Proton Pump Inhibitor - Omazeprole page

[thaijinx]

I'm trying to help my mum out with her diet by introducing her to a more healthy grain free / primal way of eating. She suffers from all kinds of health problems including: IBS, High-Blood pressure and low thyroid and is medicated accordingly for all three.

She also has arthritis, has had a stomach ulcer, and gets bad headaches. She is popping pain killers along with all her other medications. Getting her to give up her pills has proven quite difficult as she believes that she needs them. However, I have been slowly weaning her off the high-blood pressure pill (taking her blood pressure every day has shown her that she doesn't need them.)

And I'm an now beginning to look at reducing the Proton pump inhibitor (omazeprole). She says that it helps with the IBS symptoms (which had gotten really bad). So, I'm a bit worried that her symptoms might return.

I'm no doctor, and I'm not seeking medical advice from you guys, but if anyone has any thoughts relating directly to reducing/coming off proton pump inhibitors and IBS, I would greatly appreciate it.

[oxide]

I'm not a doctor either, but I take omeprazole (Prilosec). The PPI action treats acid reflux in the stomach. What does this have to do with IBS, which is generally lower intestine?!?

Please take her to the doctor to adjust dosage of medication, don't mess with it yourself. Besides, wouldn't she be more willing to give up the pills if that advice came from her doctor?

[MollyMoo]

I too had daily headaches, IBS, reflux, very high blood pressure (no meds) - within about a week of going low carb (no grains), it all disappeared. Dr Tim Jackson has a good youtube vid on prilosec - check it and good luck.

[PrimalPam]

Ahhh, my mother is almost in the same situation. Won't quit the Omeprazole because it does so well controlling her GERD, but when I mention a lower-carb, less grainy diet, she eschews it due to the fact (her fact) that "diabetics need carbs". Sheesh.

I was having terrible GERD and terrible difficulty swallowing food, to the point of regurgitation. An Upper Endoscopy showed Eosiniphilic Esophagitis, which led to my GI to recommend Omeprazole (this was all pre-Paleo). Sure enough, the Omeprazole stopped the GERD right in its tracks, and my swallowing improved. Problem was, I gained about 10 lbs. right in the middle, in about 2 weeks. Did the research, and they now say that 60% of PPI users develop osteoporosis. Which explains why my mother is now shopping for a walker and continually falls in the tub. Still, she won't listen.

I did tons of research, began LC, and finally truly began Paleo. GERD=Gone. Difficulty swallowing=gone. Took about 4-6 weeks after going off the Omeprazole for the 10 lbs. weight gain to finally go away. I KNEW the weight gain was due to the Omeprazole, as I am a hip & thigh & bust weight carrier. I've always maintained a smaller waist, despite the fact that I currently weigh 154.8 lbs. I looked like I was pregnant, and nothing would button.

I believe that Paleo has calmed my inflammation, which allowed food to pass through my esophagus more easily, and the lack of grains has stopped the reflux of acid. I've also noticed that my nose, which has ALWAYS been stuffy at night (I used to go through a box of those BreatheRight strips a month), is clear and it's easy to breathe through my nose, even though I'm a stomach sleeper (with head turned). So I KNOW my inflammation all over my body must be healing.

Is it possible to get your mom to do a 30-day "no grains" experiment? It's not possible for me, as my mother refuses to believe, as a Type 2 diabetic, that she can live without grains. I keep trying to explain to her that veggies & fruit have carbs; she can get her daily needs that way. But she's so proud of the fact that she moved to whole grains as a "healthier choice" years ago, and not willing to give it up.

[fastersteve]

Also, curiously, the symptoms of too much acid and too little acid are identical...

Omeprozole is slowly poisoning you, do a google search for reported side effects, it's scary.

I took it for 2 years because Dr's don't tell you that it shouldn't be taken for more than 2 weeks...I was soooo sick that the wife and I were both pretty sure I was dying. Within 2 days of stopping the Omeprozole I felt markedly better. By reducing the stomach acid, you also reduce your body's ability to digest and absorb food - not very primal.

I had horrible heartburn at first until I started taking Betaine HCL, which is stomach acid in a pill. I felt relief the first day, ramped dosage up then down over about 2 weeks and no longer take either med as my stomach seems quite happy now!

Here's the first result of a google, I have no affiliation with it.

Betaine HCL supports the stomach's production of hydrochloric acid and protein digestion

Good luck!

[Primalest]

I actually write a fair bit about GERD in my blog as I'm trying to pull myself off the PPIs.

The one worry about pulling her off the PPIs is if her GERD starts acting up seriously, irreversible damage could be done to her esophagus. This is the type of thing that needs to be seriously monitored, because if treated ineffectively, it can cause serious disease (a very deadly type of cancer). If you are going to try to pull her off the PPIs anyway, the way to go is with a betaine hcl and pepsin supplement. I also think you might want to see a doctor who is knowledgeable in this type of thing. Personally, I couldn't find a gastroenterologist with an open mind so I went to see a naturopath.

What is her thyroid problem? It seems that most people on thyroid meds really just need to be taking an iodine supplement.

I'm also shocked that the ppi helps with her IBS. When I hear IBS I usually think of a hidden grain or dairy intolerance. Ask her to eat grain or dairy free for a week and see how she does. I wonder if the PPI helps with an intolerance by keeping her from digesting the food enough for it to bother her intestines. Pure speculation.