UPDATED!!! My journey off Nexium UPDATED 12/17/2016

Thanks javery!!!

That is good news as it can be difficult to deal with multiple health issues at once and very taxing as you are worrying about one thing while researching another. I hope things continue to get better for you so you can start enjoying life more.

UPDATE!!! 5/5/14

It has been three weeks since I have cut my dose of Nexium in half, all is well and will continue with the 20mg dose for another 5 weeks.
Then I will go 10mg of Nexium that my doctor is prescribing in granulated form as it only comes in 20mg and 40mg pill form.

I pray my next step down will be as smoothly as this one has, I am still loosing weight and eating much smaller meals along with exercising. I pray that I will soon be off this drug.

My successful wean off of Lanprazole a Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI)
I’m not a doctor and I’m not telling you what to do, but I want to share my amazing and miraculous story with you!
I’m 33 years old. I was diagnosed with a gastric ulcer and gastritis 6 months ago via endoscope. After taking 40 mg of omeprazole for a few months, a second endoscopy revealed that my ulcer healed but my gastritis was slightly still present. Thankfully, my GI allowed me to start weaning off of the PPI. Her instructions to wean off was to take 20mg of omeprazole for a few weeks, then 10 mg for the following few weeks (a prescription). Then, according to the GI, I was to supposed to stop taking the PPI all together and just feel fine and dandy. Well, I tried her suggested method and I failed miserably around the 10 mg mark due to the horrible acid rebound. In fact, I tried weaning off twice and failed. I tried every suggested natural remedy like mastic gum, DGL tablets, aloe vera, glutamine, apple cider vinegar and even the worst remedy of all, HCL! It just adds more acid to the acid problem. None of the mainstream natural remedies cured me! At that point, my esophagus became inflamed and I started choking in the middle of the night, once again. So I made another GI appointment and of course the GI increased my wean off dose of 10 mg back up to 30 mg Lanprazole to “heal my esophagus” and I was told to stay on the PPI for 4 more months….. then “when I felt I was ready, I could try to wean off again or I might just have to take it for the rest of my life.” This was news I didn’t want to hear so I continued to search for acid reflux solutions and God answered my prayers! ….. The PH Miracle Diet worked for me! I’ll provide more details in a bit. So, I started to slowly decrease my PPI dose. I opened the PPI capsule and took out 2 mg every other day. I didn’t use a scale. Rather, I used a piece of construction paper folded in half. I poured out the capsules with equal thickness in the fold and measured the mgs using a ruler. Meanwhile, I ordered the PH miracle water mark alkalizer, which allowed me to drink alkaline water from home. The phour salts is what really helped so I took it often with my alkaline water. I even took 10 scoops a day on my bad days. Also, the Terra Phirma Clay helped to absorb my acid and reduce nausea symptoms. In addition, I went on the PH Miracle raw organic juice smoothie diet. I blended cucumber, spinach, romaine lettuce, cilantro, parsley 3-5 times a day for 9 days. (NO fruit allowed) This was my detox period. I had a ton of detox symptoms like ear itchiness, throat mucus and congestion, itchy skin. Then after a week –ten days it all disappeared. Then slowly I started incorporating food, alkaline food. On the PH Miracle website, I found a list that revealed what alkaline foods I could eat. I began eating avocados or almond butter spread onto Ezekial sprouted tortillas. However, when I started taking 10 mg of Lanprazole, I had intense heart burn and my back was burning so bad that I felt like I couldn’t take it anymore. I even had redness on the skin of my chest. It was bad so I uped my phour salts intake. I prayed to God to give me the strength and he gave it to me. I didn’t give up and the following day was a good day with minimal heartburn. The day after that, I had a bad day again. I was at about 8 mgs of Lanprazole, but this time the heart burn wasn’t as intense as the day I felt like giving up. After that, each day was better.
Today is day 11 off the PPI, I’m doing fine. I’m still on the alkaline diet. I have cheated a few times (with a cupcake and a chocolate), but I always get right back on the diet. My body is so much happier without the Lanprazole. With the pill, my brain was foggy, I had anxiety , ringing in my ears, leg pain at nights, insomnia, throat tightness, exhaustion, stressed! The list goes on and on. I just thank God that I was able to get off of the pill and my body no longer needs it. Praise the Lord! It feels great knowing I’m pill free. I still have a lot of work to do in terms of healing my body. What should I expect? I’ve eaten the Standard American Diet (SAD) all of my 33 years of life and it finally caught up to me. It’s time to treat my body right. I want to give all of the glory to God for giving me the knowledge of how to heal myself. This knowledge is the PH Miracle!

Since today has been the worst day for the heartburn and reflux, I'm really thinking that quitting cold turkey was a bad decision.

So...I think maybe I should start an otc acid reducer and then wean myself off of that.

What do you guys think would be a good one to go with? I really don't want to be on any more meds but I feel like I am hurting myself more by just sticking this out. I can barely eat anything and I feel worse all the time.

Thanks so much for this fine thread, Mouche.

I have a rather strange story. I had never had a digestive problem in my life (as far as I was aware). On 13th February 2014 - mid-day - at the end of dashing down a bowl of brown rice and tomatoes I did experience heartburn for the first time but really thought nothing of it. As it happens I developed this rather strange head pressure in the back left quadrant of my head on 14th February. That's what I was trying to deal with - I was trying many different things to help - including having an upper left sided incipient wisdom tooth removed (and I am a 58 year old male!!) Nothing seemed to work. Finally one doctor said that it could be gastric pressure so 'take Nexium for two weeks and it might sort you out.' Sorted me out alright - just not the never-shifting head pressure. It turns out THAT is related to cervical foraminal stenosis I have - and can be dealt with effectively through physiotherapy - which I have now started and it has (happily) made some difference. There IS, it seems, some relief from that - just not from a PPI. Only now I'm left with the side effects of the four - yes, count 'em - JUST four tablets of Nexium (20 mg) that I imbibed over a four day period.

Should say that I had no problems in actually taking the Nexium - short of wondering REALLY why I was doing so in the first place. (At that point I would have done anything to shake the head pressure.) I have been troubled however by the results when I stopped the Nexium ever since. (Truth told they are I think - am I imagining - dissipating somewhat - but they are certainly daily present.) I didn't scale down in stopping. I just stopped. (I would have thought four tablets would not have been a major issue/addiction. I obviously was wrong, my stomach having been well and truly squelched.) It seems that it has turned me proverbally inside out. I have acid reflux now I know. I sense it. I have morning mucus; I burp silently - and really quite gently it must be said - but consistently after every meal - It drives me crazy. 'Down boy,' I say to myself. 'Sit'. You would never know that my gastic column had been well trained long ago. 'Bad boy.' Sometimes I get individual hick-ups - never in a series though. Do you have that, Mouche? Very rarely I get an episode where I sneeze say three times in a row ... and my nose feels itchy .... or the occasional reddened eye. I tell myself all this acid business WILL relent. As I walk through the park I try to make it my mantra. There are times when I feel like I have a balloon expanding around the middle of my upper chest. It wants to pop but it stubbornly won't. Also I experience that same pressure sometimes - not all the time - but just some times - say after running for a bus. Not while I'm making actually making the dash - I still don't have any problem with that. It's only when I throw myself into a seat on the upper deck. (Ah, yes, I live in the UK.) Did go to my GP surgery last week to ask a doctor about this - and to inquire as to whether or not I should have an endoscopy. He said a definitive 'NO' ... he said an endoscopy was 'too invasive and potentially fatal'. Those were his exact words. Promise I am so VERY pleased to hear that you survived Mouche. My fervent congratulations.

I have read a oft quoted 2009 study of healthy people that were put on Nexium as a trial (sounds like torture to me) and they had substantive heartburn / digestion disturbances for a month after stopping/coming off the Nexium ... but were all clear by the three month point. I am living in THEIR hope because otherwise the fear would drive me around the bend.

I have been trying to support myself with a daily stomach enzyme capsule, DGL licorice, Ginger tablets, coconut oil, sea kelp, probiotics ,etc. Will add the mastic gum and water drops to the list. Will do anything to get better before I take another Nexium or any form of an antacid. (I've been a good boy; promise.) I will bear this thing out for the sake of my body.

Mouche, have you heard from anyone who has actually been totally successful in beating this beast?? If so, how long did it take them to return to relative normal? I would be most keen to hear.

Thanks so for keeping us abreast.

Bless you for your kind advice ... AND ALL.

Bless you, Javery. Your kind and considered response means much to me. Promise.

Yours is the first piece of considered advice I've had in this regard.

I see that SIBO is easily treated with an antibiotic but in a quick read on UK sites on the internet it seems that - typically - the NHS does not treat this ... as they say it is 'not proven'. As to the LPR - and again a very quick scan of UK sites - it seems that this is most usually addressed through conservative measures - of course - long before surgery is ever considered -- if indeed it EVER is mulled (costs being what they are - and budgets now being set by GP surgeries rather than hospitals). Certainly I will begin trying to address some of the conservative measures as outlined there (alkaline water, etc.) and see if that makes a practical difference in my own regard. (However, at a quick glance I already practice the vast majority of tactics outlined and have I'm proud to say done so for some time).

I cannot thank you enough, Javery, for your response. I have recently felt myself in a vacuum and really haven't known where to turn. That, in its own turn, can, of course, lead to a feeling of anxiety - which I, of course, try to sublimate. Still, onwards.

Huge thanks ... FOR ALL.

UPDATE!!!!

Well it has been approx 6 months since I updated on my journey off nexium and things are going well, I am now down to 10mgs of nexium 1x day. I hope to be completely off by the end of the year, but it may take a little longer as my next step will be to go to 5mgs 1x day and I will try to start that towards the end of November.

I started this reduction of ppi in March 2014 and while it has not been easy at times, it has not been too hard either. I had a side track in my journey in May, when I was diganosed with early stage breast cancer, went through that treatment and now I'm on a cancer drug that wants me to retain weight. This is not good for my gerd symptoms but I'm still maintaining my symptoms well with the 10mgs, I feel my symptoms are under control just as well as when I was on the 40mg 1x day, or better.

So I just wanted to post and let folks know that it can be done in some cases, but the key is to wean off slowly. I have also added some foods back in that I had eliminated but only in moderation and I'm doing okay with that as well. I edited to say that I use the ph balance drops daily and it had been a God send and what I truly believe has help me. (Alkazone Alkaline Booster).

Post Edited (Mouche) : 10/30/2014 9:04:20 AM (GMT-6)

Update 11-21-14

All is well and I have reduced again I'm down to approx 5.9mg of Nexium 1x day, I am still using my ph drops but I have changed brands. I am using Alkalife ph drops and I think they work much better than the Alkazone brand at least for me anyway, I am also using a daily probiotic and still sleeping on my wedge, thing are REALLY good. I wanted to note that I also use the occasional Gaviscon when needed and no tight clothing around my middle.

Hey javery, it's good to see you are still posting and are doing well, I hope this next step down will be as good as my last, although I do feel the rebound a little, I decided to split the 20mg and take half every other day instead of 20mg every two days. I think I was pushing it going every two days as I felt bad on Friday night, so I split the 20mg on Sat and took the other half this morning. I felt great yesterday, I will be so glad when all this is over and done and I am free of this drug.


(My symptoms on Friday night)

Severe headache
Jittery
Waves of nausea
Slight burning in throat

For those wondering how I split my dose, I open the pill and poured out the granulates, then I split the amount in half and put one half into applesauce and swallowed that with out chewing. I then poured the other half back into the capsule and took that half this morning.

Post Edited (Mouche) : 11/24/2014 7:08:36 AM (GMT-7)

UPDATE!!!! 6/1/15

Well it has been a few months since I've been on this site, but I wanted to give my update as promise. I took my last nexium pill on 2/16/15, I weaned myself down from 40mg 1 x day to my last does of 2.5mg 1 x day and it took me over a year to do this.

This has not been a easy road, the rebound has been horrible at times, I tried to go on pepcid which did nothing for me and so then I tried zantac which only helped a little so I decided to let that go too. I use my DGL and my digestive enzymes and they really helped me get through, I was finally feeling better.

Then it hit, about a month and a half ago I got a burning tongue, I have never in my life experience anything like this, very painful. I thought surely the acid was eating away at my tongue and I almost couldn't take it any longer and played with the idea of going back on 5mg of Nexium. I am so glad that I did not, I found that baking soda rinses, biotene mouth rinse and sucking on sugar free hard candy gave me relief, but it was a good month of a intense burning tongue.

I have not had the symptoms that got me on Nexium in the first place and that was 24/7 regurgitation, in fact I have had more severe chest pain than I ever had after stopping this drug, but the chest pain has since stop also. The only thing I can't seem to get rid of is this burning tongue. It has been much better in the last couple of weeks, but it is still there.

I know Burning mouth syndrome is a symptoms of menopause and I am currently also weaning off a cancer drug that through me back into menopause, so I don't know if that is it or if it's still rebound or my regular gerd symptoms. It has now been a total of 3 1/2 months of being completely off of nexium and I'm willing to give it at least 6 months before I decide if I need to go back to a very low dose to see if it will control my burning tongue. When I weaned down to 5mg 1 x day, I felt fine, but wanted to come completely off to see if I really needed this drug.

I still avoid my trigger foods and eat my smaller portions and I find that keeping my bowel movements regular really helps. So we shall see, I will check back in another 2 1/2 months to update how I'm doing, I just hope that this burning tongue will be completely gone by then or before If not I will have to go to the lowest dose of either an OTC ppi or my prescription ppi.

Post Edited (Mouche) : 6/2/2015 9:48:40 AM (GMT-6)

Hi. I'm not sure if this thread is still active. I'm in PPI rebound. I have horrible chest burning. Is that typical? I'm off the ppi two months now...

Thanks Mouche! Very helpful. I am almost 6 months off the PPI and almost 6 weeks off Pepcid and am starting to finally feel better a little every day (as in less chest pain, burning, horrific rebound). My rebound off the PPI was very long and very painful. The PPI totally screwed up my body. I am now severely underweight and deficient in nutrients thanks to those awful acid blockers. I had stool and breath tests and will find out next week to see if there is yeast/bacteria/parasite overgrowth and sibo (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) due to my stomach having no acid for so long. Taking those drugs was the biggest mistake I have made in my 54 years of life and I will NEVER take one again (note -- my body is very sensitive to meds, but others may do well on them). But the good news is, I am free of them and my body is healing. I believe our bodies are very smart and want to be healthy, and with continued time and patience and treating it right, I'll get back to where I was. By the way, my original problem was not GERD. It was mild chronic gastritis. The PPI caused the GERD and LPR. Mouche, I also had a burning tongue (from the PPI). It is better now. Thanks again for your update. My new mode of operation is to research research and research before ever putting a prescription drug in my body again (and that will only be in life or death situations...I plan to use holistic methods from here on). Mouche -- any advice on what you can safely eat? I've been doing mostly low-carb (Fast tract diet) for GERD, but can't gain weight eating this way. Supplements you find helpful? How long off the acid blockers before you felt back to normal? Thanks again. (PS -- this is just my experience. For some people acid blockers may be perfectly safe and cause no issues. My body is just very sensitive to medication. Your experience may differ, and I respect all those who chose to take medications including acid blockers. We all need to determine for ourselves what is helpful).