Stopping Ppi/acid Reflux Drugs (Omeprazole) Without Problems?

[Serbo]

One of my goals for 2012 (after sorting MCAD issues) is to stop or reduce my dose of Omeprazole. I am on 20mg twice a day and have been on that for probably almost 2 years now. It doesn't really seem to do much for me and i still get chest pain anyway.

As it stands I can't even miss a dose without a huge adrenaline response and a lot of nausea. when i tried to simply stop before i developed bleeding and had to be given it IV. If i forget to take it i get huge amounts of adrenaline/anxiety and the nausea follows shortly after.

I am an EDSer with slow gastric emptying and i suspect that this is really the problem. Recently had a endoscopy which was fine, biopsies also all OK, gut hormone profile show high levels of gastrin which is seen on PPI's. I have an isolated elevated liver enzyme which may be due to long term use of Omeprazole.

So I wondered has any one else been on this drug for a long time and got the same "withdrawal" symptoms, or managed to reduce dosage and stop? My Neurogastro has actually advised me to stay on it, but i really don't want to be on it long term, and certainly not on the dose i am.

P.S have read tons about people in general having problems trying to stop this drug.

Thanks

Aaron

[Katybug]

Hi Aaron,

I did not have any issues when I stopped Omeprazole. I did, at that time, switch to Nexium, so maybe just being on the other drug helped prevent any withdraw. When I stopped the Nexium, I went cold turkey and had no issues. Neither drug was working for me any longer for my GERD.

Hope you get it figured out.

Katie

[songcanary]

I recently stopped omeprazole cold turkey after using 20 mg every day for about a year. I didn't have any type of withdrawal symptoms. So far so good.

[Serbo]

Hi Aaron,

I did not have any issues when I stopped Omeprazole. I did, at that time, switch to Nexium, so maybe just being on the other drug helped prevent any withdraw. When I stopped the Nexium, I went cold turkey and had no issues. Neither drug was working for me any longer for my GERD.

Hope you get it figured out.

Katie

Thanks Katie, what do you take now for gerd?

[MightyMouse]

I've never been able to get off of a proton pump inhibitor; I started on them around age 23 or 24...and now I'm 47. I've tried several times but the heartburn and pain just got so out of control so fast that I went back on; I need nexium 2x a day in order to survive. I also am on benedryl, zyrtec and singulair every day.

[Katybug]

Serbo,

I was not taking anything and was doing pretty well. Back around April I had a bad bout of nausea/vomiting, which I get in cycles about 4 times a year, and I take promethazine during those times. The Nexium was not controlling the GERD anyway and I noticed that when I would take the promethazine daily, I would not have any of my upper GI symptoms including the GERD. (Just so you know, my GERD has always been severe. I even had an ulcerated esophagus as a child because of it.) As my nausea and vomiting came back under control and finally stopped, I noticed that the GERD was gone too. I usually take the promethazine for about 2 days after the vomiting is gone. So when I stopped the promethazine, I stopped the Nexium. The GERD has only come back during the episodes when the nausea and vomiting occur (twice since March) and both times the use of promethazine during the rough patch has been sufficient.

I just starting seeing an Immunologist that thinks that lots of my symptoms have to do with severe allergies and I think he's probably right as promethazine is an antihistamine as well as an anti-vomiting med. I really believe the promethazine probably settles some food sensitivity that has been causing the GERD. Also, the immunologist just started me on high dose cimetidine 4x/day and I noticed that that is actually making me have GERD. If I only take it 2x/day, I don't get the acid and burning feeling. I have to talk to him tomorrow about that. I have read that PPI's can actually accentuate GERD in some people when taken long term, so I am wondering if that was also part of my issue.

I know how frustrating and complicated this all is. Keep working on it. Slowly but surely, I am finding that I am making small steps in the right direction. Often they don't make sense, but who cares as long as I feel better.

Katie