Coming off PPI....how would you do this?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Flyerfan
  • Start date Start date
F

Flyerfan

Guest
I've been "messing" with my system for 7 months now trying to come up with a solution to wean myself off of PPI's.....and incurring a bunch of anxiety in the meantime.

I am currently on 40mg Omeprazole, 1x/day. Prior to that I was taking Aciphex 20mg, 1x/day, but do to insurance reasons, had to switch. My main question is how would you wean from 1 capsule per day? I certainly can't cut the pill in half and I don't want to break them open and count pellets. I was thinking of several scenarios:

1 every 36 hrs OR
1 every other day OR
4 days on, 1 day off and slowly wean down OR EVEN
Buy the OTC Omeprazole 20mg and switch to that as I go

I want to take this very very slowly. I just refilled a 90-day script so I have time. And I have a(nother) vacation coming up in 2 months so I'm in no hurry.

I don't know what would be best in order for my body not to be confused and for this to work. If anybody has tried or heard of anything that works I would love to hear.

Sharon
 
reading all these messages about problems coming off these evil PPIs is really resonating with me.

i successfully came off PPIs after taking prilosec 20mg for roughly 3 months..my original problem was burning sensations in my stomach after i ate pizza one night and it never stopped burning for 2 weeks. i started taking prilosec every other night, then every 3rd night.. then i went down to zantac 150, zantac 75.. and all was normal. this took a total of 5 months give or take.

however, my original problem (stomach burning.. no reflux feeling) came back a mere month later because i stupidly took 2 advil and it bothered my stomach. since may i've been on the evil prilosec and again and now i find it impossible to come off it. I NEVER HAD HEARTBURN UNTIL I TOOK THIS MEDICATION! i also have bloating and constant burping and when i eat some fooRAB i can feel it sticking in my throat. my throat tickles now too for no reason. i never had trouble sleeping at night until i took this stuff as well.

my diet was and is flawless. i only drink water now and plain water makes me burp. i havent had any beloved tomatos, coffee or food could normally eat BP (before priolsec) in months. i'm 117lbs and 5'7.. people tell me i look sickly or anorexic.

i seriously curse the day i took this medicine at the advice of my doctor. its pure poison and slowly killing me. its a cycle from hell. i was once a healthy person. my only hope is that i could come off it that one time ok.. i sincerely hope that it can happen again. i wouldnt wish this on my worst enemy.
 
oh my do i hear you...i am not out of the wooRAB but cannot believe how much my body has changes 1 year and one month ago since i began this ugly drug...i look soooo different as well as have so many issues i'm tackling physically now. The crazy part is they just want to stuff more pills down your throat but i figured after evil anxiety drugs and now this (i thought harmless tummy drugs) i better take matters into my own hanRAB. Somedays i feel so alone in my decision but i know in the long run it will be worth it. Thyroid problems, gallbladder problems, esophagitis, crazy infections etc in one year?? coincidence? seriously...i feel like i'm my own detective.

I completely know your pain...completely....i recently made it back above 100 lbs again and i'm 5'5...my body didn't take this drug lightly. Hang in there. I am 1 week and 2 days off prilosec...never thought the day would come....its not fun and i'm still fearful of what is happening to my insides....but letting my body heal....its not quick though.
 
I asked my pharmascist and he told me to switch to prilosec otc and split your 20 in the morning 20 at night, then i gradually went to one a day. I started by skipping one day a week, then 2, then 3, etc. I went verrrry slow. Now 3 months later, i am tackling the last 20 mg and began this the same way, i am now at every other day. This is just the way i'm doing it. I was told to be careful ever cutting prilosec up b/c you shouldn't have it all at once (i am not sure if that means they are time released?)...by my pharm. Take care & best wishes :)
 
yes, similar situation with me...anxious stomach..i was told to never worry about ppis that they are one of the safest drugs out there. Boy am i NOT the poster child for ppi's then , haha!

Best wishes to you to. I haven't had an endoscopy since last summer with mild esophagitis and mild gastritis (right when i began). It has gotten much worse since then under the care of 4 western drs and MANY meRAB. I am sure your ND will point you in a good direction. My husbanRAB cousin is an ND in New Jersey and we correspond through phone/email and she said she treats soooo many people with major digestive issues like me after being on ppis's etc.

I just wish a dr would have given me options before throwing me on such a strong drug that has done so much damage to me personally. I just don't get why other options weren't provided. At the time i fully trusted him and he was my dr so did whatever he said. I was terrified of the consequences. But, now i kind of feel like a lone ranger, going against what i am "supposed" to be doing only because i have gotten so ill since on this. Anyways, i am blessed for having my ND and not out of the wooRAB BUT seeing light at the end of the tunnel :)
 
Rose:
Since you are a "veteran" coming off the ppis, I have a question. Did you experience much bloating? Sometimes it doesn't seem bloated, just like a tight abdomen, if that makes sense. I've been having strange abdominal muscle aches/tension going on and I'm thinking it may have been the Omeprazole. I sometimes feel muscle aches in my mid back that come and go. I guess I'll wait and see how it goes the longer I'm off the ppis. It was feeling like this that made me just say "that's it!". I'm done with the poison. Today it I noticed it but yesterday I felt pretty good. Maybe it's the Zantac causing it...or hormonal....or just plain anxiety (I've been way too stressed for months over this)...who knows. :confused: I don't remeraber having this when I did cold turkey earlier this year.

So far, I'm only getting minimal burn in my throat once or twice a day that I can take care of with DGL. I hope that is the worst it gets. Then again, I'm only at one week.
 
I hear you, too. Loud and clear. I am on day 9 post-ppi after 10 years on them. I've been taking Zantac (or Ranitidine) 75mg 4x/day along with DGL as needed. However, I am under the supervision of a Naturopathic Doctor and she is having me take several natural supplements to try and get my system back to normal. I am spending a bunch of money but at this point, I'll do what it takes. It's too soon to know if this will definitely work. I sure hope and pray it does. I would advise anyone, if they are able, to see a Naturopathic Doctor.

Today I only took one Zantac this morning and I will be taking one tonight. I didn't feel like I needed it. The worst feelings for me are the "tight tummy" feelings. It seems like it eases every other day but when it's there it drives me crazy. :dizzy:I still don't know if it's a side effect of the omeprazole yet or Zantac or anxiety or just plain excess acid/gastrin in my system right now.

I would love to just stop everything but the natural stuff. Maybe I will be able to sooner than I expect. :)
 
Marigold:

I could have written your post. I have felt so frustrated with my family doctor over this whole PPI ordeal that I no longer trust her or her recommendations. I have made the sad decision to change doctors and have begun to ask acquaintances and others to provide me with recommendations for a new family doctor. Not only did my family doctor want me to stay on the PPI, but she also suggested (strongly recommended) I take Actonel ( a biphosphonate and in my opinion another terrible drug) to deal with the osteopenia the PPI caused. She also gave me a prescription for a statin (Zocor) for high cholesterol even though my cholesterol is not that elevated, my other values are normal and there is no history of heart disease in my family. I have not taken either of these drugs and now find myself questioning what I would do if I develop a serious medical problem where I really need to trust her expertise and recommendations. My doctor did not discuss the PPI potential side effects with me and did not discuss the biphosphonates or Statin potential side effects with me either when she provided me with these prescriptions.

I wonder if there are any traditional doctors out there who take the time to go over the pros and cons of medications with their patients. I would have even appreciated a pamphlet with this information or being pointed in the right direction.

Rose
 
If I may I have a few questions about your process:

Did you start skipping days while staying at 20 morning, 20 night and then go to one 20 per day? For instance, say Monday you took 20 in morning then skipped the night and the rest of the week took it at both times?

When you started to skip multiple days was it consecutive days or did you have days in between?

How long did it take you to progress from skipping 1 day to 2 to 3, etc? Did you skip one day for a week then go to skipping 2 days or was it longer?

Also, were you taking prescription Prilosec (omeprazole) at 40 mg like me and then switched to Prilosec OTC?

I'm sorry I have so many questions. I just want to get an idea of how it would work.

Thanks
Sharon
 
Well, I saw the ND on Friday. She is helping me along in my quest for freedom.

Carbs and sugar are a big problem when it comes to reflux. After discussing my diet with her she said I have a better diet than 95% of the people she sees so there is no reason to modify if I'm doing OK. She told me that if I'm doing OK with fruit (2 or 3 svgs/day), keep with it. If not, it's fine to do without fruit if I'm eating a healthy, balanced diet otherwise. I eat mainly chicken, fish, veggies, nuts for snacks, eggs, Cheerios (some days), no dairy so I use Almond Milk, some fruit, decaf green tea and lots of water. My carbs and sugar are low.

Now, prior to seeing her I stopped all ppis. I say all because I was back and forth with the omeprazole and Aciphex. I just stopped...I had it. I know it's not advisable to just quit cold turkey but I did it anyway. Last Tuesday was my last ppi. Wednesday I took nothing. Since Thursday, I've been on 300mg Zantac (or generic) per day. Some days I end up only getting 225mg. I don't have a problem with nighttime reflux so I end up not taking it at night. I am taking DGL when needed after meals and it does help pretty much.

The ND has me on an Intestinal Repair Complex which has enzymes and probiotics along with DGL, Slippery Elm and Marshmallow Root in it. It's quite expensive but she said it would be temporary. I also take Calcium with Vit D and Magnesium Citrate. I am waiting on a good multivitamin the ND is getting for me.

Today is my 6th day off ppis and I seem to be doing good with the Zantac. I hope and pray it continues. I get a little burn in my throat at times...noticable but by no means unbearable. I believe my diet helps big time. If I was loading up with carbs, sugar and a lot of processed junk I wouldn't be half as good. Here's hoping I can eventually come off the Zantac in time and be pill free. I know I can never go back to what I was eating regularly when I was on the Aciphex but I'll survive. I can still have the occasional treat.

I'll keep you posted.
 
When I read things like this it makes me soooo angry. I feel for you that all this has happened to you from just taking this poison. I just want to warn people to not start taking it and to please please please try everything you can first. Unfortunately, many people just want to take a pill and be able to eat whatever they want. I do understand that people with Barrett's probably need to take it but then again, I wonder if there is an alternative even for that. My brother just recently started Nexium (I believe) and also he is taking Pepcid AC at night along with 2 anxiety meRAB. I told him that he will be on the PPI for life and he just looked at me like I was from another planet. I try to explain it and he doesn't get it. Most people won't get it until they have a problem and start researching on their own.

Hugs to all!
 
Well, I went from 40mg every other day to 20mg Prilosec OTC every day. HOWEVER, they both seem to be bothering me with side effects. At least I think my muscle aches and pains are from the meRAB. Then again, it could be my anxiety....the anxiety brought on by this whole ordeal. I'm so at a crossroaRAB and ready to just sit down and cry for hours.

I know you shouldn't quit these meRAB cold turkey but what do you do if the side effects are troubling? Again, I don't know if the meRAB are causing my problems or my anxiety. Thank God I'm seeing an ND this Friday so I can get some help with this.
 
I am getting all that tight abdominal stuff too! This didn't happen to me the first time i tried to come off prilosec too...wierd...hopefully our phs will just balance out, well they will. I do have hormonal irabalances too after all these drugs i've been on and today corabined with the heat my anxiety is so high for no reason....so frustrating...my tummy is just super tight...i just keep breathing into my belly all day :)
 
Thanks Marigold. I'm glad I'm not the only one. It's like a bloated feeling without the bloat....weird. I was wondering if it was related to the reflux. I actually started getting it before I totally came off the omeprazole but I was not taking it everyday at that point anyway. I was screwing around with it so much, that I don't think it ever got a chance to level in my system and work properly.
 
Well, if you're only on 20 mg, you might be able to just stop PPIs then take Zantac 4 times a day, as I did.

Keep in mind some people do not experience major rebound, and if you're having serious side effects, quitting is more urgent for you than for some people.

I totally understand your frustration. Hang in there.
 
Thank you for posting about your progress. I have not yet found a naturopath, but I am trying to follow a plan similar to yours. I am going to try to stick to the low carb, low sugar diet with more veggies and (sadly) less fruit which I love. I too am taking my supplements and need to find a good decafeinated green tea I can drink.

Rose
 
Hello~

I am still a work in progress but as we are all sharing our strategies, thats the best we can do :)

I have had 4 previous attempts to getting off of ppi's since last July with HORRIFIC results...this has been smoother and different. I am not sure if it is b/c of the supplements ND has me on to or what but i this is the slowest wean i've done and am also on a VERY strict diet. EVERYTHING is fresh except the soy butter and almond milk i buy. I only yse real sea salt. The ND said he wants me on real butter instead but my body is currently having problems with dairy for the time being. I do fresh chicken, salmon (wild), cod (wild), pollock(wild), blackbeans and eggs as my main protein sources mixed with potatoes and a gluten free diet of brown rices, brown rice pastas, quinoa, and many alkaline veggies drizzled with olive oil and real sea salt (you can find at you health food store-or my grocery store sells it). It supplies you with many needed nutrients.

In April i skipped one day (just dinner time dose) for the 1st week. The 2nd week i skipped two days, the third week i skipped 3, and so on until i was at evvery other day for approx. 2 weeks, i did have much abdominal discomfort but i am one of the "rare?" people whom have become sicker on ppis so sometimes it can be hard to tell whats what. I was on 40 mg time release prescription omnaprazole (sp?) but not right before i weaned, i was already at prilosec otc 20 mg 2 x a day. I gradually went to every 3rd day and then around the 4th or 5th day i stopped.

I am now tackling the last 20 mg with the same method. I am noticing increased IBS and decreased gallbladder pain. I also had a constant throat infection this winter and ever since getting down to 20 mg it hasn't come back after many antibiotics....could be a coincidence BUT many health maladies started after i began prilosec so i am skeptical. There is more acid but its a sour taste in my mouth constantly which i've had for over a year on ppis now. I never felt reflux UNTIL the ppis...so, idk...my doctor said its going to take awhile for my ph to balance out down there, etc.

best wishes!
 
it must be, everything feels off and odd from my throat to my intestines, i do get bloated, i will look like i'm pregnant. Idk...know i'm better off w/out these drugs.
 
I am glad to hear people with some success. I am on my 11th day off nexium 40mg and I misrable. I am taking Zantec 150 three times a day 30 mins before meals. I am eating really healthy but having a hard time getting the calories up. I am trying to keep the faith but am wondering when the burning is going to get better. I have increase my carbs a little by eating gluten free brown rice ceral as a snack. I loved having apples as a snack but am afraid right now they will irritate my reflux. I also wanted to try watermelon as that is supposed to tolerated. What do you guys think about juicing carrots, celery, beets? I am wondering if the carrot juice would be alot of sugars/carbs? I am having a hard time eating so much veggies and to juice them would make it easier.
 
Me too! I'm definitely better off without them. Even though I'm still taking Zantac OTC I'm glad I'm off the PPI's. Hopefully I can wean from the Zantac with not much problem....just not sure when that will be. I may always have to take a Zantac, who knows.
 
Back
Top