I’ve been taking omeprazole for around 3 years. I have chronic acid reflux and it’s unbearable and constant if I don’t take any medication. I’ve had some pretty bad symptoms over the last few months and looked into omeprazole alittle more. To my dismay I’ve realised that all of my symptoms are directly linked to taking this drug. I now need blood tests to see how badly I’ve been affected.
With this being said, I’ve stopped taking the medicine and have moved to ranitidine for now...but I’m taking around 6 a day just to keep the problem at bay and even then it doesn’t completely ease off.
It’s seriously affecting my life. The doctors are overworked, stressed and have limited resources, so they don’t really help with alternatives.
I’m alittle lost with this. Any help?
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Sheayda
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Oh I do feel for you acid reflux is no joke - it can be excruciatingly painful - especially on a repetitive basis. Look this may be of no help to you at all but it is my experience. Similar or same I have taken Lansoprazole (another PPI) for more than a decade - closer to 15 yrs now with no bad effects - or any I am aware of so far. I know these drugs are not well regarded by some but I feel fortunate they have worked for me. I do however have to - and always have had to take 30mg TWICE a day or they weren't at all effective 'enough' . When i first began taking Pred and read that many people had to start taking a PPI to deal with this I at least on occasion felt one step ahead. I noticed though - as we can't get enteric coated Pred here in OZ that i still must eat some full fat yogurt before taking my morning dose or I still get a reflux feeling - not extreme but still very unpleasant. Very occasionally this still happens - but not often enough to be bothersome. I tried Ranitidine but they NEVER worked for me - at all - and nothing but a high dose of this PPI ever has. I assume you have had a recent endoscopy and ruled out any other possible 'causes' for your condition - and you just MUST go back to the doctor and get this sorted ...
I too have been taking Omeprazole for many years. I take 20-mg twice a day. I was about to try a slow taper of Omeprazole when PMR was diagnosed. I've decided I'll just have to hang with Omeprazole until I stop the Pred.
When that day comes I'll have had lots of expertise in how to taper slowly.
I have an hiatal hernia, but still I hope to taper off Omeprazole slowly enough to get off. When I've tried I get pretty sick. I'm usually fine for the first twelve days and then the pain and other symptoms come back. Way back, my pharmacy changed to a different generic manufacturer. I was fine until about 12 days, then I hurt! I was mystified at first. It had registered that the capsules looked different, but I didn't think anything of it since I'd been on a different generic and it worked well. . First generic was fine. Second just didn't work.
What us wrong about your architecture? Mine is being short waisted, short torso. For me that means that I have no separation between the bottom of my rib cage and my pelvis. No place for a real waist and no place for waistbands to rest and stay in place. Thank goodness for elastic waists and stretch materials.
My architecture sets me up for constriction that adds to reflux.
I think I am relatively 'averagely' proportioned - I was referring more to just having a hernia - and I have actually got a 'waist' - although 'keeping' it is somewhat hard as I DO like 'food' !!!
With both PPI’s and the Ranitidine sort I’ve always ended up with rebound acid, so I use gaviscon and avoid dairy products because in me they cause indigestion. PPI’s also make me feel very preculiar. It took me about 1-2 weeks of hell to get off either of them. However, I really would ask for checks, if only to make sure you haven’t developed some problems in the meantime like Barrett’s Oesophagus. Also, have you been tested for Helicobacter pylori infection; it requires a simple (?) poo sample or blood sample. From looking at the other replies, it looks like, as per usual, people are very different as and it is down to finding where you fit it.
I took lanzaprozole for 18 years or so. I stopped around last summer, mainly in case bones might be effected but dexa scan was ok. I have had acid reflux since then and rotate gaviscon and ranitidine. I still have a prazole in prescription just in case and take gastric resistant pred.
My main things I use to "control" reflux that are non medical are raised pillows and I have the head of my bed raised on two thick hardback books. It is white bread that usually sets mine off and cucumber skin. On low carb I avoid white bread anyway. I peel cucumber and take the seeds out. Green pepper also a no no.
I hope you are ok...i don't think I suffered side effects but time will tell.
Part of your problem will be that when you stop taking a PPI then you often get rebound reflux - your body produces even MORE acid. You should never stop the PPI cold turkey but taper down the dose slowly while switching over to ranitidine - which for most people does the job well enough with fewer side effects but if you have a high acid production it may not be enough.
Gaviscon is an obvious extra measure - more physical than the chemical effect of stopping acid production, and cutting carbs drastically is felt to help reflux a lot too.
What even an overworked doctor can do is provide a prescription for your pred as the gastro-resistant form (comes in 5, 2.5 AND 1mg now) which removes one more potential reason for gastric discomfort. And always take whatever sort you have in the middle of a meal - not just a small snack.
This remedy, which was passed on to me and others by a PMR sufferer. It has worked for quite a few people.
It is also published in the booklet, 'Living with PMR & GCA' amongst the four pages of 'Tips and Tricks' supplied by, yes you have guessed it PMR & GCA fellow travellers. Now we are not saying they work for everybody, we have many things in common as humans and many differences as individuals.
Take one lemon, preferably un-waxed, microwave for 1 minute (much more juice) and squeeze. Divide juice into three, take with water three times a day.
If you want to, you can then grate the rest of the lemon (I put mine into the freezer for about five minutes, then store the bits in the freezer and add to stews, curries, rice etc, loads of vitamins from the stuff we generally just throw away. I also freeze whole lemons if the seller has a price drop.
Please stop ppi or ratadine gradually and switch on to natural methods for hyperacidity. Do yoga seeing from u tube. Drink lot of water. Take nux vomica 30c daily night once and take nat phos 30c daily 3 times. 5 pills of nux vomica and 2 pills of nat phos each time. And see the results of homeopathy. I am also taking homeopathy.. God bless u.
Hi Sheayda - sorry to hear about your problems! I understand completely. I can only tell you my experience with Ranitidine. I was having reflux so badly that I actually called the GP to ask if I was having a heart attack. I'm not very happy with taking tablets anyway unless I really know what they're doing to me, so - not easy being me! Anyway, the GP said "just take them and see what happens". Ranitidine (was only taking 1 a day) really helped almost immediately. However, I wanted to know why I was getting the reflux. I was about 2.5 stone overweight at the time, and also was just about to be diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. I have a sliding hiatus hernia, which means that if you overeat, the food just comes up. As soon as I gave up sugar, didn't eat as much and lost weight, the heartburn and reflux eased. So much so that I could give up the Ranitidine. I think there's a direct correlation between too much sugar, and heartburn. Certainly there is with being overweight. Are you overweight?
Is your chronic acid reflux directly related to taking Prednisalone or does Pred just make it worse?
Omeprazole make me feel sick and colicky. I now take Pred with Greek Yoghurt and honey and this protects my stomach. If I get a touch of heartburn now ordinary Rennes work.
I have a weak stomach valve which was diagnosed about 20 years ago. It causes acid to leak into my oesophagus and cause pain and inflammation. I was initially given Lansoprazol and then switched to Pantoprazole later on. So I have been taking PPIs for 20 years. Before I was diagnosed with PMR I was on 1 x 20mg a day. The addition of Prednisolone in 2016 made the acid reflux a whole lot worse so gp doubled the dose to 2 x 20mg a day. This has settled down the problem. I know there are risks but there are also risks in the acid flowing into my oesophagus. Its a case of risk management for me. I don't seem to suffer side effects from the PPI but obviously theres a need to keep an eye on the bone density which go and rheumy are aware of. I have also used Ranitidine to help control the reflux in addition to PPI when necessary. Like every drug its weighing up the positives over the negatives.
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