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Prednisolone, Omneprazole and PMR

Posted , 14 users are following.

christine_fay
christine_fay

Does anyone also take Omneprazole PPI as well as Prednisolone.

I have recently weaned myself off Omneprazol and all the horrible side effects that I thought were caused by Prednisolone have dissapeared. I had been taking Omneprazol for over ten years and similar PPI's before that. I am wondering what percentage of people take PPI's as well as Pred. ?

1 like, 17 replies

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  • Oregonjohn-UK
    Oregonjohn-UK christine_fay

    Posted

    I have similar thoughts about Omeprazole as I don't like taking meds at any time, but I was advised to continue as they protect the stomach.  I also had doubts about AA, which I did convince the doctor to stop as they should only be prescribed after a dexascan shows problems with bone density, and can only be taken for a max of 5 years.  The AA gave me very bad stomach upset a few hours after taking it on the day I took AA (once a week)
  • debbie27473
    debbie27473 christine_fay

    Posted

    Hi Christine. I was put on Omeprazole shortly after starting Pred last year, due to severe attacks of acid reflux. I have never thought that some of the side effects I suffer could be due to these and not the pred! Which ones are you referring to? It would be great if I could get rid of some of these nasty symptoms by stopping/changing the Omeprazole. I think quite a high percentage of us are on some form of meds for acid attacks. It seems to be one of the most common side effects of steroids. I have tried yoghurts and apples but these don't seem to work for me. Even with the Omeprazole, I still get attacks every few weeks but less severe and of shorter duration. Debbie
  • Dinah54
    Dinah54 christine_fay

    Posted

    I didn't take Omeprazole for the first 6 months - and had absolutely no digestion problems - until the rheumatological registrar forced me to take it ("when you drop dead of gastric bleeding the coroner will want to know why I didn't prescribe Omeprazole. So I took it very reluctantly - and needlessly - for probably a year then gave up. It means you can't absorb calcium properly - so as Eileen has often pointed out it is ridiculous to prescribe calcium tablets and then stop them working properly by adding Omeprazole to the mix. 

    I now have osteoporosis......

    • Oregonjohn-UK
      Oregonjohn-UK Dinah54

      Posted

      Interesting Dinah - I was not aware of that.  The only advice I was given was the preds at breakfast and calcium for Lunch and Supper?  The other factor was taking the Omeprazole and preds after food which should protect the stomach?
  • MrsO-UK_Surrey
    MrsO-UK_Surrey christine_fay

    Posted

    Christine, I was prescribed Omeprazole which was switched to Lansoprazole, but my body would tolerate either.  One gave me instant bowel problems whilst the other brought on an unusual pain in the side of my stomach.  It was my GP who prescribed them at initial diagnosis but when I saw my rheumy a few days later and told him the side effects I was experience, he told me to stop the pills immediately.  I told him I feared a burnt out stomach (very dramatic, I know!) if I didn't take any stomach protection meds alongside the steroids.  He told me he'd never seen a case of it yet!  I swear by lemon juice in warm water at the start of the day, 'live' (probiotic) yoghurt with breakfast, plus Manuka honey, before the steroids - this routine saw my stomach happily through 5+ years on steroids, starting as high at 40mg.

    Love the photo!smile

  • teenyjeeny
    teenyjeeny christine_fay

    Posted

    I am on Omeprazole have been for 10 years since my Heart attack and never thought it could be that giving me pain .As you all are saying it was given to me to protect my tummy from inflamation. I have been on steroids for 14 years didn't take the omaprazole then. So wouldn't know if it causes me a problem

     

  • linda81950
    linda81950 christine_fay

    Posted

    I have never heard of it!  Will be interesting to hear from the others on this drug.
  • julian.
    julian. christine_fay

    Posted

    interesting .... I mindlessly take rabeprazole every day with the preds.

    Recently bought a yoghurt maker and managed to make a couple of batches of seemingly edible yoghurt. I'm guessing its live as the process worked. Next week I'll leap tall buildings.

    About to experiment consuming yoghurt for breakfast and no rabeprazole. When other things are stable.

  • TERI23
    TERI23 christine_fay

    Posted

    Ya know this site is the best. I was never told that pred can cause stomach problems acid reflex. I went to my GP because my stomach felt like it weighted 20 pounds he said it was gas. and told me to take gas x. which did'nt do a whole lot. AI also went to a gasto man who told me the same thing and put me on Omeprazole, another flop. I have bought every product made to man and finally found the formular that helps the best for me. I take a Zantac in the morning after breakfast and one or two Gas x pills directly after dinner. Seems to help the best..Good luck 

    Teri

  • carol16456
    carol16456 christine_fay

    Posted

    was already on lansoperole when started preds ,before going on pred had acid reflux and a lot of stress .Have been on lansoperole fort about five years ,husband diagnosed with Myeloma  same time as my father died so this obviously contributes but even if I do get heartburn I do find that Gaviscon Advance helps ,it is better then the straight forward Gaviscon .It was explained to me that ordinary Gaviscon lines the stomache where as the advance puts a lid on the stomache thereby stopping the acid reflux being leaked back up Into the esophagus 

    Now as stress is really going to be there  for me most of the time I do feel that I will opt to always take both .i do not want to end up with esophagus cancer or another nasty . Worst of side effects have embarrassingly been wind and IBS if I don't watch what I eat .

    Side effects with pred ,apart from causing acidity for me is is shakes in the morning and from what I gleen from the other people on this site is not listening to water running without a loo nearby and the usual withdrawal every time I drop half a mg pred .If you feel you must stop what the doctors call stomach protectors Gaviscon advance is worth ago ,but best take half hour later after food .I always take my pred as soon as I finish my breakfast 

    • christine_fay
      christine_fay carol16456

      Posted

      It is interesting... One of the considerations is the osteoporisis is also caused by Omneprazol...or is a side effect. I wonder if the two together may make things a lot worse than Pred on its own... I also think that the benefits of Prednisolone are far too good to be trashed so often by scaredy cats. A year will not do too much harm, especially if you are weaning off gradualy. Some people have been on them 20 years with little side effect other than weight gain. I have a regime of 5-10mg a day unless I am ill or am doing something very stressful like travelling for work. I will then up the dose to 40mg first day and drop to 30, 20, 15 and back to ten within a week. If I am feeling good I will try staying on 5 but after a week I need to up again as the pain and stiffness comes back. It is getting better and the symtoms are moving down gradually. I can at least move my neck now after 18 months of total stiffness and pain. At least I know the PMR diagnosis was correct because if I stop altogether it comes back.I do feel so much better since stopping Omniprazol and have been able to finish decorating and converting my loft into an apartment for my granddaughter...something I started two years back but was unable to continue. The arythmia (palpitations) stopped within 2 days of stopping Omniprazol and they were horrific. I had them for over 8 years, all day and all night. I actually get a good sleep now. Also my persistent dihorea has stopped. I do not have IBS as was geussed I was having a side effect of Omneprazole.That also lasted nearly 10 years...no sign of it now...I am really happy. 
  • LisaCACO
    LisaCACO christine_fay

    Posted

    I was taking omeprazole for years prior to my diagnosis of GCA and i had no immediate side effects. I was warned of the potential for osteoporosis, esp with the other meds I was taking, so i upped my calcium intake significantly at that point and exercised.  They kept me on omeprazole when I started the Prednisone but it didn't work. the Prednisone has cause such havoc in my body along with major acid reflux that they recently switched me to another med, Pantoprazole, I have little hope that it will change things, but hey, they have to do what they have to do. Oh and they added Ranitidine on top of this several weeks ago. we will see. The endoscopy showed nothing wrong.

    Every body is different and some do just fine on the heartburn med, others find it hard.

  • pat38625
    pat38625 christine_fay

    Posted

    Hi Christine, I have been taking Omeprazole for about 10 years, long before PMR just diagnosed November past.  Could you or anyone let me know what side effects you experienced.  My pred is coated and I would suffer really bad reflux that would waken me out of my sleep, the acid is that strong you imagine your flesh is going to corrode.

    What foods I eat determine the reflux.  But I would love to know side effects of Omeprazole.    Pat

    • christine_fay
      christine_fay pat38625

      Posted

      I had palpitations which increased dramatically when prescribe Prednisolone and then dissapeared completely within two days of stopping Omneprazol. I had dihoreah chronically for ten years until I stopped taking Omneprazole...don't even have to take Losec syrup any more!

      I had some funny psoriasis like lesions and spots on my upper arms aftertaking the Preds but they are going slowly and are no longer itchy and infalmed. Dizzy spells..I even crashed my car into a fence during one...falling constantly. These are the main things that have dramatically ceased since stopping Omneprazole...there were many more.

    • pat38625
      pat38625 christine_fay

      Posted

      Thanks for getting back to me.  I have never had diaorrhia (can't spell it) it would be the opposite.  I haven't had dizzy spells either.  Well I did but that was pred I am sure because only started pred November and that is when I would get up, the room would spin.  Thanks   Pat
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