Hi im all new to this site but am finding the discussions very useful i have had reflux for about 5 years now and was on 20 mg omeprazole and over the last few years it was increased to 40 mg as still getting symptoms. I have had 2 endoscopys the first showed a high amount of acid so was told to just continue with medicine and include metroclopramide for the sickness side effects. After about a year of still having problems i was sent for my second endoscopy which my larynx closed up as soon as they tried putting the tube into my throat ( i was sedated at time) . They have now put me on 80mg of omeprazole but the last 6-8 months the symptoms have returned and i am also getting raised itchy rashes from my wrists/arms to my ankles. I feel sick quite a lot of the time and my bowel movements are awful(loose). This is making me very anxious all the time thinking something else is going on and just wondered if anyone is having these sorts of problems? Im due to see the consultant again next month but not sure what else can be done as theres no way im having another endoscopy.
I was taking Prilosec 20mg then I uped it to 40mg when i did that I started having more reflux symptoms so I went back down to 20mg and that made a big difference now I am taking 20mg every day and a half, trying to get off these pills I think in the long run they are more hurtful then helpful, sounds like to me you are taking to much, cut back and see what happens
The rash may well be a side effect of the medication because a lot of these medications remove vitamins and minerals. Another of the side effects is cramp in legs/feet. If it were me I would make sure I take a multi vitamin and mineral every day to replace that. In the long term if you continue to take such medicine you are at higher risk of fractures so calcium is important too. If the loose bowel movements worry you take fibre. You need fibre anyway and none of us get enough in our normal diet. Even a bowl of porrige only has about 3% of the fibre we need in a day. The natural way to reduce acid is lemon or lime juice, baking powder and alkaline diet.
Please note that a lot of people find that when they try to come off proton pump inhibitors 1 or 2 they get a bad stomach - the doctor then says it means you need to continue with it. This is rubbish. What is happenign is that your stomach is not used to having a normal amount of acid and is adjusting.
Hi basically get of omeprazole! your on far to high a dose that is why your feeling sick and any other ppi's they do more harm than good, I was in a awful state with these drugs seemed to pick up every bug under the sun constantly ill and had terrible neusea, panic attacks anxiety you name it. Also from what I have been reading it's seems more the case that your body produces less acid as you get older not more which makes sense amd makes me think your doctors diagnosis is suspect and lazy. I would start trying to ween myself of omeprazole which is a job in itself beleive me! by asking your doctor for a 10mg dose backed up by a few bottles of peptac peppermint liquid which is basically gaviscon and see how you get on.
There are proton pump inhibitors you can get in sachet form where you could keep reducing the dose. People who try to come off of them all in one go find it hard and keep getting bad stomaches etc, then the doctor tells you that it means you still NEED the medicine and are not well yet. But I think it is because the stomach has got used to being virtually empty and all of a sudden has to get used to going back to before and has to adjust and this takes time. If you stay on proton pump inhibitors long term it can do damage but if you take multi vitamikns and minerals and such you will find that can counter act a lot of them. Those who are frail and skinny have to think of calcium deficincies and how it can mean fractures long term.
Baking SODA not baking powder......big difference
Yes! Which is the same as bicarbonarte of soda? And the same as proton pump inhibitors without their side effects.
Hi Sandra,
Maybe omeprazole is not working for you, there are other equivalent medications out there that your doctor could prescribe you instead. When I complained to my doctor about dexilant, he prescribed me nexium. I ended up taking dexilant after all for two months. Dexilant (PPI) started working for me only after a month when I started a strict acid-free, dairy-free, fat-free bland diet to make sure to not hurt my stomach anymore. About the rash you should ask your doctor, it can be so many causes and maybe you need treatment. One more thing: I don't have the same problem as you, I have/had gastritis with reflux but pepzin GI works wonders for me. It might be worth looking into. I don't think if interferes with the PPI, ask your doctor to be sure.
Will be back down drs monday to discuss my medicatio.
Please tell me what pepzin GI is .
Hi Carmel,
Pepzin GI is a mix of zinc and amino acid. It is used in Japan to treat ulcers, but it helpful for gastritis as well and maybe other stomach problems. It protects and helps the stomach lining heals. The way it works is a bit complicated, the easiest thing is that you google it and read for yourself. You can look at the reviews on amazon too. I have taken both. It has helped me greatly and it still does. It took it for two months in the past and it made me feel normal again, then I stopped and some of my symptoms came back a little bit, so now I am taking it again and feel better already.
Thanks for this info. Presumably this is same as pepsin? I did read somewhere that some people take pepsin with something else - Bromelain or something, for such things. Does this make sense for you? Glad you are on the mend.
Hi Carmel,
No it is not the same as pepsin, pepsin is some digestive enzyme, bromelain too. I don't take those, I am afraid they hurt the stomach. PepZin GI is a mix of zinc and amino acid. There is a Z in pepZin GI. You can find a lot of information on internet on it.
Th is is one of the reasons Ihesitate . People are quick to say take this and that and it hurts and its wasting more money, it can cost a fortune. I have multivitamiin tablets with zinc in surely I could take those to get the zinc?
You are right to be careful, I do read a lot of things on the internet too. Everybody has its own little recipe, some make sense, some don't and some are just hurtful. This is why I suggest you do your own research on this supplement, I am not sure it applies to your case but you can figure it out by reading reviews on amazon and the information on the internet. This is the supplement that helps me most and give me long term relief. I take DGL licorice, evamore water and slippery elm as well but those give only short term relief.
I don't think eating multi-vitamins is the same thing, even though zinc has been proven useful in itself. There is something special about this formulation. I personnally stopped taking multi-vitamins as it was giving me stomach pain, vitamine C for example is very acidic, B vitamins car cause pain too in high doses, check webmd for side effects of vitamins. Moreover according to an article I read on the New York Times there is no scientific proof that vitamins are helpful if you don't have a clear deficiency and eat healthy, and they can be hard on the stomach. But I do understand if you worry about B12 and calcium deficiency because PPI can make it harder for you to assimilate them, just be mindful of what you feel when you take them to make sure it does not do more harm than good.
I got a tablet crusher to break down the vitamin pills before I took them,
The thing is that everyone says take this and that (pay for this and that) and if you listened to them all you would have to sell your house to pay for it all.
Some is just a waste of time others can be harmful. And people tend to talk about their own experiences so I find that if I tell people I have silent acid reflux they say oh yes so have I you should take this and that and ignore that we hvae different syhmptoms and I dont need some of the things they suggest because I dont have the symptoms those things help with. Have read about dgl licorice and can see what you mean about the rest. I started to take the vitamins because of the ppis and having a bad stomach and thinking I had to top up to make it up. Someone suggested melatonin to me recently for gerd and acid reflux yet when I researched it although this was mentioned it was mostly about sleep. Mind you it might be a good idea to get more sleep because when you are in pain it is hard to get to sleep. In the UK where I live most people just go to the doctor and listen tl him and rely on medication and if it all goes wrong they still listen to him - how daft is that?
I would like to add that I think the diet is the key in recovering from gastritis. I don't have experience about reflux without the gastritis but I would not be surprised if it is similar. I hightly recommend the book "dropping acid" by Jamie Koufman.
Thanks will try to get that book from library or second hand from amazon.
I am not sure pepzin GI is what you need, it is more for gerd with gastritis or ulcer. If your stomach lining is not damaged, it might not be helpful. I don't know. But from everything I read, the low-acid diet from the book "Dropping acid" should be helpful, or at least worth trying.