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PPI'S good or bad for you?

Posted , 11 users are following.

brinal30613
brinal30613

my daughter has given me this book to read, its called "Why Stomach Acid is good for You" Natural relief from Heartburn, Indigestion, Reflux & GERD

I am skeptical about it, coz I have been on and off the PPI'S and the only way I could actually eat any food is if I take my PPI'S.

I would like to hear from people who have read this book, people who have been on PPI'S for a long time, and also just peoples opinion on this Stomach Acid, are we destroying all the essential stomach acid, that we need to process good digestion?

would love to hear from you!

1 like, 21 replies

21 Replies

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  • rob39863
    rob39863 brinal30613

    Posted

    Obviously that is fictional then as stomach acid is not good for you at all!
  • simalip
    simalip brinal30613

    Posted

    I have GERD and I also have that book, amongst many others on the topic. Stomach acid aids digestion, so without it you won't digest protein and fats completely - but you will digest them to some extent and PPIs can be used long terms with relatively minor impact on digestion.

    Drug therapy is always a trade off. So by using PPIs you will lose part of your ability to digest but should gain a heartburn free life while you are on them.

    You should realize they don't stop reflux at all. They just remove the acid, you'll still be refluxing bile which is thought to cause the damage to the esophagus that leads to Barrett's Esophagus and in some, which is a pre-cancerous condition.

    I've learned there are various causes for reflux and all people are different so we mustn't fall into the trap of thinking one solution fits all. Some people are able to resolve all their symptoms by diet alone. These people may have other gut issues such as SIBO / IBS. If you're one of these people then you're lucky. Try the Fast Tract Diet, by Normal Robillard in his book called Heartburn.

    Other people have a dysfunctional Lower Esophageal Sphincter muscle and the entrance to the stomach. In this case it will not heal and you will have reflux for life unless you have surgery to correct it. The new LINX procedure shows promise in this area as being good solution to replace the old Nissen Fundoplication technique that changes the anatomy of your stomach to augment the LES.

    Some people suffer from low stomach acid and therefore poor digestion which creates reflux, although this appears more common in older people. In this case, taking PPIs compounds the problem. This is the main theme in the book your daughter has given you.

    Whatever the cause, I've learned to take GERD seriously as it's directly linked to esophageal cancer - the fastest rising cancer of recent times.

    GERD didn't really exist 100 years ago. It appears to be mostly caused by our modern diet full of processed carbs like sugar and flour. I used The Fast Tract Diet to clean up my eating habits and I've also had surgery to repair my LES.

    Hope this helps!

     

    • Barretts
      Barretts simalip

      Posted

      A good reply Simalip.

      It does seem too many doctors do not separate the acid from the reflux - and you're right in your analysis of the role of bile. Research has shown you need both acid and bile to cause the cellular changes forming Barrett's Oesophagus. The bile is a suracftant that permits the acid to act on animal tissue, The Barrett's cells are a defence mechanism: the columnar cells of Barrett's present a reduced area for attack.

      As with all the gastroenterology surgeons I know, I have serious concerns with LINX. It may currently be the best alternative to fundoplication but whereas the latter has been practiced for 50 years. the last 30 of which laparoscopicaly, LINX has only been around for about 10 and we do not know whether there may be future problems (as with Angelchik). It also costs 3 times as much as a fundoplictaion and is only moderately less invasive surgery.

      Perhaps the Endostim ("pacemaker for the LOS" ) may prove better but it is still early days.

      GORD has always been around (as Norm Robillard, author of the Fast Tract Diet, concedes). It wasn't widely appreciated/diagnosed previously as an important and potentially dangerous condition. It has become more of an issue with our modern diet including too much animal fat and too much sugar (particularly the corn oil syrup used in America) and obesity which that diet encourages. (Perhaps the "Golden Arches" and the "Real Thing" are principally to blame for the rapid increase in oesophageal diseases?)

    • brinal30613
      brinal30613 simalip

      Posted

      Thank you so much for all your infor, greatly appreciated.

      i was diagnosed with Barrett's 12 mths ago, also have a hiatus hernia, had the 24 hr ph monitory test, and recently had the 48 hr Bravo ph monitory, both test show a normal ph reading and no reflux, however, the heartburn is really bad, my LES  is very weak, and is not closing up as it should after food passes through. My GI Dr. said that mine is a rare case.

      havent finished reading the book, but just thining that I might be too far gone with this heartburn to try and stop the PPI's now, 

    • AcidTrees
      AcidTrees Barretts

      Posted

      Hi Barretts, what exactly are your reservations re the LINX procedure?
    • Barretts
      Barretts AcidTrees

      Posted

      I have been following the development of LINX for a number of years now. It sounds simple but may not be. It's a ring of magneys around the outside off the oesophagus to keep it squeezed shut. However, unlike a fundoplication, there is nothing to keep the separation between diaphragm and stomach and some migration may be prossible. (Indeed that was a concern previously expressed to me by the manufacturers themselves,)

      Movement of the titaniu, beads against the walls of the oesophagus may cause some erosion. It is for this reason it is not suitable for anyone with more than the smallest of hiatus hernias.

      If an MRI scan is required, it has to be at low intensity or the device should be explanted first.

      It is not yet known whether tissue overgrowth may prevent the action of the magnets in time.

      It is only recently that the device has been permitted to be used on patients with Barrett's and only if it's shorter than 2cm.

      two thirds of patients receiving it experienced swallowing difficulties: peristalsis needs to be particularly strong.

      40 years ago, Angelchik (essentially a rubber band around the oesophagus) showed the same promise as LINX does presently. Within 20 years, most patients were wanting it removed as it was corroding rge oesophagus. I hope LINX doesn't go the same way.

      It costs nuch more than the tried and tested fundoplication.

      Read about LINX and Angelchik (and fundoplication) on the www.DownWithAcid.org.uk  reflux reduction pages. 

    • AcidTrees
      AcidTrees Barretts

      Posted

      Thanks Barretts. I had also read something about erosion which sounds awful. I didnt know the parameters for qualifying for a LINX, e.g. the Barretts patch having to be shorter than 2cm, so i clearly wouldnt qualify.

      Very helpful, thanks.  Also the downwithacid site looks excellent.

    • rex_44766
      rex_44766 simalip

      Posted

      Could you kindly tell me what durgery you had on your LES please?
  • Barretts
    Barretts brinal30613

    Posted

    Stomach acid is good for us but PPIs may be a lifesaver. It's a bit of a conundrum.

    Acid + bile + reflux can cause the cellular changes from squamous to columnar that we know as Barrett's Oesophagus. It's these columnar cells that can mutate via dysplasias to result in adenocarinoma (cancer).

    For those of us with acid reflux problems PPIs are the best way of reducing the acid that refluxes and protect us. They are amongst the safest of drugs and used by millions of people worldwide for the 30 years since they were first introduced.

    However, stomach acid leeches essential minerals from foods turning them into chlorides which may be absorbed in the duodenum as part of the normal digestive process.

    It also fights bad bacterial infection.

    PPIs are very powerful drugs and if taken for more than a few weeks should be done so under medical supervision (at least having your GP or pharmacist review your prescription regulalrly) at the lowest effective dose.

    There has been much backlash over PPIs recently, especially in America. This is because they have always been readily available over the counter there and widely advertised. This meant that acid reflux sufferers seeking a better solution to their problems started taking them in a similar way to regular antacids. (Regular antacids are immediate acting which PPIs are not; they are taken pre-emptively once (or sometimes twice) a day.) When insufficient help was not forthcoming or a better response was wanted, they may up the dose or take for longer than the maximum 4 weeks time specified on the instructions insert.

    The FDA had to issue warnings about overuse of PPIs which can result in osteoporosis (through insufficient absorption of calcium), anaemia (through insufficient absorption of iron), hypomagneseamia (through insufficient absorption of magnesium) and c-difficile infection (through insufficient antibacterial protection) – all due to induced hypochlorhydria (low stomach acid) from the drugs being too efficient at doing what they were designed for.

    This has meant many people believe these drugs are bad for you when, in reality and when used correctly they are one of the best tools we may have to protect us against developing the fifth most prevalent cancer killer.

    Unfortunately, one of those drugs, Nexium, has now been made available in UK over the counter in supermarkets and advertised on television so we may start seeing similar misuse here.

    • Barretts
      Barretts

      Posted

      Sorry I had to finish my response quickly as my computer was forcing an update.

      I have had acid reflux issues my whole life and Barrett's Oesophagus at least 21 years. I did take PPIs for 15 years in increasing doses up to 80mg omeprazole a day (correctly monitored) until I had a fundoplication to reduce my reflux.

      Prior to my operation, I had issues with the induced hypochlorhydria and anaemia meant I couldn't walk more than 50 yards without being exhausted. And I was being prescribed supplemental iron etc.

      ollowing the operation, I was immediately off all meds and within a few weeks cycling 20 to 30 miles every day before breakfast.

      If you visit the Down With Acid website, you will find pages on Acid / medicines, Reflux / reflux reduction techniques and a useful Options Grid from NICE in the Appndices discussing the pros and cons of lifetime PPIs vs surgery.

    • brinal30613
      brinal30613 Barretts

      Posted

      Thank you for your reply. did you find that being on the PPI's for 15 yrs, damaged your your digestive system? Did the medication cause any damage to your body? Did you suffer from any of those above mentioned deficiencies? Like Anemia, Osteo etc.

      i want to have th Fundoplication operation, I am currently on the hospital waiting list.

      My Iron is very low, had no idea that it would be the PPI's that would be the cause. so thank you for this info. It now makes sense.

      will def. check out the down with Acid website.

    • Barretts
      Barretts brinal30613

      Posted

      Yes suffered with anaemia and was given ferrous sulfacrate as a supplement. Possibly also low magnesium (symptomatically but not tested). And it's possible hypocalcaemia (again not tested) as I fractured my ankle from just a simple fall from my bike. But I had been on a very high dose for a long period of time.
    • Barretts
      Barretts

      Posted

      Wish there was an edit option to these posts. That should be sucralfate - sometimes my fingers run away with me when typing.
  • andyr0
    andyr0 brinal30613

    Posted

    Such useful information particularly from Barretts ( are you in the field or a long suffering patient who has done a lot of research? ) Please keep contributing to this forum, it is invaluable information, much of which the doctor doesn't tell you or as I have found out simply doesn't know.
    • Barretts
      Barretts andyr0

      Posted

      Lifetime sufferer of acid reflux. Barrett's at least 21 years.

      Co-founder and chair of Barrett's Wessex charity  aiming to reduce the number of deaths to oesophageal cancer through raising awareness of its predominant pre-cancerous lesion, Barrett's Oesophagus in Southampton, Wessex and beyond. trustee of national charity, Barrett's Oesophagus Campaign and committee member of "Action Against Heartburn" and "Oesophageal Cancer Westminster Capaign".

      Active on a number of on-line forums (some I moderate) and facebook groups but only just joined this one.

      Been researching this for years (keeping an archive on Barrett's Wessex website) and writing a book to be freely downloadable "Down With Acid" being compiled as a website of the same name.

    • brinal30613
      brinal30613 Barretts

      Posted

      Wow! You have a wealth of knowledge, found your infor voluable, you doing a great job in researching Barrett's - I am sure you are helping thousands of people understand what they are going through, educating ourselves about this disease makes a huge difference to our emotional state, and helps us to fight the disease. So a BIG thank you to you!

      God Bless

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