I could write a book about my experiences with this condition, but I'll try to be as concise as possible to keep you from getting bored halfway through!
After various stomach problems (constipation / diarrhea, and later on stomach pains / cramps) for about a year, that my doctor speculates are IBS-related, the doctor finally prescribed the PPI medication Omeprazole (20 mg) and told me to take "as needed", but no more than once a day. Note that the medication was only prescribed for my stomach pains and I didn't suffer from acid reflux. I took the medication sporadically, and didn't notice any improvement. Then someone told me to take it regularly for a couple weeks, so I started doing that for approx. 1 to 2 weeks. I had been told I didn't need to taper off the drug after eating it for less than 2 weeks.
Almost immediately (about 2 or 3 days after stopping it), I suffered really bad acid reflux for the first time in my life. I went for a couple days with this really bad reflux, then I couldn't take it any longer so I started the PPI's again. The reflux got better again after a day. I continued to take it for another 10 days, then I stopped it because I read so many horrible possible side effect from long term PPI use, and I didn't want to get trapped with the drug in case this was merely a acid rebound effect. I'm also suffering from very strong chronic anxiety and been diagnosed with a personality disorder which often causes me to worry about things to the point where I get panic attacks or feel sick / throw up. I really do not want to start eating a PPI drug if the problems in fact were caused by the drug itself! I know that if I was to go on PPI long term, I would constantly worry about the various side effects.
My last Omeprazoles were taken August 24 and since then I've gotten along with prescription free antacids (first Ranitidine but quickly switched to Pepcid a.k.a. Famotidine because I feel it's more effective). For starters I were forced to also a sodium bicarbonate "fizzle" type powder you mix with water, to be able to go on. I took it several times a day, plus before I went to bed. For the past week it seems the reflux is a little better, so I have been able to get along with only 2 x Famotidine a day and an extremely restrictive diet (low FODMAP foods and avoiding any dairy, gluten, wheat, and fatty / acidic foods). I still have heartburn, but the acid regurgitations aren't constant like before. They are however still present, because every now and then I get them, and I still feel the acid further down in my throat. In fact, sometimes I can use my esophagus muscles to "pull up" the acid into the back of my mouth. It still feels like an improvement, because a few weeks ago this was coming up chronically all day, without me doing anything.
I realize I didn't eat PPI for very long, but from what I understand, it is fully possible for some people to suffer acid rebound even from short term use. Also, it's highly unlikely that I suddenly, out of the blue, went from never having heartburn suddenly had chronic GERD overnight, and it conveniently happened just 2 days after stopping Omeprazole. It's too much of a coincidence.
So anyway, I'm interested to hear if anyone here did, or know of someone who did, go through acid rebound after short term PPI use? I would more specifically want to know:
1. How long were you on PPI (and what strength) and for how long did the acid rebound last?
2. Was the reflux the same all the way through, and then more or less suddenly just disappear, or did it gradually get better and better and finally it was gone?
I am hoping that the reason for it being better now than it was a month ago is because it's on its way going away, and not because I'm eating so restrictive food!
Some more information about me:
* I've already have had both a full gastrocopy EGD and colonoscopy without anything abnormal being found such as irritations, inflammations, tumors, hernias etc. Everything looked 100% normal. Biopsies were also taken to check for H. Pylori, Celiac and Chron's disease and all came back negative.
* I am 40 years old and I am not overweight. As a matter of fact, I'm underweight and been told by several doctors and dietitians I need to gain at least 10 pounds. For a while when the reflux was the worst and I basically stopped eating, I weighed under 130 pounds (i'm nearly 6 feet tall). I'm doing my best to gain weight but with the current restrictive diet it's nearly impossible. But after much work I managed to gain about 10 pounds so I weigh about 140 lbs now, but it's still not enough for my height. At best I can keep myself from losing more. What I'm trying to say the reflux is not due to obesity. I also don't (and never did) drink a drop of coffee or alcohol, and I've never smoked a single cigarette in my whole life. My food never was spicy.
* I asked for a hydrogen breath test to rule out SIBO, but the doctor said the hospitals in my country have stopped that test because it wasn't reliable enough. He did prescribe Rifaxamin antibiotics that I was welcome to take if I wanted to, so I am taking those right now just in case (started it today as a matter of fact). I'm going to take it for 2 weeks.
* They will eventually perform a 24-hour esophageal pH test to find out if the reflux is caused by excessive production of stomach acid or if it's so called functional reflux. I'm in line for this test but I am yet to get an appointment.
The reflux itself is bad enough. For a while it was so bad I almost considered suicide, but thankfully the condition is more manageable at the moment. However, having to stop eating basically EVERYTHING I love has taken away the very little spark of life left in me. So I am hoping that this horrible condition will go away on its own.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask me anything!
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