Anyone on a triple dose of PPI's?

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MountainReader

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I have GERD/LPR. It was so severe that it causes me major breathing issues. I've been on a double dose of PPI's/day for many years. Two years ago I had a Nissen Fundoplication that testing has confirmed is still intact. Due to other digestive issues, I stayed on the PPI's x 2 post surgery. I also continued to sleep on an incline and watch my diet. I eventually switched to the dual delay time release Dexilant 60mg in place of twice per day Prevacid 30mg. It has been the only PPI that I have any relief with at all. A few weeks ago, I also added Pepcid per my PCP. Anyway, I had a 24 hr pH test today to check for the LPR again and it looks like the final results will be that I still have acid coming up past my vocal corRAB. I go back next week for my follow-up to get the final results, but in preliminary conversations, it sounRAB like they will recommend adding another nighttime dosage of PPI's.

The way I view it, that is the equivalent of taking 3 large dosages of PPI's per day. While I need to find relief to my breathing issues, I'm really concerned about the long-term side effects. At this point, I'm not sure what other options they have to offer though. I pretty much tried everything else over the years prior to my surgery a couple years ago and continued many of the strategies even post-surgery.

Anyone else out there been on such high level of meRAB as a treatment for LPR?

Any questions or strategies you think I should ask about? I have an ENT follow-up next week and a Pulmonologist appointment tomorrow.
 
Hi, MountainReader!

I am afraid my response will not be spot-on for you, as you're asking very specifically about LPR and PPI's, however, I feel like I need to respond just because I have gotten so much comfort out of reading your posts recently.

My GERD nightmare began approximately two months ago, which I know is a very short period of time compared with those who have been living with this for years. However, the reflux was severe, and my PCP prescribed Prilosec 20mg x 2 a day. She added Prevacid once at bed time "just to be safe". When neither one of those worked, I found myself on Carafate twice a day. Since that still didn't help control the acid, I was referred to a GI. The PA I saw there told me to double the dosage of the PPI (so 40mg x 2 a day).

At that point I believe I began to have side effects from the PPI, but no medical person will confirm it. They just say "it's not a common side effect, but everybody is unique". To reduce the side effects, I reduced the PPI, and thus the acid control.

I think the underlying question I'm hearing from you (maybe a fear) is, where do we go from here? When you start off on such high dosages, it doesn't give you much place to go. So although I can't speak to the LPR, and although I'm not strictly on a PPI, I can tell you that it's normal to be concerned about the "upper limit" of some of these meRAB. The docs don't seem to realize that such a thing as an upper lmit exists when writing out the prescriptions.

Hope my response comforts you as much as your messages have comforted me. Sometimes it helps just to know "other people feel this, too."

--LavenderGirl77
 
Thanks for your support LavenderGirl77. They were truly touching for me.

I've been on all the PPI's on the market. I found that I had no problems with some, but had wicked side effects with one in particular. Others didn't seem to do much at all. They are correct when they say everyone is different. If it comes to that, you might ask to try a different PPI.
 
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