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.
First let me say, that I do know PPIs are very bad for us. I would love to get off of them but am not sure how to tell when would be the best time. I have been on Lansoprazole (omeprazole) for little over 14 months now. I did try to wean myself off of them, but weaned off too fast and got the acid bang of a lifetime. So I reverted back to them. I was on 30 mg twice daily but was getting pains, which I confused for hunger pains, at around the 7-8 hour mark from taking my first PPI, so I decided to take 3 a day at around the 7-8 hour mark. I remove some of the beads so I get approximately 20 msgs per dose 3 times a day for the last 3 days and clearly it has helped a lot! Problem is Lanzoprazole causes me extreme dizziness, anxiety, heart palpitations, blacking out etc. Although, since this new diet, some of the symptoms are not as bad.
I do not know how to tell when I should get off of them or if I need them period. I have a doctors appointment on Wednesday so I would like to know if I should instead ask for an H2 Blocker instead of a newer PPI? If I do change to only an H2 Blocker would I still get the sharp pains and acid build up like I did when I stopped PPIs? Should I go to a newer version of PPIs and slowly wean off as soon as I get them, like take 20 mls 3 times a day for a week. Second week take 15mg three times a day. Third week take 10 mgs, three times a day. Then take one 10 mg every day for a week etc? If so what is the best recommended PPI with the least amount of side effects? Or should I just go straight onto H2 blockers? If I should go onto blockers instead, which would be the recommended best with least amount of side effects? I seriously can not do the dizziness, anxiety and blacking out anymore. I feel like I am dying when it happens and I have two young children who I can not do anything with when. I am feeling this way.
Thanks for your time. Take care,
Jenay
I do not know how to tell when I should get off of them or if I need them period. I have a doctors appointment on Wednesday so I would like to know if I should instead ask for an H2 Blocker instead of a newer PPI? If I do change to only an H2 Blocker would I still get the sharp pains and acid build up like I did when I stopped PPIs? Should I go to a newer version of PPIs and slowly wean off as soon as I get them, like take 20 mls 3 times a day for a week. Second week take 15mg three times a day. Third week take 10 mgs, three times a day. Then take one 10 mg every day for a week etc? If so what is the best recommended PPI with the least amount of side effects? Or should I just go straight onto H2 blockers? If I should go onto blockers instead, which would be the recommended best with least amount of side effects? I seriously can not do the dizziness, anxiety and blacking out anymore. I feel like I am dying when it happens and I have two young children who I can not do anything with when. I am feeling this way.
Thanks for your time. Take care,
Jenay
Sometimes we can feel a lot worse when we take more than when we take just enough.
Perhaps the best thing to do is ask your doc for what he feels is best for weaning off. H2s work in a different way than ppi meds, so moving to them sounds good but it just sets you up to need to get off them eventually. I don't have an easy answer for you, I'm sorry. I weaned off my prevacid very slowly. Much like you I made the dosage smaller. It took about 3 months and I couldnt have done it if I hadn't followed a strict food intolerance diet and started to use an herbal stomach med. Both these things and the very slow removal of the meds helped me finally get off ppi meds after 16 years.
Both are ppi meds here's a list for you:
http://www.pshpgeorgia.com/files/2011/08/PPI-Quick-Reference-Drug-List-091411.pdf
Honestly I don't know what the new ones are, I think Dexilant is newer? Others here will know if they are taking it.
Yes, Zantac is an h2 (histamine) blocker.
They work in different ways. PPI meds stop or slow production of acid. H2 blockers work on the same type of system as something like benadryl would for regular allergies, by blocking the reaction in your system to what makes acid.
So, since they work in different ways, really they give you both usually because they are throwing things at it as this is not an exact science. Then generally they take you off one or the other and see what happens and it gives them a better idea what's causing the trouble. But either way you'll have some backlash with dropping them, the H2 backlash just isn't as bad...but it's not like the h2s are just a more gentle form of ppi, they are different meds.
Sorry I don't know more about the newer meds, I was a pharmacy tech for years but have been out of it for a long time so the new ones are lost on me.....