PPI Stopped WORKING, WHY!!!, need a switch?

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EagleRiverDee

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FYI- generic Prevacid is just Prevacid. The pharmacist told me that sometimes drug makers will make their own drug the "generic" version so they don't lose their customers. That is the case with Prevacid.

As to why it all of a sudden stopped working, I can't say. Prevacid is the only PPI that works for me. Prilosec and Nexium don't work for me. I know that I have, at times, had to go up to a twice a day regiment with Prevacid though. One in the morning, one at night.

It may be related to a change in your diet. Triggers for me are fatty meals, meals high in sodium, acidic food (like tomatoes), alcohol, or eating too close to bed time.

You may also have developed some esophageal erosion. I had that for a while (confirmed with an upper endoscopy) and it hurt BAD. I started sleeping somewhat inclined and it healed and didn't come back.
 
Ok, so Dr prescribed me Kapidex..he swears I need to try it for a month, he claims its not the same as prevacid...hmmm dont know if I believe that. Sure its got the 2 ingredients vs 1, but its still lansoprazole! I guess Ill try it, the only thing is he gave me 60mg samples for a month as he didnt have 30. He gave a 30mg prescription if I felt the 60 were too strong. I aked him is 30 prevacid once a day is comparable to the 30 or 60 Kapidex, and he said theyre different medicines so you really cant compare apples to apples.
Anyone on Kapidex know how much lansoprazole is in Kapidex 30 and 60?
 
Hi HealtrabroadoarRAB frienRAB...
Heres my problem. I have been on PRevacid for years for Gerd. I switched to the generic Deceraber 2009, and seemed to get more attacks. Dr put me back on brand and its even worse. TOmorrow I go to discuss switching meRAB. Can prevacid stop working? My Gerd usually was once a month while on Prevacid, and has gone up 7 bad attacks since January, so theres a significant increase.

I would love advice on if all other PPI's are good. I would prefer one that cost less, but do have insurance coverage and can do the brand ( I didnt notice a difference between generic prevacid and brand).
So anyone whos had a PPI stop working I would love to hear from, as well as success with other PPI's...also any idea WHY prevacid stopped working?
Thanks so much
Kelly
 
Kapidex and Prevacid have the same basic active ingredient. Kapidex has a dual delay release system, therefore it releases at intervals during the day.

The Kapidex 60mg is equivalent to taking two prescription strength Prevacid 30's. Kapidex 30mg would be similar to your prescription strength Prevacid 30mg with the difference being that the Kapidex has the dual delay release. The Prevacid OTC is 15mg.

I took Prevacid Solutabs twice a day for years. For me, having to just take the Kapidex once per day was good news.

I do think that sometimes the fillers in the medication are different when it comes to generics and that sometimes people react differently to them. Also, I've personally found that the Prevacid Solutabs tended to work better for me than the capsule version of prescription Prevacid.

If you do end up with a prescription for Kapidex, they have a coupon available for up to $50 off each refill through Deceraber 2011. This has been a wallet saver for me because instead of paying a $50 co-pay, I pay $5 per month.
 
Mountain reader,
Where is the coupon till 2011, My offer, here in California, expires March 31, 2010....
Thanks

Oh, also, my pharmacist said I can open the capsule, pour half the granules on applesauce and save the other half for the next day....have you ever heard of this....I opened it and the granules were all white, but looked like some may be smaller...Id hate for the granules to be intermixed..etc..Any thoughts? If it is possible I will get 2 months of 30 mg out of the 60 mg samples i have!
 
I don't know why the PPI's "stop" working, but I've had similar experiences. I was on Prevacid in the Solutab version for many years and had wonderful success with it until it just "stopped" working in 2008. It then took me many tries on other PPI's to find something new that worked as well as the Prevacid had. Everybody reacts differently with the PPI's so it is hard to know which will work the best for you.

Good luck in your switch.

MountainReader
 
Mountain Reader..
One more thing....Why would he have me take Kapidex if the Prevacid isnt doing the job anymore?
 
I've had a similar thing happen to me. I've been on Aciphex for years and it worked great. Because my health insurance wanted me to go to a cheaper alternative, my doctor prescribed omeprazole (generic Prilosec). That didn't seem to work right so he was able to convince the insurance to prescribe me Aciphex again. I've been on it since 2/9 but it just doesn't seem to work as good as it did only 3 months ago. I can't figure it out.:confused:
 
It might be that whatever is causing your GERD has gotten worse- so it might be that trying a higher dose of PPI (say generic omeprazole 40mg twice a day) might help.

You could also ask your doctor about taking an H2 blocker (such as Zantac/generic ranitidine) with your PPI.

When you get breakthrough symptoms, a dose of Gaviscon or Mylanta quickly puts out the fire
 
I wonder if it has anything to do with changing the time of day. I used to take it before dinner, then in 5/09 I went to when I woke up (30 min before I ate), and it seems to be worse. I spent a while last night reviewing my food diaries, etc and there is no rhyme or reason to this. My Gerd was never a few times a week, more like once a month.....with the pain always starting as severe pain in my back (across from heart)...and it will move up to neck eventually. Gaviscon is my drug of choice during an attack, but I have to take it every 5-10 minutes because the pain returns...I do this for 90 minutes and then its gone. Primarily its 3 or 4 hours after I eat, so I am wondering if Im even digesting my food properly. I just dont get it! Im really getting tired of it. Any one else get it in their back so bad it feels like a heart attack?
 
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