Do these types of treatment have any efficacy for PA patients with gastritis. ?
I understood that with pernicious anaemia we had very little gastric acid.
Doctors always say oh just try them, and have no answer to my question.
Can any of you good folk help.
My daughter tried both with very little relief.They slowly deplete b1s absorbtukn.
What helped hef was a complete overhaul of hef diet .
Ued fodmsp as s baseline
Also took prebiotic .
Mu mum who was told ibs years ago which I don't think is correct.
She was helped by a diary free diet and less wholemeal foods.
White bread and rice for instance better fof her.
Porridge .
Some have advocated on here to have cider vinegar or an acidic juice towards thf end of s meal.
Thank you for that Nackapan. Sticking to a diet is never easy. Even so if it helps it’s worth a look.
I just don’t know if it is worth still taking the pills
Only you know if they help
Apple cider vinegar does the trick for me. Its brill.
Love the name!!!
I agree with Nackapan. I believe gastritis is a reaction to the modern diet. I used to have it but once I cut down on gluten, sugar, dairy and refined carbs it went away. It is hard not eating all the foods I love but it is worth it.
And on the plus side I now have a BMI of 19 which has stayed the same for over 2 years.
there is a special type of gastritis that is autoimmune which goes along with pernicious anemia that cannot be cured or fixed with diet. So to be clear not all types of gastritis are due to diet or can be fixed by die. Sure it is good to eat healthy, that is true I don’t disagree but if you have a gastritis caused by your immune system creating antibodies to attack your stomach l taking gluten or sugar or dairy out of your diet would not cure it or alleviate your symptoms.
You can't "fix" gastritis. You can only manage the symptoms with medication and/or diet.
Yes PA is caused by an autoimmune reaction. But something must have happened to create that reaction. I still believe diet is to blame.
I’ve read that doctors do not advise taking PPI’s like omeprazole if you have pernicious anemia and gastritis since people with PA often have achlorhydria or low/no stomach acid. I would make sure to see a gastroenterologist if you have PA and autoimmune gastritis (the type of gastritis that goes with PA). Autoimmune gastritis isn’t something that you can fix with diet or anything special but a GI doctor would be the best one to manage your care and monitor your gastritis to check for gastric cancers which are more common in people with PA and with autoimmune gastritis.
PPIs are used much too readily as a cure-all for anything digestive, in my view. I took them for five years and found them less and less effective in controlling reflux. Doctors then want to increase the dose. I changed to an H2 blocker which I find gentler and more effective. I'm awaiting gastroscopy to check the damage. I've been told the wait time is 90 weeks by which time stomach cancer would be well advanced.
This worries me also as I have barretts esophagus so when you add that to pernicious anemia that gives me 4% increase of getting stomach cancer according to statistics , for anyone who doesn't know pernicious anemia supposedly increases your risk of developing stomach cancer within your lifetime which is something you also should monitor by way of endoscopy every 5 years for a lifetime as if its not bad enough but getting it checked does relieve any worries I think and is worth the effort.
You have an extra complication with BOs. I agree that PA people should be endoscoped every five years and there are guidelines that say so. But that simply won't happen with the NHS in the state it's in. My GP suggested I look out for red flag symptoms, whatever they are. By which point it might well be too late. So I'll monitor myself and wait 90 weeks, or 85 now
I am in the same boat as you. PA with Barrett’s Esophagus. My gastro wants me on PPI because of BE—to prevent damage. I had my first endoscopy around age 30 and have always had gastritis with each test despite use of PPI’s . I undergo endoscopy every three years. PPI’s do cause absorption issues with B12, calcium and magnesium. In fact, this risk and having been on PPI’s for extended amounts of time since my early 30’s is the reason my b12 deficiency was discovered. This drastically changed my life. I was also very lucky because if had I been older, my symptoms may have been dismissed as dimentia or just a result of aging. Though uncomfortable for a couple of weeks, I have successfully discontinued PPI several times over the years during pregnancies. I have known other people with reflux unable to do it and I wonder if my problem really isn’t lack of stomach acid, not too much. Seeing my gastro in a couple of weeks and plan on having this conversation.
Btw, I also use Gaviscon for breakthrough rare breakthrough symptoms and it works great!
Thankyou for your helpful comments.
What I have always understood that people with PA had little or no gastric acid hence the poor absorption of B12. Therefore why would we be given treatment to reduce acid in the stomach. ??
Agreed! It doesn’t seem to make sense does it? I was reluctant to go back on PPI after getting off the drug. I thought that doing that would be a cure to low b12 and I could just supplement with sublingual b12 since I believed that was the cause. I became very sick within three months without an injection.
My doctor pushed for me to go back on the drug as I had resisted. Finally, I agreed to reconsider based on results of my endoscopy that of course showed gastritis as it always does and possible Barrett’s. I’ve been back on PPI for about three years and due for endoscopy. The Barrett’s triggered the 3year screening.
I will discuss with my gastro and see what he says?
Do try apple cider vinegar with mother(Braggs).. it.sorted me out.. no PPIs now!!
They prevent you from digesting food properly, you need stomach acid to extract nutrition from food. I used to get gastrictis but now fine that I am on right level of thyroid hormones. I have also cut out refined or added sugar except in special occasions. I dont miss it at all as my body does not need it as it has no nutrician. I would avoid the PPIs if you can, they have led to some awful health issues in my family.
Hi, speaking from personal experience I can confirm ppi's long term can cause achlorhydria with consequent damage to mineral/food absorption .Worthwhile googling side effects of lansoprazole.
Good luck
Can you talk a little more about what you mean pls as I have been on treatment with omeprazole having had PA and barretts esophagus too so I'm well used to taking these ppi 's alongside monthly injections and I can tell you how it feels for me.
In your Bio you mention thyroid issues within the family. Do you have a thyroid issue ? If your thyroid hormones are low then it is possible your stomach acid is low - made worse by your slow thyroid - and the PPI ....
Do you take a GOOD B Complex to keep all the B vit's in balance ? Have you had your Folate - Ferritin - VitD tested ?
I find Gaviscon Advanced works very well. I used high doses of omeprazole, but stopped but the reason is too long a story to explain why 😀. Gaviscon worked with no problem and I still use when required. You have to just try things and see what works, I personally feel an overhaul of a diet is a high expectation so I just eat as healthy as I can manage using the NHS weight loss app….works for me. My GP happily prescibes Gaviscon. Good Luck Yongtong xx
If you are on regular/frequent B12 injections, the PPIs will not interfere with those. However, the PPIs are known to interfere with B12 absorption because they reduce stomach acid, and I believe doctors now are being advised to prescribe them for short term only.
I was diagnosed with acid reflux and took Omeprazole for 5 months, it didn’t resolve my symptoms but did deplete my B12 which made me very ill. That’s when I started having B12 injections. I took H2 blockers (which also inhibit absorption of B12 but not as much as ppi’s), I found H2 blockers better.
What helped the most was following the acid watcher diet by Dr J Aviv. It’s not a quick fix but did work. Also, advice not to drink at the same time you eat a meal. Drink fluid 40 mins before or after eating. I don’t take ppi’s or H2 blockers now, just use lactose free milk and have eliminated trigger foods. Good luck.
My stomach problems were cured after I stopped taking Nexium
It seems that there are lots of people also with similar stomach conditions like myself with Barretts esophagus etc I can also say that I am taking a high dosage of ppi's compared to a normal daily amount as told to by the Gastroenterologist as I take 4x 20mg of omeprazole daily and I'm sure the normal amount is less than that also 1 bottle of Gaviscon liquid each month. I was also told I need to take these for life as the benefits outweigh the risks apparently. I don't ever get any feedback from the doctor or the specialist about how taking these tablets for life whilst having PA affects my health or what to expect and I don't really know if they know themselves what happens and how the amount of stomach acid I have contributes to my condition. Hopefully we can learn from each other.
Hi Davy that does sound extreme.
I really don’t know what we can do. The doctors don’t seem to know either !!
There are risks relating to potential malabsorption and infection, both of which require good (sufficiently strong) stomach acid : uspharmacist.com/article/lo...
Long term Omeprazole use and B12 deficiency symptoms 
20+ years on Lansoprazole-now paying the price.
Can pernicious anaemia be caused by long term use of lansoprazole?
PA and B1 deficiency?
PA and oral B12 supplements
