I have been taking this drug for many years since I was diagnosed with oesophagitis. To be honest I thought it was an absolute miracle drug as I was able to eat and drink anything without the fear of developing painful heartburn/acid reflux.
My GP told me at the time that this is one of the safest drugs and I would most likely be on it forever.
Fast forward 12 years and suddenly it is the drug from hell that can kill you as it can affect so many different organs, plus bones.
I have read so much about this over the past week or so, but still cannot find an answer as to whether any damage done is reversible if you stop taking it.
I have gone back to taking Ranitidine (in the hope that it is a safer option), but have been really suffering with the pain and acid again.
I have read that some people swear by apple cider vinegar to help, but surely that would just increase the acid and burning wouldn't it?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated, I am so worried about this.
Thank you.
Written by
Twitchen
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Many people suffer with acid reflux because they have low stomach acid rather than too much. Doctors don't bother to check which is the case & automatically prescribe antacids when they should tell people how to avoid the problem in the first place. There's a multi billion industry dedicated to convincing antacids will help us when instead they create all sorts of issues such as impairing digestion, malabsorption of nutrients, & stop the stomach producing acids that will prevent infection from helicobacter pylori that cause ulcers.
Do you know what your food triggers are, & can you avoid eating anything that will cause digestive discomfort? It might take a while to work out, but perhaps try eliminating foods for a week or so at a time to work out what you need to exclude from your diet. If it's gluten from grains, be aware that takes 3 months to remove gliadin (gluten protein) antibodies from the body, & one breadcrumb will cause a reaction. For me, it's processed food, milk chocolate, cheap white wine, & undercooked or raw alliums. If I'm daft enough to consume anything that will give me indigestion, I prefer to put up with the discomfort for the rest of the day than do something more harmful.
I often use organic apple cider vinegar (the type with a probiotic culture). I put it on salads, use it as a dip for sourdough, or take a teaspoon in a small glass of water 20-30 minutes before eating. A little fresh lemon juice or citrus fruit will have the same effect of giving our stomach acid a boost so that our food is better digested. I'm sure that's one of the reasons eating half a grapefruit before meals helps some people to improve their digestion & feel healthier, plus the extra fibre, vitamin C & folate are a bonus. Ensure you have plenty of fibre in your diet, at least 30g a day, as this might help.
I drink dairy kefir twice daily which helps digestion, nutrient absorption & increases good gut bacteria. This can be purchased ready to drink in supermarkets though it's expensive to buy organic. Shop bought kefir contains lactobacillus bacteria, & they're not too live or the bottles would explode on the shop shelves. Live kefir grains contain a symbiosis of beneficial lactobacillus, yeasts & streptococcus which make them strong enough to survive our stomach & reach our gut where they help get rid of bad bacteria & improve our digestion of nutrients. It's easy to ferment at home with organic wholemilk, & as simple & time consuming as making a pot of tea. As the kefir grains grow everytime they're fed fresh milk, I put some up for adoption when I have too many. If you have a local Freecycle group, someone near you might have a surplus & be able to give you some to ferment. It's also an excellent source of vitamins B12, & K2 that's essential for bone formation (along with vtamin D, magnesium, boron & calcium).
Another alternative probiotic drink is kombucha which is easy to ferment in sweetend tea or herbal tea. There are groups online that offer SCOBYs (symbiotic culture of bacteria & yeasts) to people who want them.
Last thing I can suggest is trying digestive bitters made from bitter herbs. Try a few drops in water prior to eating, as with ACV. I've not neded to try these, but have read positive reports on websites I read. They can be purchased on the internet, or probably your local healthfood shop.
Thank you so much for your really helpful reply - that gives me a lot to think about.
For me the triggers are definitely red wine (which is the only wine I really like), pastry, soup (no idea why) and I suppose fried and spicy foods. Though having said that, I have phases when just about everything and anything causes it.
With the lemon juice in warm water; roughly how much lemon juice do you put in - just a squeeze? Think I will purchase some apple cider vinegar (with the mother in it) to try. I suppose I have always been scared of causing more damage to my oesophagus and stomach by swallowing something that is so acidic, but from what you say it could well help.
Since you know what sets off your indigestion, it's a good start as they're things that are easy to avoid. Once you're sensitive, it's likely to prolong episodes.
I use the juice of about 1/4 of a lemon, or leave 2 or 3 slices in water to infuse then bash them a bit before drinking. I add a few slices to my second brew of green or white tea that I drink in the morning, an hour or more before food.
Maybe start of with 1 teaspoon of ACV in 100mls of water, & see how you feel. It doesn't need to be strong to be effective. If that's no help, try some bitter herbs.
Hi twirchen I can sympathise with you and have had camera test on Wednesday and consultant said no ulcers or tumour but escophegus and back of throat are badly burnt with acid - I have also been taking Omeprazole for a long time and told I would be on it for ever - however a new young GP informed me that this drug can leave you more prone to stomach cancer and really cause problems with bones - this terrified me and I put it to the consultant - he agreed with this and said most patients took the risk as living with severe acid reflux made their lives a misery. Rantitidine did not work for me at all. I mentioned to consultant about low stomach acid and he looked at me as if I was crazy - I don’t know how you test for low stomach acid. Like you I have periods where it wouldn’t matter if I only ate dry bread I would still have severe acid reflux - I’m going on holiday next month and couldn’t cope without Omeprazole - it fills me with dread that whilst combating one problem it’s maybe creating havoc in my body. I did try the apple cider vinegar but this made me worse. I hope we can find a natural solution.
I’m going to look into digestive bitters as BadHare has suggested as I don’t know what these are and give it a try.
I will also be trying various things, starting with the lemon juice in warm water.
I am just like you in that Omeprazole works really well for me and I have never suffered any side effects from taking it, just the joy of living without heartburn/reflux and being able to eat and drink anything I want. The trouble is that now I don't know what untold damage has been done internally and feel like I am sitting on a time bomb.
Twitchen I have also been taking Omeprazole for years - I was looking at a product by Patrick Halford to help with digestion and am considering maybe giving it a go - I can’t afford to waste a lot of money but I’d give anything a try - for years I’d been taking the lemon juice in warm water first thing in the morning but I may give it a go again - I’m just sitting here now in bed having woken up by the reflux - do you use special pillows or anything for sleep? I find things very uncomfortable at night - I’m hoping someone can come up with a solution.
Sorry to hear that you had a bad night Cassandra. I find that if I can get off to sleep, then I am usually okay and when I wake up the heartburn/reflux has gone. I don't have a special pillow, just use two ordinary pillows.
I nearly caved in and took an Omeprazole yesterday evening as the acid indigestion was so bad, but I didn't. I know it was entirely my own fault as I had some red wine at lunch. In the end I had half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda in some water (doesn't it taste awful), which really did help but only for an hour or so, which surprised me because I thought it neutralised the acid.
It has just been so easy for years to simply swallow a tablet and not suffer from the acid at all, but of course now we know there is a price to pay.
Yes, raw apple cider vinegar will help that’s what I’ve been taking to come off omeprazole. 1 tablespoon in water in the morning, you have to alkalise your body. Don’t use omeprazole now, stay off acidic foods, look up Dr Sebi diet for alkaline foods.
Yes 8 yrs taking omeprazole 2 a day, so I went down to 1 & then none, you have to stay away from foods that trigger your ie fried, greasy, spicy, tomatoes can trigger me. Now & again I’ll take an omeprazole but try an antacid first
An acupuncturist suggested I drink root ginger tea 20 mins before eating and it helped me. I either just put a few slices of root ginger in boiling water and wait for it to cool a bit before drinking, or boil up sliced root ginger (about 5cm of ginger) in 1-2 litres of water. Once it’s boiled for a few minutes leave it to cool and then you can store it in the fridge and add a little to freshly boiled water as you need.
It might be worth a try and I hope you’re feeling better soon.
I think its important to recognise that low stomach acid is not always the problem, Sometimes yes, but not always. If you have any sort of oesophogitis or soreness in the oesophagus, drinking acid cider vinegar, lemon water etc is going to make you a lot worse Not better. I found Dr Avivs Acid watcher diet book really useful. I developed acid reflux out of the blue after being hypothyroid for about 5 years. I tried the lemon water, the ACV etc but ended up with severe erosive oesophagitis diagnosed by endoscopy. I followed the Acid Watchers Diet and was taking 40mg omeprazole. I lost 2.5 stone and in 9 weeks my oesophagus had healed up. I weaned off the omeproazole slowly and was off it for 4 months but despite a very strict diet and 600mg ranitadine a day i still suffered reflux. So I had some tests done - manometry and 24hr PH. Not pleasant but very useful. The results are that I have a physical weakness with the LES. Whatever caused it originally I don't know. so its either surgery or omeprazole. I take 10mg per day and so far I am fine with this and it has been over a year now. My consultant agreed that the option of invasive surgery or a low dose omeprazole that for now it made sense to avoid the surgery which is extreme. so I eat a good diet (90% of the time) and don't eat late or before exercise. I take lots of supplements to help with absorption issues and I will continue with this until / if there becomes a need to reassess. I don't like being on a PPI but the surgery is too extreme for me to consider at the moment. Its a really tough condition to deal with and many different solutions as there are many different causes. I hope you find a way forward that you are happy with. xx
Well after four months of being completely off Omeprazole, I had to start taking it again which is really upsetting. I have been suffering from terrible nausea - especially at night - and was advised by doctor to take it and it does seem to have helped. Trouble is that I am still really concerned about its side effects
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