Giving up reflux medication

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GlynIrish
GlynIrish Posts: 84 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi just wondering has anyone had success in giving up ppi medication such as nexazole nexium etc and how did you deal with the rebound reflux
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  • GlynIrish
    GlynIrish Posts: 84 Member
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    The long term effects are suppose to be fairly bad with these meds and considering I am only 32 and have been taking these meds for 10 years I would hope to give them up
    I have spoke with my doctor who has told me to try if I want and gave me zantac instead so I will just wait it out and see if it goes away
    I have tried in the past to give up these meds but could not due to the rebound reflux nothing helped but this time I'm able to manage it with zantac and spearmint chewing gum
  • GlynIrish
    GlynIrish Posts: 84 Member
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    WholeFoods4Lyfe wrote: »
    I did this about 3 years ago. It was really, really hard, but I was determined to get off of it. I had done a lot of research and based on my symptoms from when before I got on the medicine I was suspected that I might actually have TOO LITTLE stomach acid as opposed to too much. When I was on the Nexium, I was barely digesting my food, I became deficient in many vitamins and my lower GI symptoms got worse, not better.

    With the guidance of my GI doctor I started to slowly reduce my dosage. I'm not going to lie, the rebound heartburn was probably the worst that I experienced in my life. What worked for me was actually a 48 hour fast. I'm sure that this would not be the right path for many people, but I was already experimenting with Intermittent Fasting and at the time, food, any food, was making my symptoms so much worse.

    Once I was past the worst of it, I spent several months trying to figure out my triggers. Gluten was probably the biggest one, and eliminating that made a pretty significant difference almost immediately. I also added an HCL supplement to my diet and within 6 mths I was symptom free. I had gotten a previous Endoscopy that showed pretty severe damage to my esophagus which wasn't really improving with the Nexium as shown by a follow-up Endoscopy. My GI doctor wasn't 100% supportive of me getting off of the medicine, but when I went back for a 6mth follow up Endoscopy, he was shocked to see how much my esophagus had actually healed. I fell off of the wagon for a few months recently and my symptoms returned with a vengeance, but after being back on track for less than 3 weeks, my symptoms are almost gone again.

    All that to say, it's going to be hard. To get me through the worst of it, besides fasting, I also supplemented with Apple Cider Vinegar. I tried to avoid treating the symptoms as much as possible because the whole point for me personally getting off of the medicine was to increase my stomach acid, but if it was really bad, I would drink some warm water with Baking Soda. Tums as a last resort because I don't love the ingredients.

    Good luck.

    Thanks for that i am determinded to give them up i have already been giving the go ahead to give up my cholesterol meds aswel so i am on the path to being medication free hopefully
  • GlynIrish
    GlynIrish Posts: 84 Member
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    WholeFoods4Lyfe wrote: »
    I love how I get woo'd for sharing my personal experience. Never change MFP, never change.

    Lol 😂😂
    Would you mind me asking what did you find were your triggers
    I know coffee is killing me but me without coffee is not a good sight lol
    Also breads potatoe any carb starchy food really it's just to find something else to eat lol
  • WholeFoods4Lyfe
    WholeFoods4Lyfe Posts: 1,518 Member
    edited April 2019
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    Lifterofheavystuff wrote: »
    WholeFoods4Lyfe wrote: »
    I love how I get woo'd for sharing my personal experience. Never change MFP, never change.

    Lol 😂😂
    Would you mind me asking what did you find were your triggers
    I know coffee is killing me but me without coffee is not a good sight lol
    Also breads potatoe any carb starchy food really it's just to find something else to eat lol

    I did an elimination diet. I basically stripped down to the basics and then reintroduced foods 1 at a time, 1 week at a time, to gauge how I felt. While I learned that Gluten was my biggest trigger, other things like dairy, soy, eggs, and processed carbs in general don't really agree with me. I avoid Soy completely now, stick with Raw Dairy products when I can, and free-range organic eggs.

    Acidic foods like tomatoes, citrus, coffee, etc use to bother me, but don't any more.
  • kpaing121
    kpaing121 Posts: 143 Member
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    I stopped taking mine with no effects what so ever not took any since but that’s just me every one different
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    WholeFoods4Lyfe wrote: »
    I love how I get woo'd for sharing my personal experience. Never change MFP, never change.

    I would guess you got wooed for mentioning ACV and a 48 hour fast, but you were very clear it was just what you personally did while working with your doctor :wink:

    Just to stick in a friendly warning for the OP, while ACV does seem to help some people with reflux, others have mentioned it made their's noticeably worse. Just keep that in mind!

    My brother is trying to wean himself off as well, basically falling back on antacids while figuring out triggers and since it was often a problem at night, sleeping with a wedge to keep his head and chest elevated. He hasn't talked about it in awhile, so I'm not sure how it's going.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
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    I've been on pantoprazole for the last 4 years. I've had a consistent post-nasal drip likely induced by GERD and diagnosed for years. I note that the symptoms were much worse during the time I was overweight, but never fully went away after losing weight. While under physician supervision I went off this for a 30 day to test and this made things much worse.

    Be cautious when interpreting these long term side effects as these no longer needs to be a causative relationship in recording adverse events. If a certain number of people report an adverse event, it goes through a panel review and the label is updated.
  • dragonsplace
    dragonsplace Posts: 5 Member
    edited April 2019
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    Hi, I don't take mine for Reflux. As I take my Nexium from Dr's to prevent my Duodenal Ulcer perforating again. I had a major bleed, so will be taking it for life. The perforated Ulcers run in my family - just glad I got the ulcer - not Crohn's Disease.
  • Florida_Superstar
    Florida_Superstar Posts: 194 Member
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    Acid reflux is serious, so definitely see your doctor before giving up the meds. With that said, I was able to get off Pantoprazole and here's how.

    - wedge pillow at night
    - finish my last meal at least 3 hours before lying down
    - gave up every bit of these things:

    *chocolate
    *mint
    *tomatoes and tomato products
    *all caffeine
    *coffee (even decaf)
    *soda (even decaf)
    *garlic
    *onion
    *seasonings that have garlic and onion
    *any tea that isn't a "naturally caffeine free herbal tea"
    *anything spicy
    *citrus
    *vinegar
    *chewing gum

    After awhile, I was able to add a few things back in, like gum and some spices that have garlic and onion...but not actual garlic and onion.

    The Acid Watcher Diet by Jonathan Aviv helped me greatly.
    Also, ACV made my reflux much worse.

    Good luck--it was a hard transition changing a lot of habits but so worth it to get off the medication.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,902 Member
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    Lifterofheavystuff wrote: »
    WholeFoods4Lyfe wrote: »
    I love how I get woo'd for sharing my personal experience. Never change MFP, never change.

    Lol 😂😂
    Would you mind me asking what did you find were your triggers
    I know coffee is killing me but me without coffee is not a good sight lol
    Also breads potatoe any carb starchy food really it's just to find something else to eat lol

    My mom has "silent" reflux and takes caffeine pills instead of drinking coffee or tea. Warning - my brother says this makes her bossier :lol:
  • lalalacroix
    lalalacroix Posts: 834 Member
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    I have taken Omeprazole daily for 7 years. During this time I learned that my triggers are coffee (I have about 1 cup every 3 months now), too much spicy or fried foods, tuna and fish oil, and at my highest weight raw veggies and acidic fruit and red wine. Also having a too full belly at bed time can be awful.

    During these past years I tried to wean off the medication every so often, which has never worked because the rebound reflux has been really uncomfortable.

    I am currently down 40 pounds from my highest weight. About 10 pounds ago I realized that I was having less reflux symptoms and decided to start weaning again. I was gonna start by trying to take a pill every other day but right away realized that I didn't need a pill any more often than every third day. So that's where I am right now, 2 pills per week as opposed to 7 pills per week.

    I currently eat a lot of raw veggies and fruit. Eventually I'd like to try daily coffee again, but I'm not there yet. I will probably always limit my consumption of fried foods. Hopefully as I lose more weight, 27 pounds to go, I will be able to wean more and hopefully get completely off these meds.

    Fwiw, I did try acv many years ago to see if it would help my reflux. And wow, my reflux became brutal. I'm glad acv works for some, but that was not my experience.

  • Maxxitt
    Maxxitt Posts: 1,281 Member
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    I was on a PPI at a pretty high dose but only for 8 weeks to treat a bleeding ulcer. Even for that short period of time, ending abruptly often causes "rebound" acid production and it can be bad for a couple of weeks. Things I learned about how to get off PPI included gradually decreasing the dosage over time, taking an H2 agonist med (zantac, for example), using tums, and drinking tea/infusions of fennel, licorice, slippery elm. I survived the two weeks of rebound, but then the heartburn and occasional reflux became a problem & my dr prescribed daily ranitidine (zantac) which has way fewer long-term unwanted (bad) side effects. I am not convinced that I need to be on this forever either.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,398 Member
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    I was never on PPIs for long periods of time but occasionally suffered from silent reflux and associated rather bad palpitations and loss of voice. The worst trigger for me is lean meat, eggs in pretty much all ways to prepare them, most low fat dairy (cottage cheese, low fat milk!!!), and other protein rich food. On the other hand I never had problems with tea (don't like coffee), spicy food and all the other things people with reflux should avoid. Protein with lots of fat is usually fine, with the exception of eggs. My guess is that it was also triggered by low stomach acid and food sitting in my stomach for too long.

    I have to say that I don't know whether low stomach acid is a quack thing or not. Many people that are hypothyroid or deficient in Vitamin B12 report the same things. Getting my thyroid meds in order fixed the problem for me thus I don't really think about it a lot.
  • angiepony
    angiepony Posts: 1 Member
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    I had horrible heartburn as soon as I turned 40 (well, I think I had reflux for many years without the pain, it it started hurting at 40). I was put on Protonix, and that didn't even really help. I quit and have started taking an HCL capsule before drinking coffee or before any large meal. Sometimes I'll take it after a meal if I feel really full or like I'm going to throw up, which are usually my symptoms as well as chest pressure. It works SO well. But it should probably be used with caution, especially if you have ulcers or take ibuprofin regularly!
  • LuxCanBeDeceiving
    LuxCanBeDeceiving Posts: 4 Member
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    I only took Nexium for a month but that didn't protect me from getting strong rebound reflux when it was the time to quit Nexium. However, one thing that helped me a lot is taking Gastrotuss syrup after each meal (it's natural and it sort of creates a physical barrier that prevents acid from going up).

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