Stomach problems and anticoagulants

[Gmc54]

For those of us who have stomach problems due to anticoagulants this makes interesting aafp.org/afp/2019/0515/od4....

[Peony4575]

Thank you for sharing that it is important information

[CDreamer]

What they don’t say is the disadvantages of using PPI’s which are often given automatically in my experience - certainly I was - and had to say NO THANK YOU!

PPI’s were designed originally as a short term therapy but became to be used as a prophalactic against pharmaceuticals known to irritate the stomach lining. Their function is to lower the Protein Pumps in your stomach to reduce the amount of acid produced. Now we need acid environments in order to break down proteins, especially meat and fish.

As we age, stomach acid production tends to diminish with age so often indigestion and acid reflux is caused not from the anticoagulants but from people eating carbohydrates such as bread and biscuits when you take your anticoagulants. Carbohydrates need an alkaline environment in order to be broken down - so if you take your anticoagulants with carbs, the stomach pushes the excess acid up through the valve between the stomach and osophogus into the osophagus - were it can do serious damage and causes a lot of pain.

Now in some cases, for some people I can see a need for PPI’s, however, once you start taking them it’s extremely hard to come off them without suffering rebound ie: when you stop taking them the Protein Pumps go into overdrive and produce a lot more acid so you need to be really careful about stopping them and taper down really gradually.

Long term use ie +1 year, increases risk of osteoporosis, CDiff, reduces levels of B12, Magnesium and raises risk of heart attacks.

There are some conditions I would consider them which would be when there is danger of severe oesophageal damage, otherwise I’ll stick thank you.

I take 3 medicines, Apixaban being one, all of which PPI’s were automatically prescribed as a prophylactic to which I refused to take and returned them. I’ve been on these meds now for 7 years without consequences and control all symptoms with holistic methods and careful nutrition. I find kefir first thing in the morning tends to give good lining of protective mucus and drinking warm water after eating helps move things along and helps clear the gullet.

I learned all this the hard way, through experience and through finding local holistic doctors who delved into all the research and were kind enough to share their expertise and experience with myself and many others.

[Peony4575 in reply to CDreamer]

That is an excellent and informative post thank you . I switched to atenolol from bisoprolol as part of my bb withdrawal process atenolol is less cardio specific . There are beta receptors in your stomach and I experienced pain for a few days when I finally came off. And bear in mind I had only been on it a few months . So many drugs directly or indirectly have undesirable systemic effects

[CDreamer in reply to Peony4575]

You are so right, trouble is that often we aren’t made aware until too late or as we all react very differently we don’t know which drugs will benefit us and which harm. Unfortunately often those that harm have irreversible affects.

Don’t get me started on Bisoprolol and beta blockers! Suffice to say there is now red alert on my medical file.

[Maggimunro in reply to CDreamer]

Same here Cdreamer. I wouldn’t touch them with a barge pole. They made me feel worse than the actual Afib.

[Gmc54 in reply to CDreamer]

I know CDreamer, but I have been on warfarin now for 13 years, and in the past year have had awful stomach problems causes by it. The PPI I'm taking has made life bearable again. Catch 22 for me I'm afraid.

I don't eat meat, and find what you say about carbohydrates very interesting. It's given me food for thought. Thank you.

[CDreamer in reply to Gmc54]

I can understand that but I’m fighting against it until I absolutely have to & so far, so good.

[mrgwair567 in reply to CDreamer]

Hi C Dreamer Do you take the kefir as a drink or in capsule form?

[CDreamer in reply to mrgwair567]

I make my own - milk kefir, coconut kefir, yogurt, soft cheese & water kefir. So easy to do if you have the grains from a good source. I’ve never taken kefir in capsule form, didn’t know they existed?

[mrgwair567 in reply to CDreamer]

HiBoots Kafir Capsules £12 for 30. You mention grains , where do you get them from if you don’t mind me asking.

[CDreamer in reply to mrgwair567]

We have a grain exchange network in the community. A friend does sell them on line though - link to her blog page

culturelove.co.uk/why-the-m...

I got my grains & sourdough starter from her. She also runs workshops in normal times.

[mrgwair567 in reply to CDreamer]

Thanks for the info, much appreciated.

[RajaRua in reply to CDreamer]

What are PPIs CD?

[CDreamer in reply to RajaRua]

Protein Pump Inhibitors- a medication which inhibits acid in the stomach by inhibiting tiny pumps in the lining of the stomach which pump acid & digestive enzymes into the stomach to help break down proteins.

[RajaRua in reply to CDreamer]

Thank you CDreamer

[GrannyE in reply to CDreamer]

You are absolutely right. My anaemia, resulting in the permanent damage to my heart previously healthy heart, was directly due to prescribed Omeprazole (taken about 3 times a week with an anti inflammatory)which lowered my stomach acid. This meant I was unable to digest properly and my body had a severe shortage of iron etc.... I would not be on this forum had it not been for omeprazole. some Doctors tend to dole them out like sweeties.

[GrannyE in reply to GrannyE]

Of course there are some people for whom omeprazole is excellent. We are all different. My grandmother and my maternal cousin both took stomach acid pills with their meals containing protein. I am now doing the same. Unfortunately the test where they lower capsule into the stomach, to check for acid, and watch its progress is not done in the UK.

[Hidden]

If you are twice as likely to bleed taking rivaroxaban vs apixaban, does is follow that apixaban is only half as effective as an anticoagulant? Seems unlikely. I’ve probably missed something.

[Peony4575 in reply to Hidden]

Interesting conundrum

[CDreamer]

🤔

[KG70]

This is really interesting. I've been on Rivaroxaban and Diltiazem for 9 months and my stomach is battered. I can no longer eat fruit, salad esp tomatoes and I have constant indigestion and burping which I have never experienced before. I blamed it on the Diltiazem but I'm now wondering if it's the Rivaroxaban. 3 weeks ago I started taking Gaviscon Guardian and noticed that my AF symptoms improved INCREDIBLY! I had 3 clear days of no symptoms whatsoever which is unheard of for me as I'm in and out of AF all day every day. I then had 2 bad nights so started taking an additional half a tablet 30 mins before I took my night time Diltiazem and my nights have been calm for 2 weeks now and my days, whilst not completely symptom-free like the first 3 on the Gaviscon, are dramatically better. I intend to share my experience in a post in a couple of weeks if the improvement stays as I don't want to share prematurely. I'm now wondering if I should switch back to Apixaban as I didn't try it for long before being swapped.

[CDreamer in reply to KG70]

Gaviscon works for me too.

[Gmc54 in reply to CDreamer]

Just looked online and there seems to be several types of Gaviscon. Can you tell me which one you find helpful please CDreamer, I would like to give it a go and see if it works for me also so I can get off the omeprazole.

[CDreamer in reply to Gmc54]

I would go see your GP because I have had Gaviscon on prescription.

More importantly, you need to titrate down the PPI’s very, very slowly and be very aware of rebound symptoms.

When in pain the Double Action worked for me but you do need to be careful taking it if you are on quite a few meds, including beta-blockers. I now just take the OTC plain variety but have a bottle in the cupboard and tablets in my bag - if using the tablets really important to drink a glass of water afterwards.

[Gmc54 in reply to CDreamer]

Thank you. 🙂

[Janey1955]

I have never suffered from any kind of indigestion. I have been taking apaxiban for over 18 months and the situation is no different - no stomach problems 🤞

[CloudRunner]

I think that my GP must have read this a few months ago. Two months, or so, ago I received a letter from my GP saying that he had added omeprazole to my repeat Rivaroxaban prescription to be taken once a day for this very reason.

I had been suffering some minor stomach and acid reflux problems but just put them down to an ageing thing. Since starting the omeprazole I haven’t had any more problems, so assume that it’s doing it’s job, but obviously have no real idea if it was the Riveroxaban causing the problems in the first place.