Pantoprazole

[handy]

Because of still suffering from very bad bile/reflux I have just been in contact with my clinical nurse specialist who has said to ask my GP if I can take pantoprazole instead of lansoprazole which does not seem to work for me. is anyone on this and if so how do you find it.

[chrisrob]

I was on pantoprazole for a while but found it no better than the omeprazole which I was switched back to after a couple of months because it's cheaper.

There has been much research comparing the different PPIs but the conclusions are they are all as effective as each other when taken in equivalent doses. (40mg Pantoprazole is equivalent to 20mg omeprazole or 30mg lansoprazole).

Some patients respond better to one than another, however, and Pantoprazole seems to be better tolerated than omeprazole or lansoprazole).

Guidelines are to have the minimum effective dose of the cheapest effective PPI.

PPIs reduce acid production but not bile nor reflux which can still continue if non-acidic.

[Spikey]

I have been taking 20mg of pantoprazole daily for about 5 years and have never had any problems with it. I was put on pantoprazole by my gastroenterologist in place of omeprazole, which I had been taking for the previous two years, because I was suffering side effects (namely diarrhoea) from the omeprazole. Different PPI's work for different people and it's a question of trial and error to find which one works best for you. Pantoprazole is effective in regulating stomach acid, but will have no effect on bile reflux, which I find can only be prevented by avoiding foods that are high in sugar or fat and too much red meat.

[Hidden]

I,ve been on Omprozole,esomprozole and lansoprozole but after two years I had a second endoscopy and my symptoms where worse.Doctor said these PPI,s don,t seem to work for everyone so I,m now on the old type of acid supressant Ranitidine this seems to be working better but i,ve only been on them for three months.Ask the doctor if your not happy and try something different.good luck.

[handy]

Thank you all for your reply,s they have been very helpful.

[AlanWare]

Hi. I have been testing myself. I have found that I don't have any acid in my stomach. It is bile. So, I have stopped taking my lansaprazole. PPI's reduce acid. Acid helps neutralise bile. Bile is there to digest the fats. I therefore reasoned that an increase in fat would help use up the bile. I started having cream in my coffee and in my pasta with cheese sauce. Cream in my cornflakes. So far I have been able to sleep without being woken with bile reflux for the first time in 2 years since my op. Waking up choking on bile was a nightly event sometimes two or three times. Aspiring the bile is a very serious thing and can be extremely dangerous. Without acid,food is not broken down properly in the stomach. I found that my food was lying in my stomach undigested for several days and was making me ill. The only solution was to make myself sick. This brings a lot of relief because the vomiting bought up the bile that builds up in the stomach. Bile in the stomach is what causes a burning feeling and can be a cause of cancer, as the stomach is designed to contain strong hydrochloric acid. Bile is alkali and belongs in the intestine and is incompatible with the stomach. To prove my theory, I got myself some litmus test strips. Saliva is neutral P.H. Acid is below 7 and alkali is above. The stomach acid should be about 3 or 4 P.H. I found that if I licked a test strip prior to being sick, it was neutral. After vomiting it has always been between 9 and 10. Low and behold yesterday I had a reading of 4. I then ate my meal and for the first time in months I didn't have pain and nausea afterwards and slept 9 hours straight. Unfortunately today the reading is back up to 8. But at least now I have a goal, to get my stomach back to being acid. Google the importance of stomach acid and you will see that most of our problems match a low acid content. Well, after a long rant, I hope this will be of use to some of you.

[Hidden in reply to AlanWare]

I have been wondering whether anybody has used testing kits for whether their saliva / reflux is acid or alkali. My suspicion is that most reflux issues are treated on the assumption that the problem is acid, and therefore PPIs are prescribed, and without sufficient thought or investigation as to whether it is bile reflux (alkali) that is an occupational hazard if you have had an oesophagectomy / gastrectomy- depending on details of the surgery.

So when you said you had been testing yourself, did you mean, experimenting / trial and error, or did you have anything like a test kit?

[AlanWare in reply to Hidden]

I used a test kit. I am very conversant with the subject. As a photographer,I needed very accurate ph metres in my lab. But Litmus test strips are more than adequate for determining acid from alkali. My readings are consistently alkali P.H. between 9 and 10.

[deveretth]

I now take PROCHLORPERANZINE 10 mg tablet every 6 hours as needed for Nauseau.

I take it when i go to bed so not to feel sick.

David

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