Coming off Nexium, Can I do it?

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avalonin2020

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The only gripe I have about Nexium (by the way, my GI doc did give his OK for me to go back kon it) is that it causes mild-to-moderate arthritis (I'm a 38-year-old female), but this is nothing compared to the way I was when I was off of it.
 
My reflux journey begins about 2 years ago, I was 5 foot 9 and a half, 194lbs 36 years old and my diet which was poor to begin with and became really bad. I got a new sales position and a big expense account. I was eating a lot of high fat, rich fooRAB for lunch at many of the top Restaurants in NYC. At first I was getting chest pains and trouble breathing, I thought I was heart related as I have a history of heart diseases in my family. I got myself checked out and all was normal. (EKG, Stress test,etc) Over the next few months I started to gradually get more and more mucas build up. It got to the point my throat had so much mucas I had trouble swallowing. I went to a couple of ENTS and finally found a decent one. He made me get an allergy test, FEES test (Swallowing of Barium while they put camera down throat), and a Cat scan of sinus. The Sinus and allergy test came up negative; while they didn
 
I am the Rosebloom who posted my journey to come off a PPI after I found out that taking Aciphex for two years had led to bone loss and osteopenia due to calcium malabsorption.

I think it is possible to come off PPI's, but it has required first, the patience to tolerate the rebound symptoms and, secondly, modifying my diet and being very disciplined.

I was never nor I am overweight now nor do I have high tryglycerides. I don't know why I suffer from reflux, but I do.

I still have pretty crappy days. Last Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were not great as I suffered heartburn all three days. Then I have had three very good days with little or no symptoms.

What has worked for me is a diet low in carbohydrates with plenty of vegetables. No coffee, no sodas and very little alcohol (always with food if I drink any at all). I eat small portions and try to not sit or lay down after I eat. I go out to water my plants after dinner and remain upright for thirty minutes or so, or go for a short walk.

I have tried different remedies. I take DGL and chew on a little bit of ginger after meals. I have tried the Apple Cider Vinegar and am not sure at this point whether it helps or not. I don't take it regularly anymore. I take supplements in the form of a mixture of liquid calcium, magnesium and vitamin D3, and use Zantac sporadically when I am having a bad day.

My rebound lasted at least three months. I think the symptoms I have now are from the disease or disorder. If you have GERD you are going to have to be very careful and be willing to be very disciplined with food.

Getting tests done is helpful as it will put your mind at ease. I have made the personal decision to stay off PPI's and work very hard at keeping this thing under control. But you have to be willing to not live symptom free.

I wish you well and hope you find relief for your symptoms very soon. It sounRAB like you have started to take positive steps by altering your diet, losing weight, etc.

I am not sure about the throat closing up and whether that is a symptom of GERD or something else. Anxiety comes to mind as well as asthma or esophageal spasms.


Rose
 
Rose,

I am modifying diet and want to mange my reflux symptoms with Zantec rather then a PPI. I am also staying away from fruit for the time being and trying to eat alot more alkaline fooRAB. I am concerned about my weight and am trying to find ways to take in more calories. I started to eat gluten free spelt bread and white and sweet potatos to help.

My acid rebound is high right now. Its day eleven that I am off Nexium. First 5 days were fine it was the sixith day when acid kicked in. I seem to have alot less almost no heartburn in my chest and throat but I still do have alot of acid in my system. I know this because when I pass stool or pee it has a slight burning sensation. Is there a blood or urine test I can ask my doctor for that can test the ph level or gastrin levels that you mentioned of?

Funney thing was I told a friend of mine what is happening to me and he had same issue when he stopped aciphex cold turkey after being on for 3 months. He had burning after sex and in urine. Took him over a month to stop. He managed with Zantec and TUMS. I worked so hard to get of Nexium I sure dont want to go back.

To be honest, I think I can get through this as long as I dont have alot of mucas and throat closing. I am just worried about the extremely acid hurting somethign else in my stomach, throat, organs.


BTW, I was reading over at another forum people are having success with Mastic Gum for acid rebound. Have you tried this?
 
I think the mastic gum is mainly for H-Pylori, which is the bacteria that causes ulcers and heartburn for some people. I am not sure it helps unless you have diagnosed H-Pylori in your stomach. I think there is a breath test one can take as one of the ways to diagnose H-Pylori or it can be done through endoscopy. If you have it, you can use mastic gum or be treated with a corabo of antibiotics and Pepto-bismol.

Watch out for the carbs. Too many carbs, i.e., all those potatoes, give me heartburn. Potatoes are supposed to be bland fooRAB but the carbohydrate overload they produce apparently makes it harder for the stomach to digest them. Ergo, the potatoes stay longer in the stomach, the stomach produces more acid to digest them, and we may experience heartburn as a result.

Keeping a low carb diet is hard to do, but I am almost heartburn free on the days I don't consume too many. I am eating more protein and veggies and less carbs and dairy. I also have to be careful with fruit. A banana sent me into a day long heartburn episode a week ago. I don't know if this was because of the sugar or the carbs in the banana. Today I had some type of spinach pastry puff for breakfast and I have experienced mild to moderate heartburn. I was nearly heartburn free for the past four days when I stayed away from carbs.

I think what happens to me is that I if have a bad day, I become stricter with my diet. Then, I have three or four good days and start slacking off and going back to eat things I think I know will cause heartburn. Then, I experience heartburn and the cycle begins all over again. Or maybe, who knows? It may just be the cycle of the disorder, and diet may have absolutely nothing to do with it.

It's a trial and error process for most of us in dealing with this little monster we call reflux.

I also take Zantac and think it is a lot safer for long term use than the PPI's. I no longer take it daily but sporadically (like today) as needed. I may take one every three to four days when I have a flareup.

Rose
 
I'm working on tapering off of Prevacid, so I do understand what you are going through.

On the mucus...have you ever tried cutting dairy out of your diet? I had the WORST mucus for the longest time. At night I'd clear my throat for 10 minutes feeling like I was choking. It turned out I had a dairy allergy. Not a dairy intolerance (lactose intolerance) but an actual allergy. However, because I was eating dairy products daily my body was a bit used to it. My doc took me off dairy and the mucus went away. I tried dairy again 3 weeks later and holy cow. I broke out in hives, got a headache, a stomach ache...and mucus. Ick. I don't eat or drink dairy products any more and my mucus issue is 90% resolved. The other 10% is probably from the fact that there is dairy in things that I don't realize.
 
What can I eat that has some calories?? I need to intake 1900 calories to maintain my already low 160lbs and only finding myself taking in 1400. I feel like the more healthy I eat the sicker I am feeling. It's getting harder. I don't know if its just caused this acid rebound is making things worse or what. I am taking Zantec 150 3 times a day and a bunch of tums. This is the end of my 11th day off the Nexium. I am fearful my throat is getting damaged with all the acid my body is making.


Can you share what a typical day of food that you eat?
 
I've been weaning off prilosec for 3 months under the watchful eye of my naturopathic dr. Although this has been one of my easier (knock on wood) attempts so far...its ROUGH! I can't believe the acid in my body right now. My ibs is going crazy, its insane. My ND told me it will eventually calm down and just to best ride out the storm with my homepathy, probiotics and epsom salt baths. This has been a rough week....it feels like pure acid. My really bad week started after i ate about 10 fresh cherries for the first time in like a year. Last Thursday my intestines went into horrible cramping, etc...and its been a rough week since then. I am on an extremely strict diet and really should have steamed them first but thought they sat ok..until later. I checked my food diary and that was the only new food.

I am also fearful of what my insides look like BUT personally know i can never get better till i'm off this...somehow. I have had esophagitis for over a year now while on ppi's, i just kept waiting and waiting to get better and yeah....so anyways...hang in there....given i am trying to myself. It was so bad the other night i broke out the tums which hardly touched it...but you know. Our gastrin levels have to level out eventually and with the strict diet.

I can't belive these meRAB do this to us...geez...
 
Well, it depenRAB on the individual. I've heard some people have success with waning off a PPI, while others have not been quite so successful. I think it depenRAB how long you have been on it.

After the FDA alert about Nexium possibly causing bone fractures, my doctor tried to wean me off of it; however, I had a bad reaction to H2 blockers, including a severe allergic reaction to one of them (Pepcid) to the point of having to be off work for two weeks. My dad (who is slim and eats very healthy) also takes a PPI (Prilosec, specifically) and H2 blockers don't work for him, either. We both have short-segment Barrett's esophagus, so it's genetic and nothing we did wrong. :(
 
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