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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alvin44382 kate65092
Posted
kate65092 alvin44382
Posted
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
alvin44382 kate65092
Posted
frank60300 alvin44382
Posted
why not consider investigating having your hernia repaired and your acid barrier restored?
debra27175 kate65092
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.
kate65092 debra27175
Posted
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
debra27175 kate65092
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.
ashley221 debra27175
Posted
Hi Debra. How are you dealing with this congested nose symtom? I have it and it's really bad.
debra27175 ashley221
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.
ashley221 debra27175
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.
debra27175 ashley221
Posted
susant59053 kate65092
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 .
ashley221 kate65092
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.
kate65092 ashley221
Posted
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
youngatheart1 kate65092
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
kate65092 youngatheart1
Posted
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
youngatheart1 kate65092
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
ann55375 youngatheart1
Posted
kate65092 youngatheart1
Posted
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
youngatheart1 kate65092
Posted
Have you tried any other PPI's there are several, I tried 4 before esomeprazole which is the strongest, just a thought.