Menopause Matters Forum

Menopause Discussion => Other Health Discussion => Topic started by: Bobidy on December 28, 2019, 09:34:58 AM

Title: Omeprazole Success?
Post by: Bobidy on December 28, 2019, 09:34:58 AM
Hi

Apologies, I'm still banging on about acid reflux!

I've tried diet, wedge pillow, basically everything I can do to help myself which sometimes works sometimes doesn't. I'm struggling with sleep, can't do full yoga moves and sick of the acidy feeling.

I've been on Ranitidine for a couple of weeks which are doing absolutely nothing!

I'm going to succumb to PPIS but I'm concerned about long term use and risk of osteoporosis, malabsorption of calcium B12 and magnesium etc. I'm already borderline osteopenia and have suffered in the past with low B12.

For those of you on the damned PPIS do you take supplements? I take D3, Omega 3 and B complex. Do you know if PPIS stop you absorbing the supplements? I can't find any info about it online.

Thanks x
Title: Re: Omeprazole Success?
Post by: CLKD on December 28, 2019, 09:42:28 AM
Nope and nope.

For short-term use this medication is good.  Some have to take it for ages++.

I used 'rennies' successfully for years.  However, I developed an irritating clearing-throat issue which DH told me was liking 'living in a TB Hospital' !  So I went to my GP in October who sent me for a chest X-ray - clear - and prescribed Omeprazole.  Twice a day.  The cough cleared within 3 weeks.  Reflux went in 3 days.

I think that getting symptoms under control is important then review?  It never crossed my mind about absorption.  I am already on several medications to keep me upright  ;)

Next month I drop to 1 in the evening.  Wait and Watch?
Title: Re: Omeprazole Success?
Post by: CLKD on January 08, 2020, 04:04:25 PM
I stopped the morning capsule and within 2.5 days the irritating cough was back.  So now take what was initially prescribed: 1 at night, 1 at breakfast.
Title: Re: Omeprazole Success?
Post by: Taz2 on January 10, 2020, 10:20:47 AM
I am on Omeprazole 20mg and have been for the past year due to a hiatus hernia. Some of you may remember that I posted about my reluctance to start them, mainly being scared of the side effects, but it has changed my life in that I no longer get any feelings of heartburn or reflux. It's so lovely not to be woken up in the night choking on stomach acid and feeling so nauseous. I don't take any supplements and haven't had any blood tests as yet to check for levels of B12 as my GP didn't think it necessary but I'll ask again in a few months as it does seem to be important?

One thing which I think is extremely important is to have the reasons for reflux checked out so you know why you are experiencing it. Although the idea of gastroscopy isn't pleasant it can show whether the problem is caused by something like a hiatus hernia or something more serious. By the time I was brave enough to have the tests my oesophagus was very ulcerated which can lead to the development of cancer. I would obviously prefer not to take anything but having lost two friends to oesophageal cancer and two more going through treatment for it at the moment I feel it's better for me. I'd also say that for those who are worried by the idea of a gastroscopy opt for sedation - the first one I didn't and got through that ok. The second one we had to stop as it was too uncomfortable so the next time I asked for sedation and it was so easy.

Taz x

Title: Re: Omeprazole Success?
Post by: Kathleen on January 10, 2020, 12:57:10 PM
Hello ladies.

I don't have any experience to share but I thought that I would mention the possible role of diet in acid reflux.
I think Dr Greger's site NutritionFacts.Org has some information on it. I think the view is that fatty animal products are difficult to digest because they stay in the stomach for a long time and this puts pressure on the valve at the top of the stomach.  This information may not be relevant to many of you but I thought it was worth a mention.

Wishing you all well.

K.
Title: Re: Omeprazole Success?
Post by: CLKD on January 10, 2020, 02:08:46 PM
Hi Taz I think of you every time I swallow my capsules  :D which have a strange odour.

Gums and tooth enamel can be affected by constant vomiting i.e. if someone suffers bulimia.  I have in the past had reflux into my mouth with excess saliva which is awful, I have had to sit up most of the night.  Now I am taking medication regularly, that has gone away.

Paternal Gran swore by bicarb for many things including burns.  Why is Gaviscon Advance burning the throat though Avalon  :-\ surely that defeats the point?  'rennies' were enough until I had that irritating daily cough and clearing of throat which is why I went to the GP.  Chest X-ray clear.

Title: Re: Omeprazole Success?
Post by: CLKD on February 14, 2020, 05:48:33 PM
I didn't swallow my Omeparzole last night and the irritating cough is back. 

No reflux though.  No waking in the early hours thinking symptoms might be a heart attack  ::).  I did try to drop it to 1 capsule in the morning but it wasn't any help.

I never had problems with aniseed balls ;-).  Unless I breath in, sharply  :o.  I don't like lamb to eat.  Not keen on peppermint though was given peppermint tea for heart burn after surgery when the gut was empty.  Don't drink alcohol: Coke and black tea regularly every day.  Chocolate, it would take a Brave Man to separate me from a bar  ;)

How's you been Avalon?
Title: Re: Omeprazole Success?
Post by: CLKD on February 15, 2020, 09:59:13 AM
Morning!  10.00 a.m. here

Chewing gums gives I wind  ;D
Title: Re: Omeprazole Success?
Post by: CLKD on February 15, 2020, 10:12:25 AM
Ovaltine  :sick02:  ;D

My Mum - now 93 - was a Member of the Ovaltiney Club of Gt Britain  ;)
Title: Re: Omeprazole Success?
Post by: CLKD on February 15, 2020, 01:22:02 PM
It's malt I think ?

Can't stand it but in the War it was probably welcome as a change.
Title: Re: Omeprazole Success?
Post by: CLKD on February 16, 2020, 09:29:07 AM
My Mum used to drink this malt-based drink.  She was born in the 1920s B4 chocolate became sweet of the day ;-)

Ovaltine is malt based:


Type   Malted dairy drink
Manufacturer   Associated British Foods or licensees

(Nestl? in the United States)

Country of origin   Switzerland

Introduced   1904; 116 years ago

Variants   Chocolate Malt, Malt, Rich Chocolate

Related products   Hot chocolate, Nesquik, Horlicks, Yoo-hoo

Ovaltine (Ovomaltine) is a brand of milk flavoring product made with malt extract (except in the blue packaging in the United States), sugar (except in Switzerland), and whey. Some flavors also have cocoa. Ovaltine, a registered trademark of Associated British Foods, is made by Wander AG, a subsidiary of Twinings, which acquired the brand from Novartis in 2002,[1] except in the United States, where Nestl? acquired the rights separately from Novartis.


Now I have an ear-worm - 'we are the Ovaltines ......... '
Title: Re: Omeprazole Success?
Post by: CLKD on March 03, 2020, 10:19:59 AM
I have background chest pain  :-\ like I've lifted a heavy box.  I haven't taken the medication for 4 days as I was getting short and wondered if I still require it.  The cough is back within 9 hours of not swallowing a capsule  :(
Title: Re: Omeprazole Success?
Post by: Tc on March 03, 2020, 01:45:45 PM
Omprazole is brilliant for my reflux.  It does lower my b12 and folic acid though which then has to be treated.

Gastrologist told me it can affect IBS. And when I had to stop it for 2 weeks prior to gastroscopy my bowel was the best it's been in ages.

I would like to come off it due to  the way it affects my tummy but nothing works as well for me including rantadine.  And like taz I was in agony with reflux before I went on it.

As sparkle says. The rebound is harsh.  I have found it hard to come off it after 4 years.  But I'm down to 20mg every other day now.  Which is a compromise. And still keeps reflux under decent control  though not as good as daily. Which completely erradicated it.

 CLKD.  If you want to see how you get on without it and your on 20mg then maybe try alternate mornings.

X

Title: Re: Omeprazole Success?
Post by: CLKD on March 03, 2020, 02:03:56 PM
I did wean it for a week ......... sorry I wasn't clear was I  :-\

I need to reorder my script so will add a note to it - I was taking 1 at night, 1 in the morning but it isn't enough.   :thankyou:
Title: Re: Omeprazole Success?
Post by: CLKD on March 03, 2020, 02:08:27 PM
Can't remember as the packet is in another room  ::).  I will try to have a look-see later.
Title: Re: Omeprazole Success?
Post by: Tc on March 03, 2020, 02:20:46 PM
Sparkle yes it is a juggling act. I'm a rubbish juggler. 😬
 The  lowering of acid impacts further down the digestive system. The gastrologist said ppis are notorious for it  I suppose that is why we then have the knock on effect of low b12.

As for low b12 . I'm a bit mixed up about what is causing which symptom at moment with me so I will go by what happened when it went low a couple times on omprazole before I went into surgical meno.  I had fatigue, tingling in hands and feet and around my mouth. My hair had started to shed too but I'm not 100% sure that was related.  When it went very low I  felt a bit short of breath too.  Similar symptoms for folic acid .

I do get symptoms even when it's in normal range but still low within that.  I keep having to wait for it to fall into red before doc will treat and even then it only stays up temporarily.

I've not attempted to keep levels raised by taking a continual supplement. So that might be a good idea.

Being as you have diverticulitis would you be able to get a b12 injection?

X
Title: Re: Omeprazole Success?
Post by: Tc on March 03, 2020, 08:25:19 PM
Sparkle I was told to stop any  b12 and folic supplements before blood test. To get an accurate reading. 

This is from an article entitled "The mechanism for omprazole induced vit b12 deficiency. "

Quote "Therefore, since omeprazole only impairs the absorption of protein bound vitamin B12 from animal-derived dietary sources, the use of free or unbound vitamin B12 (such as cyanocobalamin) are not affected and can be safely used to correct the vitamin B12 deficiency especially if the patient cannot stop taking the omeprazole."end quote.

So seems to answer the original question that you  poseed. Bobidy About whether supplements will be absorbed.  (Cyanocobalamin is what my doc gives me,).

But there is the diareah factor. If you constantly have it as my wife did with chrohns disease then absorption of vits, minerals and  will be affected. .  She was on b12 injections for that reason.

Xx
Title: Re: Omeprazole Success?
Post by: Zowie on July 22, 2020, 08:22:04 AM
Hi ladies

I've really enjoyed reading this thread. I'm 48 and well into peri judging by all of the weird symptoms I've been having recently  (which I'm obviously worrying about ridiculously).  At the end of January I had a temperature and dry cough for a week (not covid-19 apparently as it was too early for the UK but who knows).  Following that I had the awful throat clearing and mucus that people have described with acid reflux and chest pains but at the time I thought it was related to coughing as it was a really savage cough.  My GP prescribed 20mg of omeprazole which worked really well and I then asked to drop to 10mg as I'd read horror stories about omeprazole and acid backlash when you come off it.   I've been on 10mg for a couple of months now and I've started getting chest pain and pain in my shoulder blade and the mucus has started creeping back up again.  Before this I rarely had heartburn but did get a bit of acid regurgitation now and again.  I had an endoscopy 15 years ago which was all normal but I've just worried that such painful chest symptoms can happen with acid reflux.  Has anyone else tried to reduce their omeprazole dose only to have issues and then restart the higher dose again?  Sorry for the waffle but I can't speak to my GP until Monday and I suppose I just wanted some reassurance that other people have had similar issues.  Thanks ladies  :)
Title: Re: Omeprazole Success?
Post by: CLKD on July 22, 2020, 12:11:39 PM
Yep.  As above.  Sometimes 1 capsule at night is enough to stop that awful clearing throat problem, I hardly did it yesterday but 2day it's a nuisance again.  I may take 1 tonight and another in the morning.

Milk of Magnesia and Rennies have helped my heartburn too.  4 me it's a lot of excess saliva and pain between the ribs in that gap, sometimes in my back but DH gives it a gentle rub to move the wind around.  I can't burp  :-\.  No pain down my arms but into my lower chin and up the sides of my face when it's severe. 
Title: Re: Omeprazole Success?
Post by: Bobidy on July 22, 2020, 02:33:50 PM
Hi all

I'm wondering about this one and I'm going to bang on about histamine again and the link between oestrogen raising histermine and vice versa.

Excess histamine is released into the stomach and gut etc and when levels get too high it causes body inflammation, reflux, IBS etc.

H2 blockers for the stomach are like hens teeth at the mo and I don't think PPIS do much if that is the cause (certainly not in my experience, I was the same with or without them). H1 blocking antihistamines are working pretty good for me along with watching what I'm eating (lots of info around re low histermine diet). I don't want to be taking them all the time though for sure, only to calm things down. They seem to be safe and are v cheap from supermarkets so it might be worth a try? They don't reduce histermine just block the symptoms so you'd need to change diet etc too I'm afraid.

HRT is tricky to get right if histermine is a problem for you, which is v annoying!!!!!