Omeprazole & PA - B12 - Folate

[Ritchie1268]

Hello again all.

I've got Martyn Hooper's books plus some others I've downloaded onto my Kindle app.

I've got such a lot going on personally at the moment though it's just as & when I get the chance to read & do research on the B12 & Folate deficiency along with Pernicious Anemia I have. Along with looking for answers from you lovely people on here.

Many years ago I was told I had IBS after having cameras inserted in any & every orifice. But, it has seemed to dwindle over the years & I don't really suffer with it much now. It was also questioned whether I had Chron's desease as my mum has sufferered from this for many years, but it was never confirmed.

I would also suffer greatly with heartburn & acid reflux, especially if I ate late at night, which was difficult not to as I worked shifts for many years.

I would always have a bottle of Gaviscon at the side of my bed, I got through so much you'd think I had shares in the company!!

The worst part of these episodes would be when I fell asleep, I'd wake up choking on nothing & couldn't breath, I'd actually run around the bedroom panicking trying to get my breath.

I felt like it was acid in my lungs & my throat as it burned, then, when I could actually breath again, I had to keep coughing trying to clear it.

So sorry to ask but I seem to think I've read somewhere that the Omeprazole my GP put me on over 2 years ago erodes B12, along with other ant-acid medication?

What I have read is that if you have B12 deficiency -PA that your stomach doesn't produce much acid to break down food, which I'm now wondering if the Omeprazole my Dr prescribed me was counteracting exactly what it was trying to cure, if that makes sense?

The thing is though, that since regularly SI B12, the acid problem, along with other symptoms I used to suffer with regularly seem to have stopped or eased greatly!???

Many thanks as always!

Ritchie.

[Nackapan]

I've also read that anti acids will make your stomach less acid si the B12 can't be processed. Great news your symptoms eased si. Don't suppose it matters why!

[fbirder]

PPIs (Proton Pump Inhibitors) like Omeprazole do hinder the absorption of B12. But it seems to be more going on than the simple lack of stomach acid. Because H2 antagonists (drugs that also reduce stomach acid, but by a different mechanism) do not.

PA is caused by AMGA (Autoimmune Metaplastic Gastric Atrophy) where the immune system attacks some stomach cells. As well as making the protein required for absorption of B12 (Intrinsic Factor) these cells also make stomach acid. So AMGA causes low B12 and low stomach acid.

The symptoms of low stomach acid are very similar to those of excess stomach acid.

But the stomach problems aren't caused by low B12, so there's no reason why they might be alleviated by taking B12.

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to fbirder]

I know there is no obvious reason why stomach symptoms related should improve when someone has enough B12 - and I know that I do use drinking something acid to help improve things but even without that I did find that symptoms were a great deal less severe when my B12 levels were sorted out and it seems to be mentioned often enough by others to be a real thing, albeit a real thing that doesn't have an obvious explanation

[Ritchie1268 in reply to Gambit62]

Thanks Gambit62.

That's why I thought I would ask as there are so many things that I've had that seem to have improved since SI, the above is just one.

[deniseinmilden in reply to Gambit62]

Because B12 is vital to all cells and processes in the body due its roles in DNA synthesis, nerve function and energy release, it is possible that the stomach, like other organs in the body, can't work optimally when compromised by B12 deficiency and therefore we notice an improvement once B12 levels are restored.

Because each of us is different, some people may notice greater impact on their stomach than others.

But I agree - the incidence of reporting suggests something specific is definitely happening, even if it hasn't been scientifically documented yet.

The next investigation maybe?

[Alfabeta]

Omaprezole is mentioned specifically on the NHS website relating to b12 deficiency as one of the causes of b12 deficiency. Eating before going to bed is not wise and is bound to cause acid reflux!

[Ritchie1268 in reply to Alfabeta]

Looking back now, I believe I've been deficient for years, way before I started taking Omeprazole, so I know it hasn't caused my B12 deficiency.

I haven't worked shifts for years now either so no longer eat anything before going to bed, but I still got the acid reflux!

I haven't taken any Omeprazole now for months as I've found I just don't need to anymore since starting regular SI.

Coincidence?? I don't know, I just know I don't get it anymore since regularly self injecting B12.

[Alfabeta in reply to Ritchie1268]

Hi Ritchie

It’s quite difficult to know whether one absorbs or doesn’t absorb b12. The only way of knowing, I suppose, is to be tested before I injections start and, if you have sufficient b12 in your system then you can absorb it - that is assuming you have enough b12 in your diet. I became deficient (in my opinion) because there was not enough b12 in my diet (I was vegetarian verging on vegan and drank a lot of alcohol) and my doctor prescribed omaprezole on six monthly repeat prescriptions which went on for about six years.

My original symptoms were nominal aphasia and very poor memory both of which got progressively worse over several years then, in a short phase, I started getting blurred vision and psychotic episodes along with debilitating fatigue and poor balance.

Once diagnosed and injections started most of my symptoms improved and now, after over three years of treatment, I

My nominal aphasia and memory have improved significantly (but still occur moderately) the fatigue has gone completely as has the blurred vision and the psychotic episodes have diminished.

I stopped taking the omaprezole before my diagnosis and I manage my reflux by identifying the foods that cause it ( cheese is the main villain which is awkward as Emmental cheese is my major source of b12 in food (30% per ounce) .

Because of the injections, I have no way of knowing if I can or cannot absorb b12 (if I knew I couldn’t, I could cease eating cheese and stop getting reflux) but I have no intention of ceasing the injections. In fact, I think I need injections more regularly as my symptoms recur between week 6 to 8 but fat chance of getting my doctor to agree to that.

Good luck and fingers crossed you are not b12 deficient is it is a terrible illness.

[Ritchie1268 in reply to Alfabeta]

That's terrible for you!

I do have B12 deffinciey, along with Folate deficiency & Pernicious Anemia, hence why I can't absorb B12 from my diet.

My B12 was 124 if I remember correctly, I also have Microcytic Anemia.

Since I started my loading doses last year & 3 monthly ones, I kept a diary & I felt the best I felt for years after my first 3 monthly one, but only for 2 days.

I asked my GP for more regular injections as I was only improving for 2 days then would crash again. He said the same as so many Dr's do, "we'll test your B12 levels" I said there is no point, listen to what I've said my symptoms are, but he just shrugged & ordered the blood test, which, came back as "satisfactory" suprise surprise!!!

That's when I decided to start SI & have been improving slowly ever since.

I know longer get heartburn or any acid reflux at all.

Other symptoms I would get daily are still there albeit less than they were before SI, but I know it's going to take time.

[PArforThecourse]

Hi Richie. I too have an ongoing cough, with mucus that literally chokes me and I actually lost my voice for 3 months. I saw an ENT consultant who diagnosed Silent LPR and he referred me to a Speech and Language Therapist whom I saw for several months. I was put on Omeprazole but after doing some research discovered it depletes B12 so stopped it after 4 months. I had asked the SALT if there was any correlation between Silent LPR and PA and she said she wasn’t aware of anything. However, after some research I found an article on Gastrin - just google the word - and discovered there is a correlation!

My GP has now put me on Ranitidine - I have yet to research this drug but do far do feel a bit better and the constant burping has subsided!

Good luck!

[Ritchie1268 in reply to PArforThecourse]

I hope you continue to improve. I remember just how frightened I was when I would wake up & feel like my lungs were full of stuff that would burn & the panic trying to get my breath.

[PArforThecourse]

Thanks

[Sasla]

Hi R. I was prescribed omeprazole & meloxicam for many years, before finding out they are contra/indicated. So I pointed this out to my GP & stopped both!

[Ritchie1268]

Hi Sasla.

As I said, you trust your Dr don't you!

But, after my experience & the experience I had years ago when a GP I trusted, when I turned down morphine for my back problem for fear of getting addicted, actually put me on what I found much later on to be stronger than Heroin! And is now the main reason of the massive opiate problem in the states!

It destroyed my life for 12 years & I will never, ever trust any Dr ever again!!

[Dragonwalker]

Hi Ritchie. My symptoms return 6 to 7 weeks into the cycle too. First of all the brain fog, then the tinnatus and pins and needles (just in my right hand and right foot). I know I’m sustaining nerve damage here but my GP won’t budge. I’m planning to start SI after my blood test in two weeks. Don’t want to skew the result.

I too took omeprazole for about four years - for stomach acid problems caused by about 10 years of anti inflammatory pain killers, mainly diclophenac.

I can’t blame the omeprazole entirely as I have several other possible causes of PA - two previous auto immune diseases, a history of eating disorders and 44 years of being vegetarian-going-on- vegan, as you put it.

However, over the years, I’ve chugged bottle after bottle of B complex with added B12 and it seems to have done no good at all, so am not blaming my diet too much.

[Ritchie1268 in reply to Dragonwalker]

Hi Dragonwalker.

I always thought every Dr knew what they were doing.

It's frightening when I think of just how close I was to & should have died with the amount of Oxycontin I was taking. That's why I won't take anything again unless I know exactly what it is.

I'm not saying all that Oxycontin for years definitely caused my PA because I don't know, but from what I've found out since, it does seem to be the reason for everything I have now.

Hope you get on ok with your tests & if you do decide to SI, there is plenty of help on here.

Good luck

[Dragonwalker in reply to Ritchie1268]

My GP is a complete ****. He continually lies to me to the point where he contradicts himself. Basically tells you what he thinks you want to know. I actually don’t know whether I have PA or just low B12 - 177 initially - because he’s said both.

I’m surprised we haven’t all had ruptured stomach ulcers from what the proton pump inhibitors have done to us. The pain can be excruciating.

It is frightening. Trust your own body. It almost always knows what it wants.

And good luck with it.