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Osteopenia and PPIs

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Posted 7/5/2014 2:38 AM (GMT 0)
Does anyone know how much at risk am I for fractures with osteopenia? I just started 60mg of Dexilant.
Posted 7/5/2014 8:34 AM (GMT 0)
That's a PPI right? I was on Prevacid then omeprazole x 13 years. 4 years on it, I started having dizziness and palpitations, and fell due to them, fracturing wrist and ankle- 2005. I had reported these symptoms to my doctor who thought I had anxiety. Never checked my magnesium or D. I had osteopenia diagnosed after I healed with a critically low D. Got treated and dizziness palps disappeared . They came back this may. Now off omeprazole x 3 weeks- took myself off doctor said never heard of this with omeprazole. Be careful with these meds- check out drugs.com re possible SE and discuss with mD. I did major diet lifestyle change to get off omeprazole- do it slow with MD that's knowledgeable.
Posted 7/5/2014 2:56 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Flexible,

If you need Dexilant, by all means, take it. I am 62 and have taken PPIs for 20 year. In addition to that, I am asthmatic, and have taken inhaled steroids and occasional oral steroids. Both steroids and PPIs are risk factors for bone density issues. Should I stop my treatment? Absolutely not.

There is always a risk-benefit consideration to taking any medication. Both these medications have been a critical part of keeping me healthy and improving my quality of life.

I do have osteopenia, but it has remained consistent over many years, even though I wasn't always able to do the weight bearing exercise that is recommended, and I'm sure my calcium intake has not always been optimum.

At this point, I'm taking 4000 units of vitamin D3, 600 units of liquid calcium/magnesium in addition to drinking skim milk (a cup equals 300 units of calcium, so I drink one with each meal.) In addition, I get calcium in other forms/cheese, veggies, etc.) Most importantly, I'm walking an hour a day...sometimes more. I look forward to seeing my Dexa Scan after being good to my bones for a couple of years. I expect to see some improvements.

In any case, I would not stop taking medications I need. I have never had a break, and though I've taken steroids and PPIs since my early 40s, I consider my bone condition to be reasonably good, and very stable. Now that I'm retired and have more time to focus on weight bearing exercise, and have started taking additional vitamin D/and dietary forms of calcium (I wasn't a milk drinker...and skim milk is a very easy way to get lots of calcium supplementation).

So the decision is yours, but I wouldn't worry about it. You'll always find people who panic over the bone density issues related to PPIs, but in my experience it's nothing to be overly concerned about.

I wish you the best, and hope the Dexilant works well for you!
Best wishes,
Denise
Posted 7/6/2014 4:47 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the comments! I'm a bit more relieved now :-) I'm 25 with osteopenia and GERD now and I'm sort of wondering how all of this is coming about. I think both are probably related to my connective tissue disorder, but I'm not sure what to do about it alll. My doctor didn't give me much info so I don't know anything about Dexilant even other than it's a PPI.
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