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I was taking pantoprazole for over three years for Gerd and all the uncomfortable symptoms associated with it. The pantoprazole was a dream, until it wasn’t. I had lower stomach pain that would not go away. I still had no symptoms of Gerd, but my doctor was thinking possibly the pantoprazole had changed in formula. Evidently, the non-active ingredients in a med can be changed randomly. He had multiple patients complain of stomach pain and we were all taking pantoprazole. He didn’t think it wise to take me off an antacid completely so he changed me to omeprazole and the same thing happened. Guess that wasn’t my problem. We finally decided I had been on it so long, maybe I didn’t need it any longer, so I stopped taking it. That was four months ago. I’ve needed an occasional dose of Mylanta or Tums, but that was it. Well, this week I have started to have some Gerd symptoms again. I’ve woken up a few times in the middle of the night with nausea and a headache. I’ve had difficulty sleeping, which is not all that odd for me, but waking up at 2:30 and unable to go back to sleep at all. Now I’ve got the stomach discomfort again. Has anyone stopped taking a PPI because it was making you as sick as the illness you were treating? I have read Gerd returning is common, but these symptoms are slightly different. I don’t have heartburn. I have all this other middle of the night stuff instead. I’m afraid to start a PPI again, especially after reading so much about them when I stopped. I have read you can take them for 6 to 8 weeks 3-4 times a year to heal esophageal problems. Has anyone ever done this type of short term treatment? I can handle a lot, but I have to have at least five hours of sleep. Right now, I’m lucky to get that. Just in case anyone has this thought, I had an endoscopy in February of this year, so I don’t think it’s anything serious unless it’s something that came on quickly. I was prescribed medication to heal a very small ulcer that was found, which was also meant to heal the minor Gerd symptoms noticed. Any thoughts out there?
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@carolinlv I too took PPIs for 3 years and it depleted my magnesium so bad I was in danger of a heart attack or stroke. I went to the hospital with numbness and inability to use my left arm. I was critically low in blood magnesium, potassium, and calcium which I had to get via IV for 2 days. They took me off the PPI (protonix) and put me on 20 mg famotidine (pepcid/zantac) and I take an occasional tums. I have stomach inflammation, which complicates things. GERD never goes completely away. It can be managed, but the over the counter stuff is better. PPIs can be dangerous for some people on long term use. I eat small meals; less meat, more nuts and beans and legumes and hard cheeses; less sugar aiming for no sugar; more fruits and vegetables, cooked when I have a flare up; DeLallo imported whole grain pasta that has one ingredient, whole semolina wheat, which I stop with a flare-up; only 1 cup of milk per day to maintain my calcium levels along with the hard cheese. I do not eat many spices, and no garlic, onion or other alliums, only freeze-dried chives. I also don't eat and only drink water after 7 pm. I drink 2 liters of water a day. I have been able to manage the inflammation that causes my GERD. I keep 100 mg Magnesium Glycinate on hand and when my toes or feet start cramping, I take one and notify my PCP who orders a magnesium test. Oral Magnesium causes diarrhea in me, so if too low, I get an IV infusion in the emergency room and then go home. You are right to be afraid of PPIs. Change your diet, avoid acidic foods to prevent another ulcer, which probably caused the original symptoms, but you have to control the acid levels and inflammation that causes ulcers. Barring PPIs, changes in your diet and talking with a pharmacist about which of your medications may also be causing inflammation could help you with your nighttime symptoms. Alternatives might be available that a pharmacist could recommend.