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mikejjb123 avatar

PPI use and side effects

Digestive Health | Last Active: Sep 22, 2022 | Replies (96)

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A side effect of Omeprazole is diarrhea. A side effect of Rabeprazole is gas. What pre/probiotic would your suggest taking to combat these symptoms? Or would it be better to take something else for acid reflux?

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Replies to "A side effect of Omeprazole is diarrhea. A side effect of Rabeprazole is gas. What pre/probiotic..."

Yogurt or Kefir that contains L rhamnosus.

The Greek yogurt that I eat makes the problem even worse. Perhaps I am lactose intolerant.

Diarrhea is ONE side effect of omeprazole. I had that, and discovered rather late in the game that I also had chronic kidney disease and osteoporosis. You may want to ask your doctor to monitor you for other side effects. For example testing your EGFR will give you good insight into your kidney function, and rating as to whether you are in the reference range for kidney function, or in the CKD range. You may want to get a DEXA scan, though be aware if you are found to have low density then you are confronted with the choice of whether to take another med, or not. Recent articles reported that researchers are seeing a link between PPIs and dementia. My gastroenterologist doesn't believe that PPIs have these side effects, but my kidney function improved once I stopped omeprazole. I have started taking famotidine, an H2 blocker which isn't as powerful as a PPI. I read on the box not to take the drug if one has kidney disease. Why would the manufacturer warn that if these acid suppressors didn't affect the kidneys? Some people are on them for a lifetime with no problems. I always suggest monitoring for the side effects, though. My own path is to get off the medication completely. I am working toward staying on a low-acid, low-fat diet (there are FB groups with recipes based on the work of Dr. Aviv and Dr. Koufman), sleeping with my head elevated, chewing gum to increase saliva while I am exercising or after eating to aid in digestion, things like that. As for your original question, I don't take a probiotic anymore and have no idea which are best for your problem. All I know is the diarrhea stopped after I stopped omeprazole. In my case, I had trouble once I did stop the drug, eventually developing SIBO-like symptoms and needing to do the FODMAP elimination diet for a few weeks. Good luck on your journey to improve your gut health.

Thank you so much for this information about omeprezole. I took it for a year and during that time I had diarrhea littetally every day, except one day when I ate fried chicken. My doctor told me to do the FODMAT elimination. After trying all foods, I finally stopped diarrhea by eliminating omeprezole. I stopped omeprezole and changed doctors. The next doctor put me on rabeprazolr. Then the gas started. My doctor said it was not a medical problem and I should get a dog.
Not funny! I am working to get off Rebaprezole on my own now and trying famotidine. My GP is no help. What kind of professional would know more? Dietition, nutritionist, gastroenterologist?

How did you find a functional medical doctor?

Find a Holistic doctor/integrated medicine doctor. Google these types of doctors in you area and make sure you get at least a 4* from whichever one you choose.

Thank you!

Not a rant to me. Thank you for the information. When I complained to my GP doctor about gas, he said that flatulance is not a medical problem and I should get a dog to blame for the odor. I have heard so many bad stories. The ppi instructions say to take them for 2 weeks. I am on my second year and my doc says to keep taking them. Ugh! Thank you for sharing your experience.