Gastritis Support Group

Gastritis is a medical term for inflammation of the lining of the stomach. It means that white blood cells move into the wall of the stomach as a response to some type of injury. Gastritis has many underlying causes, from infection with the bacterium H. pylori, bile reflux, or excessive consumption of alcohol or certain foods or drugs like aspirin.

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Gastrointestinal System
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PPI question

littlemart
littlemart
I've heard so many conflicting opinions about the PPI's such as Omeprazole etc.

Do you guys see anything wrong with taking one every other day or just a couple times a week? Is this defeating the purpose? I tend to experiment with my meds and I never take as much as they tell me since I have lost so much weight. I am down to about 85 lbs and most meds are designed for "normal" size and weight people. ( I think ).

I have Osteoporosis and don't want to give my body any more reason to injure my bones. I am NOT taking Osteo meds!!
herrlehmann
herrlehmann
Did you try Zantac?
There should be no problem with Osteoporosis as far as i know.
deleted_user
deleted_user
According to guidelines PPIs are only supposed to be taken for 4-8 weeks. I would try other lifestyle changes if your gastritis is not taken care of by then.
Zantac is also causing osteoporosis. Check out this list of all medications listing osteoporosis as a side effects:
http://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/features/medication-affect-bo
Ines6375
Ines6375
I got really hungry when I started the PPI. Probably because I got relief from the pain really quickly.
Nina1959
Nina1959
If you decide to try it, there are OTC versions now that are less strong but the same med, like prevacid is 15 mg OTC and 30 RX.
littlemart
littlemart
My pharmacist recommended Previcid. And I do have Zantac. I'm a walking medicine chest.
shihonage
shihonage
You need to understand what the meds do, otherwise you're blindly doing damage to yourself.

The concept behind all acid suppressors is letting the stomach lining heal by reducing the amount of acid it has to deal with. Thus, the key to their usage is REGULARITY.

They're not something you take "when the symptoms strike you". You find something that works for you, and then take it REGULARLY.

All acid suppressors affect the body, but PPIs are more severe in this effect. Zantac is less harmful in general, and if you take sublingual methylcobalamine (B12 in absorbable form), you should be fine.
Ines6375
Ines6375
I talked to my GI doctor about lack of B12 with long usage of PPI, he told me that there is no such thing.
shihonage
shihonage
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24327038

"CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE:

Previous and current gastric acid inhibitor use was significantly associated with the presence of vitamin B12 deficiency. These findings should be considered when balancing the risks and benefits of using these medications."

Thus, say hello to my little friend:

http://www.amazon.com/Jarrow-Formulas-Methylcobalamin-5000mcg-Lozenges/dp/B0013OQGO6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407380188&sr=8-1