Alternatives to PPI's

Hi, Lily- No, I am not doing this under my doctor's guidance as I am between drs. right now and don't see my new doc until May. I do have an appointment with my GI dr. the end of April though. I haven't had an endoscopy...ever. Not sure many drs. would be very encouraging/supportive of going off ppis. I haven't read many posts regarding having surgery to correct a weakened LES, but would not opt for that myself as it seems there would be too many risks involved,in my opinion.
Last night I had some problems with heartburn and am wondering if it was due to the bread I ate at supper. Have heard that gluten can aggravate GERD/heartburn. It's really been trial and error trying to find out what I can eat and what to avoid. I would hate to think I would have to give up bread too.
Lily- what have you tried to help with the nausea? Chamomile tea? Anti-nausea meds?

Well, I have finally reached the end of the 5th week of attempting to wean myself off ppis! Aside from some occasional heartburn, especially at night, I think I am ready to quit them altogether! It seems that the hardest days for me have been when I have taken the prilosec in the morning instead of just zantac. Very strange I think.
So after spending the last few weeks on a half dose every third day, I think I am ready to move on to the next step- not taking any more prilosec at all!
Will post again after seeing how it all goes.

Justsayno,

May i ask how many xantacs you take per day now that you are almost free of ppi's or also how many did you take when you started weening off from ppi's?

Distant frog

justsayno,

I know what you mean about not being able to eat food that you enjoy. The other day I made a casserole that gave me heartburn for 2 days. I really liked it but don't think I'll be doing that again. As far as the H2-blockers, I would think if you don't have any immediate side effects such as nausea, headaches, or anything that seems a little serious, it is much better and not so bad long term as the PPI's as the PPI's can bring your acid production down to near 0% where the H2-blockers still allow acid production. My biggest question is that while on H2-blockers I feel that my stomach is empty after 2-3 hours at the most where with PPI's sometimes it was taking 5+ hours for my stomach to empty so that tells me at least with the H2-blockers my body is properly breaking down the food and it is digesting much better than when on the PPI's. So am I still producing too much acid off the H2-blockers so that's why I keep getting reflux when I try to go off them? I'm thinking so. Only time will tell as my body slowly fixes itself I would think I could eventually drop off the H2-blockers at some point. I also believe that the time to get off the H2-blockers may be quite a bit longer than the PPI's though.

I have been suffering with GERD now for 7 years. Had every test imaginable including cardiac testing and was told my gallbladder wasn’t functioning properly. I had it removed in Dec. 2009 at the advice of my GI doctor. Nothing improved.

I was also diagnosed with a hiatal hernia and that is where all this misery originates.
I’ve tried ALL the remedies and am taking two 40mg Nexium generic (esomeprozole) per day (for 1-1/2 years now). I buy it on-line from Canada. It comes from the UK because the US has no Nexium generic). My GI doctors office recommended the company and the Nexium generic is MUCH cheaper than the Nexium brand. My insurance won’t cover any PPI’s. (I pay $160 US for 168 40mg tablets).

I’m still miserable. If I miss even ONE of these on any given day, I pay DEARLY with increased burning pain.

I’ve used ACV and organic raw honey, DGL, changed my diet … all to no avail. I just can’t give up everything forever. I take papaya chewable enzymes after every meal. I don’t know if they help or not. Probiotics didn’t do anything and they cost an arm and a leg! I've spent a FORTUNE on many remedies and none of them work.

I want desperately to get off the PPI’s as I believe they do more harm than good. For those of you worried about bone loss with taking PPI’s, start using Chelated Magnesium and 5,000 IU per day of Vitamin D3. I just had a bone density test and my results were improved since the last test 3 years ago. I’m 66 and my bones are in good shape, so far.

I am very depressed about this ongoing misery with acid reflux. There don’t seem to be any answers. Surgery is dangerous and try to avoid it. I researched surgery and what I read didn’t give me any faith that it was even an option.

I feel terrible for ALL OF US. This is NO life. I must still work and do interior painting. When I get home, I just have nothing left and just want to go to sleep. I'm better when working as I can get my mind off my pain. Everything I eat or drink HURTS. I've also developed breathing issues as the reflux has burned my throat, vocal cords and has even gotten into my lungs. It feels like a slow death and I don't know how much more I can take.

Linda sue I did the same thing you did. I spent a lot of time researching NF surgery and was so against it for two years I suffered. However I found a wonderful surgeon and he didn't give me an option and I finally had surgery on feb 7, 2014. It was the best decision of my life. I have not had a life for the past couple yours. I now have a life at 51 I feel wonderful and NO reflux, no lump in my throat feeling, nausea is gone and I am back to working out again. Please read the success stories on the threads here. There is a ton of information as well as support. The one thing I would say is absolutely do research on a surgeon. Make sure they have done many NF, linx, etc. surgeries and well versed in the procedure. The surgeon that my GI dr sent me to I was not happy with. I did a lot of research and found an absolutely awesome surgeon at OSU in Columbus, OH. He has written many research articles and is a top not GI cancer surgeon. Good luck but please don't count out the surgery as an option

I tend to agree with Linda Sue regarding the reflux being at least partly due to fermentation by products. However, as we hear so often, we are all different. I am 72 and after seeing a natropath and having had the Heidelberg stomach acid test (thought by some to be the most sophisticated means of measuring stomach acid available today) and was informed that I produce hydrochloric stomach acid 3.4 times faster than average.

I think ppis can cause more harm than good also,Linda Sue. Like most here, I started taking ppis after being diagnosed with GERD. That was about 10-12 years ago. I didn't bother doing any research back then on these drugs. I was too trusting and figured that if it was allowed on the market, it had to be safe. I have certainly had my eyes opened since then! It wasn't until I got the results back from a bone density scan several months ago that I decided to do some research on bone loss and the causes. That's when I discovered the correlation between ppis and bone loss, plus some other potential and actual side effects of taking ppis. At the time the ppi I was on wasn't helping much with heartburn and reflux anyways and had decided to try another ppi to see if that would make a difference. But after reading all the reports on the dangers of taking ppis long-term, I made the decision to try to get off them for good.
This is my sixth week of weaning myself off the ppis. I am down to 0mg/day of ppis! Stopped completely on Sunday. So far so good but I won't believe I'm out of the woods,so to speak, until I have been free of them for at least a month. I have a GI appointment the third week of April so it will be interesting to hear what my doctor has to say.
For the most part, I do feel better...certainly don't have any MORE heartburn/reflux off the ppis than I did on them, and I think that as long as I avoid the trigger-foods for me, take the Zantac at night,and continue using whatever natural remedies for the heartburn I still experience occasionally, then all will be well...I hope. Actually, when I think back, I had much more heartburn and reflux ON the ppis tan I have had trying to go off them. And the days that I took even a half dose of Prilosec during the tapering phase, were always the days I had much more heartburn and reflux. So that seems to say that the ppis cause heartburn/reflux more than helping to relieve the problem. In one study I read of, a ppi was given to people who had no diagnoses of GERD for two weeks. Afterwards, they experienced severe heartburn and reflux when they had stopped taking them. And that was from being on them for only two weeks! That speaks volumes to me.
Time will tell, I guess, as to how long I will be able to avoid ppis.
It's a difficult journey getting off these things I know. But is worth the effort I believe.

Hi,lily- I was on Prilosec 20mg for about 10-12 years. Switched to Nexium 40mg for about a month this past fall and because my insurance wouldn't pay for the Nexium any longer without my PCP stating justifiable reasons why I should be on it, I went off that and started taking Prevacid15mg for a few weeks. I had not been getting much relief from the Prilosec and that is why I tried switching to something else. I think this is what happens to some after being on a particular med long-term. It ceases to be effective.
This was when I started reading all the information out there on the dangers of ppis.
When I first started tapering down, I removed the top of each capsule and judged as best as I could how much of those micro-beads of medicine to take out- first week I tried for 3/4 of the amount, then the following weeks-1/2 the amount. There wasn't a problem for me taking the meds this way, other than the task of removing the tops of the capsules, shaking out the amount necessary to reduce the dose and replacing the top of the capsule- a bit time consuming that's all. :)
It is advisable to go as slow as you think your body can handle, even if it takes longer than you'd like. I think it helps to reduce the acid rebound you get from withdrawing from the ppis.
I still am taking 300mg of Zantac at bedtime. Eventually, I hope to be able to taper those down as well, but even if I can't get rid of them completely, being on them isn't as risky I think.
Do what you can, lily, and take it slow. I am hoping you will be able to get off them and start feeling better. Too bad there wasn't a detox center for ppi users wanting to be drug free! :)

Hi,Lily-When I removed the microbeads from the capsules to taper the dosage, I simply threw the unused part away. I did take the remaining amount. Also on the subsequent weeks, I took out half the amount to make it close to 10mg instead of 20mg.
I don't blame you for being nervous about the surgery! Unfortunately, I don't have much faith in the medical establishment. I worked in the field and have had too many negative experiences being a patient myself.
I have found that most doctors don't really understand how ppis can be so risky to take...and then to try to go off! I have read info on Nexium and though it may be more effective than Prilosec, there are many more side effects also.
Yes, the Zantac 300mg is the only thing I am taking now. Today will be the 6th day of no ppis! I am happy to be off them, but still not sure I will be able to remain off them. Hopefully, I will.
I understand totally about food not being very appealing right now. I have tried to avoid the obvious foods that cause heartburn- chocolate, coffee, spicy or fried foods,etc.- but even some of the more innocuous foods like bread sometimes bother me. Gluten maybe? So I try eating things like salads, veggies, low-residue meats like chicken and lean beef. It certainly gets boring though! I would love a big bowl of chili! lol
Wishing the best on your gallbladder test! Maybe you won't need surgery. Here's hoping!

Hi, Lily, Well, guess it takes them a while to "read" the test and to determine what course to take. I think much of today's medicine is about covering their butts in order to avoid the difficulty of a costly malpractice suit. It seems like doctors for the most part have poor communication skills as part of good communication is listening as well as speaking. With the limited time they're allowed, it's usually rushing from one patient to the next.
As for the pizza...if you can tolerate bread, no gluten intolerance issues, you might be able to have a "white" pizza...no tomato sauce but maybe feta cheese and spinach. It's difficult for anyone who has never had digestive issues to understand what it is like.
I just want to be able to eat SOME foods without discomfort, heartburn, feeling bloated, etc. Some days are better than others. Today wasn't one of them. Thinking of going on an Ensure diet for a week or so. Tomorrow will be the end of my first week ppi-free. I have read that it can take up to three months to be completely free of the GERD symptoms...and some people say that you are never "cured". Ugh!
Sorry to sound so negative . Maybe tomorrow will be better.

Post Edited (justsayno) : 3/21/2014 6:25:36 PM (GMT-6)

Thank you for your encouraging words,Lily. Some days I feel better than I did on the ppis...and other days I feel so sick I just want to go back on them in the hopes of maybe just having a few days without the bloated,empty feeling in my stomach, the fear of whatever I eat giving me heartburn.
I have never had an endoscopy so I guess the GERD was diagnosed through my symptoms alone. I am thinking that my new GI doctor may very well suggest one when I see her in April. Not looking forward to it for sure! That is one of the reasons I want to try to stay off the ppis. When you have an endoscopy, you have to be off them for a week before the test. Plus, it would be interesting to find out what state my esophagus and LES is in. :)
Most of the discomfort is the bloated, knawing feeling and heartburn- maybe due to acid rebound,but not sure. Occasionally, I have pain in the middle of my chest which I believe is GERD-related.
Yes, it would be wonderful to feel normal...and not be so fearful of eating and so very careful of what we eat.
I live way up north, in New Hampshire, where the snow is about 3-4 feet deep right now. What they call Mud-Season is almost upon us. (we have 5 seasons up here-Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter and Mud-Season) Lol