I have been on Omeprazole for over 5 years now, it works well, why transition off of it? I had an esophagectomy with partial gastrectomy and a pull through for esophageal cancer at the junction. I know my anatomy is a little different, just wondered why if it is working for you.
Sue

@fatherofstickyrice, have you also had esophageal cancer? Like @susanmaa, I'd also like to understand why you wish to transition from PPI to an H2 blocker. Is your doctor suggesting this?

No, thankfully, I have not had esophageal cancer. My doctor has recommended that I transition from a PPI to an H2 blocker because of the association of long-term use of PPI's with bone density loss (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6914803/).

To help the transition I have done some other things as well:
- cut out possible triggers from my diet: chocolate, citrus, mint, fats, spicy foods. This was harder for my wife who is Thai and cooks for me.
- Reduced the size of breakfast, lunch and dinner and incorporated a morning and afternoon snack. I aimed for satisfied/not hungry but not full / stuffed. This was also difficult for my wife who always offers more.
- Made sure I did not lay down until at least 3 hours after any meal. This was difficult for me in that if I did not sleep well, I had no opportunity for a nap.
- did not exercise vigorously right after a meal
- Made sure that my phone was not at the table during meal time. Ate in a meditative way conscious of flavors and textures and swallowing.
- Elevated the head of my bed about 4 inches.

I"ve been tapering off of the PPI since 13 January. On 24 February I took my last dose. Six days later, having taken the H2 blocker morning and evening, I had a severe swallowing incident while eating cubed fresh mango. I renewed my vigilance and have not had another incident.

I've transitioned fairly well. I have occasional mild to moderate swallowing problems.

Great, to know that tranisitioning to H2 is possible. Probably going to use the weaning off approach that stickyrice mentions. The PPIs were apparently never studied for long term use and after what happended with Zantac its buyer beware. Also recent mendium term studies show an increased risk of Gastric Cancer, a chance I am not willing to take.

" Long-term use of PPIs was still associated with an increased GC (Gastric cancer) risk in subjects even after HP eradication therapy"
"The long-term use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), a class of drugs commonly used to treat acid reflux, is linked to a more than doubling in the risk of developing stomach cancer."
"After a median follow-up of 5.0 years, the use of PPIs was associated with a 45% increased risk of gastric cancer compared with the use of H2RAs"
You can google the quotes and see the links and articles

I have only been on PPI for 6 weeks and curious what long term means. Do I have to wean off if only used for this period of time. Doctor has me on for 90 days right now but uneasy about medication. Any feedback appreciated

Not sure what long term means. I was prescribed and hesitate but my doctor at the time said “we don’t worry about use until the one year mark.” I was I going to do it beyond a year. At 6 months, not feeling a lot better, I went back to my doctor. She had retired and the new doctor listened to me and contacted GI. Within two days I was scheduled for an endoscopy. Afterwards, the GI came in and told me to never take a PPI again. My digestive cells had become hypertrophic (enlarged). That was the point where I had had it with prescription drugs treating only my symptoms for a number of years. I turned to Functional Medicine, where the goal is to find the cause or causes of symptoms. I found an exceptional doctor and finally feel I’m healing.

Take a look at a book, Super Gut, by Dr. William Davis. He talks about SIBO and how to self treat. He includes a four week plan and includes recipes. It’s worth $30, on Amazon, if you’re on prescriptions and want to get off them. Prescriptions can help while you’re on them but return once off. So what’s the point if the drugs don’t heal your gut and symptoms don’t return?

You can get the recipe from the People Pharmacy webcite. It requires fresh ginger, cinnimon sticks and dried persimmons. (I got those from the "Chock Full o Nuts company".) It is quite tasty and helps with hyper acidity. Their webcite is a wealth of DIY health aides, all medically proven.