Long term PPI usage

[TexasT 99]

I DO have osteoporosis and have taken OTC Omeprazole since surgery 3.5 yrs ago. Last year while taking my osteoporosis meds, I didn't drink enough Water with it one day and ended up with esophageal erosion. I had a scope and afterwards the doc put me on a prescription 40mg Omeprazole. He said he was more concerned with how the lining of my stomach looked over what had happened to my esophagus.

This kind of worried me a bit as I never had an issue with reflux or heartburn pre-sleeve. So all I can assume is that this problem is sleeve related and I will probably be on these meds the rest of my life.

[aliekat55 157]

I was told that the sleeve is a high pressure environment and that it will increase, albeit slightly, the predisposition to reflux. But of course so do spicy foods, milk products, fatty foods, alcohol, smoking and possibly caffeine, tight clothing and laying flat.

What i do is take it every other day and if that works then i take it once a week. when it flares up ( in a month or three) then I start over.

I lived with reflux before they invented any of these meds and it was horrible, i dont mind being on them and dealing with whatever problems may or may not come up.

alex

[courtoomp 107]

You can always try taking the PPI every other day. This is what my mom, who has osteoporosis, does. That combined with her mineral infusions she has actually gained bone mass.

I worry about taking the PPIs daily, but alas without my daily Prevacid I am miserable by noon even if I have eaten no stereotypically acid-producing foods or drinks.

As for the magnesium, it is a scary proposition right?! The osteoporosis and low magnesium levels are both seen with long term use (>1 year), but the osteoporosis risk is more elevated with high dose PPIs. As far as I know the magnesium issues aren't dose dependent. I am all for the less meds the better, so why not discussing with your doctor going to every other day or even doing a PPI-free trial? You won't get esophageal damage being off the meds for a couple weeks. Those problems typically come after a decent period of time with esophageal exposure to acid.

[Molly3 495]

Thanks everyone for all this great info and thank you to Fiddleman for posting this topic!

HUGS-

Molly

[colcol 128]

I was sleeved last Friday my doc told me to continue Prilosec for at least 6 months after

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[lsereno 2,525]

My Bariatric Program Dr. wants me back on a PPI because the rheumatoid arthritis meds I take are ulcer-inducing. I've been avoiding it because my RA Dr. said the risk of ulcer is very low and I didn't need to take the PPI.

I asked the Bariatric Dr. about side effects from the PPI and she said we already have those effects because 85% of our stomach is gone and while it's true nutrients are generally absorbed in our intact intestinal track, studies have shown many VSG patients require Vitamin and Calcium supplementation.

Here's a recent study I found that discusses the issue:

http://bariatrictimes.com/approaches-to-providing-nutritional-guidance-after-vertical-sleeve-gastrectomy-do-we-consider-the-vsg-as-purely-restrictive-or-something-more/

Lynda