Hi after about 5 years of taking omeprazole for Acid reflux I have been trying to cut down on the tablet I took daily and once managed 5 days without it recently, the result being NO diarhea
I am getting back to normal just taking it every other day 😊
That does NOT surprise me !
I'm not saying there isn't a time and place for PPI medicines but they are given out like sweets by doctors and they are not always great for IBS.
My elderly aunt was given a PPI medicine (quoted from what her doctor said), "in case she ever got indigestion" (!) I asked her if she had an acid stomach or got indigestion and she said that she never did.
Yet the doctor prescribed these for her??
Huge question...why?
It made no sense to me.
Are doctors getting paid for prescribing these or something??
We actually need stomach acid to digest food properly. Undigested food is going to irritate the gut and the gut will respond by getting it out asap. Especially proteins.
Good stomach acid helps prevent SIBO. It helps keep Helicobacter pylori in its rightful place. A well functioning stomach produces intrinsic factor which is vital for our vitamin B12.
Older people naturally produce less stomach acid, so they are often B12 deficient which causes all sorts of complications.
There are other ways to manage acid reflux. I briefly had that in winter 2020-2021 for about 4 months and used natural methods (sleeping with the head of the bed elevated, taking DGL Licorice. taking Calcium citrate chewable tablets, and my own concoction of herbal bitters), and it went away -just disappeared -in April 2021, and it hasn't been back since.
If EVER I feel indigestion I just take one indigestion tablet and leave it at that.
But of course there will be times when a PPI medicine is genuinely needed.
But -one thing doctors never address is that a PPI medication is meant to be taken ONLY for a short time. Some patients are kept on them for ages and ages. And what happens? Their digestion doesn't work properly. And reflux can sometimes come back even worse after stopping them.
But it's good to hear that you are managing quite well by the sound of it with your own ways of cutting down the medication. I hope that continues and the "D" is manageable ...or even goes away!!
Totally agree with your post. Mainstream medicine is appalling at managing 'indigestion', 'heartburn', constipation and diarrhoea and fails to recognise the relevance of stomach acid, bile production and a balanced microbiome. And to prescribe a PPI 'just in case' is also appalling as it's a slippery slope downwards from there on (for the reasons you mention).
Any medication ending in ole inhibits bodies ability to absorb magnesium a lot. This could lead to low magnesium. Magnesium controls other electrolytes. It’s what this condition is
Yes I’ve started taking magnesium as I’ve been on omeprazole for years ..
I had been on esomeprazole about ten years and tried unsuccessfully to get off of it. I tried every combination including opening capsules and taking out a few granules more each day. Nothing worked.
Then my kidneys stopped working. Oedema, dangerously high blood pressure, hormonal problems. So I stopped PPIs, just taking one every four or five days but using antacids. Now I've stopped completely.
Doctor's reaction? "You've got hiatus hernia, you can't stop them". Now I've even cut down on antacids, can't eat as much but I'm not that active that I need to.
At least my kidneys and BP are back to normal. Other problems still there but much reduced.
My message is, look up side effects and see if any apply to you.
Unfortuanatly I have high bp and CKD and will be seeing a Nephroligist in Jan 😕 considering I have had this since 2009 my Dr should have known this 😡
Sadly, it seems doctors aren't taught to think. If you're not 'textbook', they have no idea. Side-effects on the leaflet are usually classed as 'rare' or even '1 in 500000', or similar, they don't even bother about them. God help you if you're on multiple medications with all their interactions.
Good luck with the nephrologist but personally I'd persevere with stopping the PPIs, it does get easier.
So glad. I take pantamprazole for Gerd. I've gone off it and it never affected my bowels. I continue to have chronic diarrhea and nothing I do helps me. Congratulations!
I was prescribed Omeprazole twice daily for ibs. I only take it in the mornings as I read it can be connected to Alzheimers/dementia. Not sure it helps my IBS.
I was on various ppi for 10 yrs or more ( gerd, sensitive stomach, indigestion). Gave them up gradually . I was shocked to discover that it has caused fundic polyps all over my stomach. A GP says stomachs can cope but even so it shouldnt have been allowed to happen. I now manage with smaller meals, low fats, low fodmap foods, peppermints and gaviscon, ginger tea, etc.
I was previously on omeprazole for 5 years but got to the stage where I felt it wasn’t doing any good. Came off it, took aloe Vera juice, watched what I ate, and it was fine for 2 years. Now it’s back - gradually having to take Gaviscon every day until stomach pain got so bad, so am now on Lansoprazole as doc said it was “easier on the system “ than omeprazole which I refused point blank. I’m aware it’s another PPI but I have no pain. However I’ll keep an eye on it and will reduce dose through time, but one doc told me that after helicobacter pylori my stomach chemistry had changed, hence the need for the meds. It’s a vicious circle I’m afraid. 😟
IBSC became IBSD
IBSd or GORD
Anxiety ridden IBSD
HRT and IBSD 
