problems with diarrhoea

[Peony63]

Hi

I was diagnosed with PMR late January this year and was prescribed Prednisolone, Adcal and Lansoprazle. I have been on these meds for a couple of months now and for just over a week I have been suffering with acute diarrhoea 4-5 times a day ! I saw the Dr yesterday and I have given in my 3 different stool samples for investigation.

It does seem to be getting worse no matter what I eat and I’m wondering if it’s the lansoprazole? My Dr thinks not as I’ve been taking it a while but I have read that it can upset you later on once it’s in your system.

Has anyone else experienced this ?

Thank you

thank

[SnazzyD]

Lanzoprazole and others in the proton pump family can cause gut issues. I couldn’t get on with them at all but it didn’t hit me immediately, so not sure about the doctor’s reasoning. I also found that calcium in Adcal doses gave me indigestion and bloating so I had to reduce the dose by buying my own supplements.

[Peony63 in reply to SnazzyD]

Thank you for your quick reply.

I’m also worried about not getting any nutrients in my system but I’ll see what the samples reveal.

[SnazzyD in reply to Peony63]

Do you feel ill with it?

You could try asking for a non PPI like Famotidine as an experiment. They went out of fashion when PPI’s came along and work on Histamine 2 receptors instead. You can’t just stop PPI’s because of rebound acid.

[Peony63 in reply to SnazzyD]

I don’t feel ill but am starting to feel tired and run down. I do get a very low sore tummy too but that doesn’t seem so bad at the mo.

[SnazzyD in reply to Peony63]

What dose of Pred are you on?

[Peony63 in reply to SnazzyD]

I was on 15mg but just reduced to 12.5mg this week.

[piglette]

You could try not using the lansoprazole for a couple of days and replacing it with yogurt and see if that helps. You will then know if it is the PPI or not.

[Peony63 in reply to piglette]

Thank you, think I will try that.

[Peony63 in reply to Peony63]

While I’m here, do you know how I stay logged in on this forum?

Every time I get an email I have to log in.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to Peony63]

I thinks it’s an HU issue -you aren’t the first to mention it this week -have a look at my reply to this recent post -

healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...

Not sure what happened as original posted hasn’t replied! 😊

But if all else fails - you need to contact HU support desk

[piglette in reply to Peony63]

It happens to me intermittently.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Not all adverse drug reactions happen immediately which can make it difficult to identify - but the doctor should know that and not dismiss it. Calcium can also be a culprit but more often the other way.

I'd get some famotidine/Pepcid OTC and use it instead of the famotidine and see that helps. If it doesn't drop the calcium for week or so, But don't change 2 things at the same time or you won't know what made a difference!

[Nonameme in reply to PMRpro]

Hi unfortunately I to had tremendous problems with all PPI’s and it took over 5 years and lots of private consultations to finally get my answer. I have recently been put on Famatodine when starting my pred journey and that kicked off within 2 days! At times I would be bowel incontinent with no warning twice in the supermarket was enough to make me housebound. I have a hiatus hernia and gps insisted I HAD to take PPI’ s or suffer the consequences. There was no way I was ever going to take them again so I am suffering the (manageable) consequences.

However since taking Pred my type 2 diabetes is now making my blood sugars very high and again against my will I have been put on Metformin as well as insulin. Two days was enough to start things off again so have now discontinued Metformin.

GP is not agree with my insistence that these drugs cause these awful symptoms and just keep prescribing them. I don,t collect them and they seem not to have worked out I don,t take them!

Also just as an aside on a recent trip to USA I bought Pepto instead of Gaviscon. I was extremely unwell and bathroom bound for 3 weeks and it was only upon being home I happen to read that Pepto can make your stool and saliver black and tarry which is what I was suffering. I thought I was passing ‘coffee ground” motion and saliva and had concluded I was bleeding internally so had a terrifying 3 weeks away from home

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Nonameme]

Here I'm going to introduce one of the very disputed concepts on the forum! Are they sure you have PMR - do your symptoms respond well to pred? Fibro and PMR can present looking VERY alike and the primary differential is that fibro doesn't improve with pred, PMR does - BUT you can have both. And a characteristic of fibro is extreme intolerance of many medications.

Like my bugbear about fibro/PMR, I have another when doctors refuse to accept that some people just do not tolerate medications. If, on balance, something coincides with starting a medication and improves without it, that is enough to say maybe there is something in the theory. And then you have to sit down and consider the options. Not just tell the patient they are talking rubbish and gaslight them - because as the Cambridge study published recently showed, that can cause untold damage.

[Fatsiajaponica]

Hi, yes, the PPI gave me awful diarrhoea, took a while for this to happen and for me to work it out. Stopped the PPI and no diarrhoea. I now take the pred with yoghurt and have had no stomach issues. At one of our latest charity zooms the gastro chap had indicated that 10mgs and below there is no real need to take a PPI, I'm guessing as long as you don't have any other issues which would indicate the needfor one. Good luck and hope it resolves itself very quickly.

[Peony63 in reply to Fatsiajaponica]

Thank you so much ☺️.

So much help and support here.

Is yoghurt enough though to protect your stomach over the meds? Taking yoghurt would be much more preferable than taking meds.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Peony63]

Depends what you are considering - in some patients there isn't a problem and food/yoghurt in particular is enough. But the pred also has a systemic effect on cells in the stomach wall and that isn't protected against by food of any sort - there the production of acid must be suppressed to avoid damage.

[Peony63 in reply to PMRpro]

Thank you

[Pinkcrocs in reply to Peony63]

Rightly or wrongly I do not take adcal or omeprazole. I take pred with yoghurt. I eat yeo valley natural organic whole milk yoghurt twice a day.