Stopped pantoprazole After chronic stomach pain… Now Gerd is back

Also Alkaline water helps. I buy mine from Costco. At least 32 ounces of it a day. Eat 6 small meals a day instead of 3 large. Chew food well and slow. There's Reflux Gourmet that u can buy. Avoid trigger foods. Sleep using a wedge pillow. Famotidine might work. Try it once a day in the am. And if that doesn't work add another dosage at bedtime.

I know it’s terrible to live with Gerd, but those proton pump inhibitors are truly deadly. They keep your body from absorbing B12, they reduce stomach acid so your stomach can’t fight harmful bacteria and they definitely erode bone mass. And also, it’s very common for someone to have what they call acid reflux rebound after they stop them. I don’t know what your problem is because I’m not a doctor, but I do know that as we age, we produce less stomach acid and I’ve heard of people completely eliminating their Gerd by either taking hydrochloric acid supplements. (read the directions very carefully – look online) or drinking a teaspoon to a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in water before they eat. Again, I’m not a doctor and I don’t know exactly what your issue is, but I do know from experience that those pills can be deadly. They don’t cure anything; they simply mask the symptoms. So I’m not surprised that your Gerd came back. Unfortunately, doctors aren’t great anymore at finding out the cause of the problem. I’ve been referred to a clinics that specializes in gastrointestinal issues by a person I know who had extremely good luck there with no other doctor could find out what was wrong with her, so, even though I’m nervous about traditional medicine, I’m going to go and see if they can figure anything out. Maybe you can get a referral from someone you know? Sounds like they’re not getting to the bottom of it. Again, I don’t know your situation, and I’m not trying to butt in, but Nexium and Prilosec killed my mom, and I think they should be taken off the market. I hate to hear of anyone taking them. Again, I know acid reflux is miserable, but it can sometimes go away. I began to blend all my food, and after a couple of months, my acid reflux actually did. I’m still suffering from terrible IBS, but at least it’s mostly staying down lower where it used to. I wish you good luck! It’s so miserable to have a stomachache. I’m always tired because I can’t eat enough. But I’m getting better slowly. Take care!

How did Nexium and Prilosec kill your mom? What happened?

They caused both of her hips to break. She didn’t fall and break her hip - her hip snapped, and then she hit the ground. One broke, and then a month later the other broke. Also, she had a terrible case of C. Difficile and E. coli and her body wasn’t able to fight the infections, even with antibiotics. That’s another side effect of the drugs. She was older, so that’s probably harder on her body, but the problem is your body doesn’t do well without stomach acid, and then, as I mentioned, you get the rebound effect when you try to stop. When I found out that the drugs caused osteoporosis and that people who took them were more up to break a hip, I tried to take her off them, but she had such a horrible Rebound effect that she couldn’t eat for almost a week, and I had to put her back on them. I really didn’t want to, but I didn’t know what else to do. I don’t know why they’re allowed to sell drugs that have such terrible side effects. I hope you can find something else that works for you! Good luck.

Did you just stop the PPI, or did you wean off of them? You really need to wean or you get rebound reflux. Even with weaning that may be possible. At any rate, as someone else suggested, consider taking famotidine to stop the GERD symptoms and then wean yourself off of them. Have you also made diet and lifestyle changes? If not, that could contribute to the return of GERD symptoms. ENT Jamie Koufman has a lot of good free advice on her web site. ENT Jonathan Aviv also has free advice, but you need to google to find the various platforms. There is a FB group that has a ton of recipes based on his advice, something like acidwatchers warriors diet. If I follow the whole food, low acid diet, sleep with head inclined, and use Gaviscon Advance UK version when necessary, I do as well as I did on a PPI. While weaning off PPI, I also chewed a lot of sugarless gum. that helped a lot. Good luck!

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) like omeprazole (Prilosec) or esomeprazole (Nexium) are antacid drugs often used in acid-related disorders like gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). In a 2022 paper, researchers reviewed the risks and benefits of long-term PPI use and questioned their long-term usage and concerns about a potential positive association between PPIs and osteoporotic fracture risk including the hip, spine and wrist. The safety of PPIs with respect to bone health is debated. Researchers concluded that "PPIs responsibility in the increase of fracture risk, even though considered as modest, should be taken into consideration in the management of elderly patients at risk of fragility fracture." Read more here:

- Proton Pump Inhibitors and Bone Health: An Update Narrative Review https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9504265/

It's important to keep in mind that every person will respond differently to medication. Some people may have side effects that prevent them from benefitting from a medication. However, for other people, these same medications are beneficial and may restore quality of life.

Currently there no scientific research supporting the use of diluted apple cider vinegar to help reduce symptoms of acid reflux. Apple cider vinegar is often marketed as being healthy, but there isn’t a lot of research to support anecdotal benefits like reducing acid reflux. While rare, there are also potential risks of drinking apple cider vinegar to be aware of. Read more:

-Can You Use Apple Cider Vinegar to Treat Acid Reflux? https://www.healthline.com/health/digestive-health/apple-cider-vinegar-for-acid-reflux

All information shared by members on the Mayo Clinic Connect is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding your health. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the community.
Please check with your doctor if you are concerned about your bone health related to PPIs or before trying anything new like apple cider vinegar.

I believe when you are taking a PPI and you want to stop, you are supposed to be weaned off that med, not stop it suddenly.

Yeah, that probably would’ve worked better! I thought we had a good doctor, but apparently not. They’re so hard to find these days.