food only water, it started right after so i know that triggered it. that was a little over 5 years ago.  they claim going on a water fast is so good for you well it sure wasn't for me I regret ever doing that.

    • Posted

      Hi Debra. How are you dealing with this congested nose symtom? I have it and it's really bad.

    • Posted

      I am not doing anything about it, I know it's the reflux shooting up into the sinus.  I am afraid if I get some nasal spray of shorts then the nose becomes addicted to it and that will make it worse.  My right nostril stays sore.

    • Posted

      For me the pain is too much with also an irritation/itch in the cheek area and sometimes I get red eyes. Doc thinks it's allergies and put me on 2 sprays for a month.

  • Posted

    Try to come off them its possible .the rebound reflux is unbearable i know but how about giving it a try . for 2 months use zantac instead of ppi after slowly tapering. 

    https://www.healthboards.com/boards/acid-reflux-gerd/864061-36th-day-off-omeprazole[b].html

    this might be helpful . All will agree that there symptoms are worse than what they have before ppi . so its definitely the rebound which will go in a month or 2 .   

  • Posted

    Hi Kate. Have you ever got nasal congestion/itching ever while you were on PPI? My doc says it's allergies but I think it's GERD related.

    • Posted

      Hi Ashley

      I dont think I really suffer from nasal congestion, but I do get a lot of sinus type headaches which

      I never got before this gerd developed

      kate

  • Posted

    12 years now and not getting any better. Every so often I try to come off them, I do it quickly, slowly, eat this don't eat that. Have tried every natural medicine going, aloe vera, charcoal, pro-biotics, slippery elm, bananas, yoghurt etc etc, just when I think I have found a cure it stops working and never last longer than a couple of weeks.  My GP said that my body just makes too much acid and nothing will stop it.  I have noticed more and more side effects, now I have what can only be called a sore chest, like you get when you have a chest infection from too much coughing, my chest is sore all over and my ribs are agony.  I have also noticed that when I eat, I now get a sort of hot/cold flushing feeling and then my heart races and once I have burped it does ease it.  It terrifies me as I have convinced myself it is something to do with my heart, but all tests say not.  I have also starting spitting up white froth and have a permanent need to swallow.  I don't think this is anything to do with the PPI just that my GERD is not being managed by it, I think I have been on it so long it has stopped working. I also believe rightly or wrongly that it does actually help keep you from getting cancer etc, but until someone does a really in depth study to prove what it actually does in the way of negative things we can only continue taking it, what alternative is there. Sorry to come across negative but after so many years and so much money spent on them feel that I am stuck.  By the way I also have the tinnitus, hot flushes, and thought I might be low in magnesium so took supplements but now have top much potassium which is worse.  Hate feeling like this.  Take care

    • Posted

      Hi,

      When you say you have suffered for past 12 years, do you mean daily?

      Its very re-assuring to learn that your kidneys are still good and you have no

      other side effects, I worry all the time about what damage is being done by these

      ppi tablets like lots of people Im sure, I am two years post menopause and it all

      seemed to happen around that time and am suffering for those two years,

      like you I still get sweats and many, many reflux symptoms, its particularly bad

      a moment, I stay off all fatty food like chips etc and all acidic food, even though

      I try to avoid triggers, it makes little to no difference.

      It can be so depressing, why cant we just have normality back again and be like

      normal people who can eat everything each day without even thinking about it.

      Hope someone comes up with a miracle cure soon

      Kate

    • Posted

      Hi, yes I have taken some dose nearly every day for 12 odd years, having suffered various levels of acid over the years I know what triggers it, I still eat things that cause acid but if I do I take a 150mg ranitidine (Zantac) as well as 20mg PPI and this helps.  

      ?I was on 40mg per day for many years and about 5 years ago GP refused to prescribe the 40mg long term but gave me 20mg, what they call the maintenance dose, I struggled at first but soon got used to it, she said if desperate to take 2 per day, maybe this was because of reports or something.

      ?I am also given a prescription for 150mg tablets of ranitidine (Zantac) because these work differently and are better for you.  You can buy 75mg tablets from any supermarket for as little as £1 per pack of 8 or so.  Not sure if you know about them but PPI's stop acid production, Zantac neutralises any acid that is there so they work in different ways but together work well.  You may want to give them a try if you haven't already as this may work better than just PPI's. I take PPI in morning and if I need it Zantac before bed.

      ?I found the article today everyone mentions on this post and read it thoroughly, it says that of the people they tested only those on long term medium and high dose ie 40mg and 80mg showed any signs of kidney damage, those like me on a 20mg maintenance dose showed no adverse affects whatsoever. 

      ?Like you I wish I could come off them, but I now have an even worse tablet to deal with unfortunately, after long trips to visit universities all over the country over a short period of time I developed at DVT in December 2016 and because it did not go within the suggested 3 month period I am now on blood thinners for life, now they do scare me, I am terrified of bleeding to death and unfortunately taking the PPI does help with healing my stomach and stopping bleeding so the two are both necessary to me at the minute.  I am 58 and post menopausal and I know one of the symptoms of menopause is acid reflux so that probably ties in with your problem.  Take care

       

    • Posted

      Well, i found it very interesting at last to have found someone like me who has had dvt and now on warfarin together with acid stomach problems.  It is such a hard thing to get the right foods for complying with both i e no grapefruit, cranberries, beetroot etc for warfarin, then no dairy, fats or gluten for gut.  I am managing on fish, chicken rice, potatoes etc. Omeprazole did not suit me so i have now got zantac which i have yet to try.  I mainly use gaviscon for flare ups. Any other advice helpful.

       

    • Posted

      Hi

      Thank you so much for your reply, we are same age and I think that yes what you say regarding menopause is true, you have put my mind at ease a bit about being long term on ppi, trouble is at moment they are not giving me much relief, hope we all get well again soon

    • Posted

      Have you tried any other PPI's there are several, I tried 4 before esomeprazole which is the strongest, just a thought. 

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