I have been taking 20mg Omeprazole since March 2019 but I find it upsets my stomach, whilst it's not terrible, it is draining having to visit the toilet 3 or 4 times during the morning. I have read that Kafir is good to take and I wonder if I could drink this with my 4mg of prednisolone every day and stop the Omeprazole.
Any advice on this please?
Paintpots.
Lots of us don't use a PPI, especially at low doses. Taking pred with a meal or some yoghurt or kefir is quite common.
However - don't stop taking the omeprazole suddenly as that can result in rebound production of acid. Reduce the dose slowly over a few weeks. The usual suggestion is to take half the dose for a week or so and continue until you are down to the lowest available dose. Then miss odd days until you are not taking any. And have some Gaviscon handy just in case.
Thank you, I am thinking of doing it with my DSNS taper, so I miss out the odd day at first and the days I miss out I will drink Kafir with my Pred. I have 2 tablespoons of Greek yogurt with my breakfast about 1/2 hour after my pred and don't usually suffer with reflux but perhaps it might pay to have some Gaviscon.Many thanks.
Paintpots
I chose not to use the PPI for the reason of side effects myself , this happened well before taking steroids but when I was put on Pred a chose to see if I could use my natural alternative before immediately starting Omeprazole again and luckily I could , I had no extra digestive reflux from using food and steroids.
I call my first morning medication food , my first breakfast ( a bit like a Hobbit!)
It doesn't need to be Keffir but a probiotic natural yoghurt or milk is also suitable.
It needs to be eaten or drank about five/ ten minutes before your medication from my experience helping to line the stomach before the meds are taken.
My actual first breakfast consists of the following : a couple of large spoons of probiotic natural yoghurt and a teaspoon of manuka or good local honey . That's the essential base. I then mix it up a bit adding a few toasted nuts ( hazelnuts / almonds / brazils) or just a small handful of berries , either dried , fresh or frozen ( blueberries / raspberries / cranberries goji etc.) . You don't want a huge portion just enough to do the job as many of us are heading back for a few hours sleep , or about to go to bed , depending on when we choose to take our steroid or stomach unsettling medications. You can mix this the night before and leave it in a tub in the fridge so you can just grab it to eat instead of trying to fiddle about when you are half asleep.
The fruit and nuts are optional but I was originally one of those people whom really felt like it was a chore to eat natural yoghurt or keffir , now I actually enjoy it.
If you have gastric reflux or a lot of stomach acid in general , not just because of your medications, having just one spoon of probiotic natural yoghurt with just a tiny amount of honey to sweeten it just before meals can also help prevent that post meal reflux too. Drink more cool water in sips through the day and with your meals to help reduce acid and improve your digestion.
Don't forget , just like with any medication or supplement you have regularly been using , you need to taper off your omeprazole medication over a few weeks whilst starting your new food based alternative at the same time. This prevents the possibility of having nasty side effects from coming off a drug quickly and allows your body to get used to the food alternative.
My big advice is : Don't start the taper of a PPI or other medication or supplement on the same three day period as you start the taper of your steroid or a strong pain or neuro medication.
Choose to taper any other drugs or supplements at least a week after , and in the time between, steroid or strong medication reductions.
If you do the drop together , firstly , it can be too much change in one go for your body to be able to cope with and process and you can suffer from new side effects or symptoms.
Secondly , if you get side effects or flares of any of your symptoms it then becomes too hard to work out which drug reduction is causing your problem and you could end up increasing the wrong medication to fix the flare.
Keep an eye on your symptoms after you stop taking a PPI for a few weeks too. If you see that you are having growing stomach related symptoms after taking your medications or through the day after meals that is the time you may need to go back on the PPI. You may be able to get a smaller dose of it though or get a different PPI alternative if you find Omeprazole gave you side effects if you discuss the options with your GP.
Thank you Blearyeyed.A very good reply to my question. Now I feel I can go ahead and reduce the Omeprazole and fill in with Kafir as I go.
many thanks.
These are tips and tricks collected from patients over the years. They just might help.
a) Acid Reflux: Unwaxed Lemon, 1 minute in microwave (gives three times more juice), squeeze lemon, divide juice into three, take with water three times per day.
b) Live yoghurt and probiotic supplements help with stomach problems, help prevent 'thrush' & also helps you to absorb vitamins & minerals.
c) One teaspoonful of Manuka honey per day, boosts immune system and is a natural anti-biotic, Jar must be labelled UMF +5 +10 +15 +20 strength. It is expensive, but Holland & Barrett often have offers on. Best taken with a pro-biotic yoghurt.
Or MGO , which stands for Medical Grade on the honey.
Manuka Honey for use to help your digestion and as a daily supplement can be 5+ to 10+ UMF or above 30MGO to 100MGO .These rated honeys are a lot cheaper and more readily available than the ones rated over 10+/100+.
Most of the supermarkets have them including Aldi and Lidl. Plus , if you get in quick , Manuka Doctors online UK site has a January sale and are selling their 30MGO daily honey at £10.00 for the large 500g jar, a good quality product that is one if the types sold at Holland and Barrett.
The 10+ 20+ and 25+ UMF or 100+ MGOs honeys get more expensive as they go on because they are the ones classed as treatment proven medical grade level to be used for medical issues , acute infections and skin repair . Those are the types used by doctors and hospitals as part of their treatment in health and skin conditions.
Its not so necessary to have the highest figure honeys for daily digestive or probiotic use , although they are good to have when you are suffering from an infection or you're run down , as long as you aren't allergic to bees or bee products.
I usually use a combination of manuka and local source honey each day , especially in Spring and Summer , because a local honey can help with hayfever symptoms having antihistamine qualities specific to the area that you live in. It may not work for everyone , and I was sceptical at first but I've had less itchy skin and runny noses from hayfever since I started using it.
Definitely local honey….and when I can get back to NZ will stock up on proper Manuka….
I could have killed my eldest daughter when she had to come home during the furlough ( you know her as Eric ) . She gave me a lovely breakfast flapjack she had decided to bake for us all as a treat one morning , well lovely until I discovered she hadn't used the syrup or even the cheaper manuka or local honey in the cupboard , no, she had used my special pot of 30+ manuka instead. The most expensive flapjacks I've ever eaten , with £5 worth of manuka honey in every slice !
Definitely a memorable meal!
Just hope they were worth it.!
Not really , she tries but in comparison to Grandma she is not so blessed in the cooking department.... £5 intense jaw exercise , unfortunately!
It was VERY healthy!!! Mind you - there is plenty of evidence out there that good quality local honeys are as effective as the so-called miracle Manuka. Particularly since there cannot possibly be the quantity of genuine Manuka that is sold under the name!!!
Yes, that's why I use a combo of both and mainly local honey when I can get it , it definitely reduced my hayfever , and that of my daughters , since we started it . I suppose it works much like the system of having a little of what you are allergic to each day to build your resistance against it . I only go with well credited brand sources of Manuka . My local honey comes from a keeper up the road from me so they leave it on my doorstep with a note . I return the favour with the odd cake or banana bread. The highest grade Manuka I usually use when my skin or digestive system is bad or when I have an infection..... Definitely not for flapjacks!
Need a locked cupboard ...
Thanks for that Jinasc. Very useful info and I’ve snagged my Manuka bargain! 👍
I've used kefir as an alternative to yoghurt since I now take my pred before bedtime rather than at breakfast. Even with doses as high as 10 this past year (usually lower, however, and now attempting 3) have had no problems. For a time I was taking pred at 2 a.m. with about half a cup, or less, of plain yoghurt (about 3 % milk fat) and lying down to sleep again immediately afterwards. no problems at all. These days I take it closer to 11, which may not be so good for encouraging adrenal recovery so I'm not recommending it, so I'm up for about another hour before lying down, and I usually take it with a small glass of plain kefir. When I took my pred at breakfast time (the first six years!!!!) I just swallowed the little tablets part way through that meal without any other particular attention as to what when or how, except not to take calcium supplement at the same time.
Hi 👋 I’ve been taking PPI’s for years, due to my stomach producing too much acid. But I’ve been taking Kefir for a while now due to my IBS, and I must say it works a treat for me, as I also take Methotrexate, it kind of lines the stomach.
I hope it helps.
I’m not a fan of omeprazole or taking any meds but needs must. I stopped omeprazale years ago and started taking pred after a breakfast of Probiotic yogurt and had no issues at all. More recently I’ve been taking the pred between 2 and 4 am. I take this with half a banana, I tried yoghurt and kefir but didn’t find a convenient w@y of keeping them cold.
Do you make your own kefir or do you buy it? I bought some kefir crystals online and make a small batch every day. I mostly have the kefir with a bowl of muesli that I’ve added chopped dates, chopped Brazil nuts, dried cranberries and a selection of seeds. I also have a small glass full to drink later in the day.
Yogs and kefir will be fine in a thermos or travel cup - but actually would also be fine if still sealed at room temp - only the same as making it in the first place as they are living cultures unless long life ones.
If you don't fancy the trip back down to the fridge but still fancy using the kefir or yoghurt you can use one of those little coolbags for picnics or an insulated cool bag for drinks or put it in a wide topped flask, put it by your bedside to grab at night. I swear by a banana a day but I couldn't eat one and go and lie down to sleep it would cause me stomach acid or heartburn without including the medications , wish I could!
Kefir will benefit you regardless. There is dairy based kefir available at Sainsbury's... Or also Kombucha, non dairy based. At Sainsbury's it's displayed near the fizzy mineral water département. I find it benefits my digestion wonderfully.
Poppy the Cat 😸
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