Stopping PPI after 15 years

This is my first post and I need to tell my story. I'm a 60 year old female. 15 years ago my Primary Care doctor prescribed Nexium 20mg once a day for me because I was having occasional heartburn. Mostly from over indulgence and eating late at night. He never sent me to a Gastroenterologist for any tests to see if I in fact had GERD or Acid Reflux. But I trusted him and started taking them. I never gave them much thought until five years ago when I started having some symptoms that co-insided with Nexium side effects. I asked my doctor on several occasions about the symptoms and he assured me that the Nexium was not the culprit. When I started seeing a new Cardiologist for my heart murmur he wanted me off the PPI as soon and possible because I have a history of heart disease in my family. My Endocrinologist also wanted me off because he said PPI interfere with my thyroid medication. So, on May 8th I went off and boy was I miserable for 10 days. Ended up in ER where they gave me Carafate. It helped with the burning but didn't get rid of it. Went to a GI doctor who immediately put me back on a PPI only 40mg this time. Burning went away and I went and had an endoscopy the next day. Biopsies came back that I didn't have the bacteria in my stomach that causes ulcers, but I did have Esophageal Candidiasis. I also had thrush in my mouth. From what I read on internet PPI stop the acid in the stomach which allows the candida to grow out of control. The candida is the reason for many of my symptoms. Decided to wean myself off and started doing so until I was down to one 20mg Nexium every three days for two weeks. Then I stopped completely, but I'm still having re-bound symptoms or possibly candida die-off symptom as well. Taking Fluconazole for the candida infection. How long is it going to take to get through this and is the burning in the mouth, lips and throat from the acid rebound or from the candida? I've lost 21 pounds since May 8th. Doctors are of no help. They avoid giving any straight answers.

The burning of the mouth, lips and throat is most likely from the acid rebound due to your stoppage of PPIs. When you have side effects from a PPI, it's very easy for your doctor to suggest a different drug - but it doesn't make sense that you started having side effects that far after you first started taking Nexium. With your medical situations, the best suggestion I can give you is to go see a gastro doctor and let him coordinate your treatment with your other specialists.

Did your doctor take gastric biopsies? I have celiac disease, Hashimoto’s, and Autoimmune Gastritis (AIG) (not due to h. Pylori). AIG is commonly linked with thyroiditis. When my celiac antibodies are triggered by a gluten exposure, they elevate not only antibodies attributed to celiac disease, but my other AI issues as well (measured by lab tests). I take no medications other than my thyroid hormone replacement. My GERD symptoms (which can be attributed to all three of my conditions) are in remission because I am on a modified Autoimmune Paleo diet (which is also gluten free). This diet is going to be researched by Scripps at UC San Diego for Hashimoto’s patients. They already tested this diet on Inflammatory Bowel Patients and they achieved a 70% remission rate in six weeks.

Consider a diet that avoids non-processed foods. It can not hurt. Consider even getting tested for celiac disease as there are over 200 symptoms attributed to it).

Rebounding off a PPI is horrible. I hope you get relief soon.

Post Edited (cyclinglady) : 10/6/2018 10:12:48 AM (GMT-6)

Acrapaba tea should have been acrapaba tea

I dont know why it keeps autocorrecting the word but it is actually AcrapABA TEA

*AcrapABA TEA

I understand what you are going through. I was diagnosed with Barrett’s esophagus in 2001. Been on high dose PPI since. Had scope yesterday and was diagnosed with yeast infection in esophagus. Don’t know why. Did your infection resolve?