Weaning off PPIs (article)

[Spiky Bugger]

I guess I got really lucky.

I've been on Prevacid Solutabs forever...since the LapBand caused my reflux/GERD...so sixteen years, maybe?

I went from 30mg Solutab to a 15mg Solutab in the a.m. plus 300mg Ranitidine at night. No problem.

Now I'm taking Ranitidine a.m. and p.m., no PPIs.

I have had a few episodes of nasty acid reflux...but that always followed my forgetting to take tbe damned pills.

 

[JackieOnLine]

Now I'm taking Ranitidine a.m. and p.m., no PPIs.

I have Ranitidine and sometimes take it but I'm unclear how it works and if I should be taking it or not. is it bad but not as bad as PPIs? is it not bad at all? it's confusing.

also I originally thought fasting - or just less food - was always better for when I'm having acid reflux but now I notice it doesn't always work that way. just now, for example, I was having the slightest bit and then ate a little breakfast and it went away.

so, while I think OVER eating is always bad, I'm unclear about if eating smaller amounts or skipping meals (at work sometimes this is just practical) is always better acid-wise.

have been trying* to figure out if over-eating = acid reflux worse right away or if there is a lag time and if so, how much. like, do I get more acid mornings when I over-ate the night before? I honestly haven't figured it out yet.


*I am in a long stretch of bad insomnia, makes everything harder because it's harder to think. reading a CBT book about it and working very hard on getting a new job ASAP.

 

[southernlady]

Well, for some reason, this last week, coffee has become disagreeable. I’ve gone from a 12 oz cup to maybe 4 oz of that and yesterday morning my stomach and smeller said no after a couple of swallows. Had a caffeine headache for the last three days so may as well make the break official. So this morning I had hot tea. I know it has caffeine although not to the same degree.

Now my current issue is how to get in the fat I was ingesting with my tea. I know I can use HWC in my tea, after all, the British put milk in their tea. But that doesn’t help with the load of butter I was using as well. Guess I’m gonna be cooking in more butter, olive oil, etc from this point on. Any other ideas are welcome. And no to avocado. It’s a texture and taste thing.

Maybe I can wean down on my PPI after a week or so now.

 

[JackieOnLine]

I know I can use HWC in my tea

I hope this works out for you and that you can find a way to fit in enough fat to replace the butter.

 

[southernlady]

I’ve managed to go from 2 OTC Prevacid to one a day with no issues I do have Zantac as back up. It would be nice to come off it completely.

It seems coffee is a major trigger for me.

 

[LizJ]

Well, I'm now on every other day and doing well. I'll be at this stage for 2 weeks then on a PRN, wish me luck!

 

[JackieOnLine]

It seems coffee is a major trigger for me.

me, too, sadly.

y'all just reminded me I have had no heart burn either yesterday or today. I might just wait another week and then go down another 25% on the omeprazole.

I'm glad it's going so well with you Liz, and you Liz.

 

[Svetlana Leigh]

Hi,

I only took them for 3 months. I’ve never had any issues like acid reflux or indigestion issues. I do still keep an active prescription for “just in case” I should need them but so far I’ve not needed them. Also, I wasn’t aware that I probably should have weaned myself off of them. I just stopped taking them. I don’t recall feeling any differently. My two year anniversary was June 2018.

 

[southernlady]

Hi,

I only took them for 3 months. I’ve never had any issues like acid reflux or indigestion issues. I do still keep an active prescription for “just in case” I should need them but so far I’ve not needed them. Also, I wasn’t aware that I probably should have weaned myself off of them. I just stopped taking them. I don’t recall feeling any differently. My two year anniversary was June 2018.

I had been on PPI's since 2001/2002...

I was hoping to drop them but turns out it was my coffee addiction that was the problem.

 

[LizJ]

I had been on PPI's since 2001/2002...

I was hoping to drop them but turns out it was my coffee addiction that was the problem.

I'm worried that my coffee addiction will be a problem as well... As I sip my second large coffee of the day.

 

[southernlady]

I'm worried that my coffee addiction will be a problem as well... As I sip my second large coffee of the day.

Start by dropping to one coffee. When the time is right, you may decide to drop that one but if not, you will have cut it back.

 

[LizJ]

Start by dropping to one coffee. When the time is right, you may decide to drop that one but if not, you will have cut it back.

I have two days a month where I have to have two cups of coffee and normally I only have one cup on the weekends. So, I’ll start trying to drop down to one cup a day for all the other days.

 

[JackieOnLine]

it's not easy, I can tell you that. I have decaf most mornings and one cup of regular about once a week but almost every day I am tempted to have more. a little headache? tired? unhappy? something to celebrate? my brain says have some COFFEE

 

[southernlady]

I was lazy yesterday, didn’t want to dig out a new bottle of Prevacid buried behind a chair that had much stored on it and under it. So went without yesterday. Other than a bit of mild bit of uncomfortable for about an hour last night, I survived without a PPI. No issues during the night and while I try to sleep propped on a pillow, I tend to snuggle down and end up laying almost flat. One would think if it would flair, that would have been the trigger but woke up feeling fine.

Still haven’t dug them out yet. I’ll see how it goes today.

 

[JackieOnLine]

excellent news!

I am stuck down 25% of the dose and still having to take a bunch of tums at least maybe 1 out of 3 days. I hope it's starting to get better but not sure.