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Long term use of PPI's

Posted , 6 users are following.

andyr0
andyr0

I have been on Omeprazole 20mg twice a day for at least 5 years and have some concern about the known serious side effects eg bone thinning, kidney problems etc. I appreciate this is in a small number of patients but has anybody had problems with taking PPI's for a prolonged period and if so have you been able to switch to a viable alternative with less side effects. It appears as soon as you are diagnosed with Barratt's you are prescribed PPI's for the rest of your life.

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • m2347
    m2347 andyr0

    Posted

    You should be concerned. The most dangerous side effect, in my opinion, is damage to your kidney.  In one study, long term users of PPIs, 50% of the patients saw kidney damage.  Remember, from kidney damage, you also will develop diabetes as the kidneys will be unable to filter as well as they used to.

    I just learned about all this, and my Doctors ignored the issue (Kaiser, of course!).   I then removed them from my care, moved to another Doctor, and he agreed that my kidney had been affected and moved me to H2 acid reducers immediately.

    Doctors are NOT taking this issue as seriously as they should.  In the report I just quoted, check out this statement:..."One out of four of the kidney patients had been previously treated using a PPI. People taking a PPI also had nearly twice the risk of dying prematurely, the researchers found...."

    You should monitor your kidney function.

    Read for yourself:  https://www.webmd.com/heartburn-gerd/news/20151027/chronic-heartburn-drugs-tied-to-higher-risk-of-kidney-disease#1

    • Barnie
      Barnie m2347

      Posted

      Hi m2347

      I have been on PPI's for around 15 years .  I have managed to go down to just 20 mg per day but I was wondering if I should try H2 acid reducers - do you find them effective enough to control the heartburn?  The Barretts site say that the PPI's are good at protecting your cells from changing further so that is one reason I have stayed on them but I know they can (and have in my case) deplete your body of vitamins and minerals when you stay on them for a long time.  I think they were initially invented to just be a short-term drug but of course having Barretts we have to stay on something that prevents the acid from making our problem worse.  What strength of H2 reducer are you on?

       

  • agnes_11651
    agnes_11651 andyr0

    Posted

    I have been taking them for about 10 years now and have regular blood tests .And have no problems but I suppose we each have to decide which risk is higher for us personally.
    • m2347
      m2347 agnes_11651

      Posted

      You should absolutely have your GFR/kidney monitored.
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