Proton Pump Inhibitors (Pantoprazole)

[Rey1989]

Hello everyone!

Merry Christmas first of all!

I’ve been taking Pentoprazole for 1 year now to treat esophagitis and I think im developing some side effects:

1) Joint Pain. My femur hurts really bad where it meets my hip and my right shoulde has been hurting quite a bit also
2) Really bad back pain. Feels like i got hit by a truck every day
3) Anxiety and depression. It was there before, but it has gotten worse over the last year.

This could be caused by other things, but I’ve seen these symptoms are also side effects of long term usage of this drug.

Has anybody experienced something similar? Could these symptoms be caused by pentoprazole?

Thanks for reading

Rey

[Fishmanpa]

Both my wife and I take it for reflux, Been on it for around 3 years now. No side effects other than barely any reflux :)

Positive thoughts

[Rey1989]

Hi Fishmanpa

Thanks!

I forgot to mention that I also now have difficulty staying asleep, insomnia turns out is another side effect of this drug.

Im just concerned that these are all side effects of pantoprazole, since i didnt have any of them before i started taking it.

If anybody else has anything to say about this I’d love to hear it.

Thanks,

Rey

[ankietyjoe]

There is plenty of evidence to suggest that PPI's aren't good long term. The main reason appears to be the reduction in stomach acid, and the resulting reduction in nutrient absorption.

I now take apple cider vinegar for reflux, which has cured it almost 100%, with zero side effects.

[Rey1989]

Thank you.

That exactly what I’ve been told. That joint pain is due to the lack of calcium absorbtion, amongst other nutrients and vitamins. Like I said, its been 1 whole year... i’ll consult with my dr in the new year when I get around seeing him.

Rey

[ankietyjoe]

Well acid reflux appears to be caused by too little acid in the stomach, not too much. PPI's reduce that even further by stopping the stomach creating even more acid, causing the issues. Adding apple cider vinegar to your diet actually stops the reflux by causing the sphincter responsible for escaping acid to sense there's enough acid in the stomach, and therefore it needs to shut.

Obviously you need to check these facts for yourself before consulting with your doctor, but your symptoms appear to be speaking for themselves.

[Rey1989]

Well acid reflux appears to be caused by too little acid in the stomach, not too much. PPI's reduce that even further by stopping the stomach creating even more acid, causing the issues. Adding apple cider vinegar to your diet actually stops the reflux by causing the sphincter responsible for escaping acid to sense there's enough acid in the stomach, and therefore it needs to shut.

Obviously you need to check these facts for yourself before consulting with your doctor, but your symptoms appear to be speaking for themselves.


Yes I have heard about the benefits of apple cider. How would you take it?

Rey

[ankietyjoe]

I take a couple of tablespoons in a glass of water, twice a day.

[countrygirl]

If the acid reflux is caused by hiatus hernia then apple cider vinegar can for some reason make it worse. This is me. I take older h2 inhibitor drug that does not have all the problems of ppi but drs always prescribe the cheaper ppi

[Fishmanpa]

There is plenty of evidence to suggest that PPI's aren't good long term.

I spoke to three doctors about this when it started going around in the news (my GP, my Cardiologist and my Radiation Oncologist at Johns Hopkins). All three equated it to the media sensationalizing it. It's like any drug commercial. At least here in the States, a one minute drug commercial will talk about how it can help control (fill in the blank) illness for 20 seconds and spend the next 40 seconds talking about side effects. "It will help control your Rheumatoid Arthritis... (may cause anal leakage :ohmy:)"

It's really a big picture kind of thing. Do the positives outweigh the negatives? Can you actually be self disciplined enough to follow a strict diet to prevent GERD/reflux without the medication? There are risks and benefits to just about every pill out there. You should see the list of meds I take! The potential side effects would cause some to melt down here. But other than a few low BP episodes, I'm good ;)

Positive thoughts

[ServerError]

I also asked my doctor about the risks of PPI medication. His answer was that he can't say too much about it because the research is new and more will need to be carried out. He said that there does seem to be evidence of potential dangers with PPIs, but that he's been prescribing them for 25 years and never had a patient with a serious illness that could directly be attributed to them. He said that, ideally, he would like to take me off them at some point, but if I'm benefiting from them, then it's about weighing the benefits against the risks.

I'm continuing to take them and I'm fine with that.

[ankietyjoe]

80% of your immune system resides and operates in your gut.

PPI's are fundamentally changing the way you can digest, process and absorb nutrients.

If you want to find research for and against claims that PPI's are potentially not desirable long term, you can find research to back up both sides of the argument.

But, 80% of your immune system IS located in your gut.

For me, a holistic approach is always more desirable than a medication, except when a medication is all that will help.

But as Fishmanpa correctly pointed out, sometimes people don't have the willpower or discipline to really research options and actually make the effort to take care of themselves. In those cases, better the devil you know, maybe.

[ServerError]

I wouldn't dispute any of that.

Personally, I think I do have the discipline. But I only recently made the decision to address my reflux after ignoring it for a long time. So I'm on the PPI for now, but I don't want it to be a long-term thing if I can avoid it.

[pulisa]

My surgery is aware of the link to bone density problems if on PPIs for more than a year.

[Rey1989]

Thank you all for contributing with this post.

Due to the holidays, my drs appointment is due on Jan 9th. So i’ll have to wait to discuss these issues with him until then. If I have to develop strict eating habits to control my acid production without the need for medication, i’ll do it. In fact, i am making small changes that should add up over time.

Like Fishmanpa said, there are benefits and dangers associated with any drug, but I consider myself to be way too young to be on a long term drug to treat something that could be drastically improved with a healthy diet.

I wish the medical system would try to actually fix the problem instead of prescribing “treatments” that should be considered last resource if everything else fails.

At 28 I never had joint pains before taking this medication, and now, a year later i can notice the difference. Pains everywhere for no reason. No injuries no nothing. Could it be something else? Sure. Could it be a side effect of taking this PPI for a year non stop? You bet. I’ve been researching online and there seems to be tons of people developing some type of bone pain after being on this med long term.

Thanks once again for replying to my thread. Happy holidays.

Rey

[Mindprison]

I'm one of the cases where it can be argued that PPI treatment (Omeprazole) is the ONLY treatment that is available to me. I know for a fact that without Omeprazole I would be in agony much like I was before treatment started.

My reflux was so bad it started when I was 10 and by the time I got treatment it was too late, the flap between the stomach and gullet had completely melted and I was getting overflow into my throat and mouth that caused blisters and burns. I was put on a strict diet for over a year and it didn't make a blind bit of difference. No matter what I ate, how much or how little of it, I was in agony. Eventually they caved and put me on 2 omeprazole a day. It helped, but I still had tremendous pain in my stomach and so I was sent for an endoscopy.

After the procedure the surgeon told me I should have seen them years before and that my options were either:

1. Invasive surgery to replace the flap, that would only last 10 years before eroding again due to the overproduction of stomach acid.

2. Take 4 Omeprazole a day for a year followed by 2 a day indefinitely until better treatment can become available.

That was 12 years ago and i'm still on them. I'm double jointed and get a lot of problems with my joints anyway but I can't say that Omeprazole has made them worse in those 13 years.

I do suffer from deficiencies now and them, mostly iron and folic acid, but i'd rather get my blood checked and go on supplements now and then than have to deal with the agonizing pain my reflux causes me if I don't take them.

It's true that later down the line, the omeprazole will most likely cause some of the problems that I think everyone knows are linked to PPIs. But for me, that's a risk I have to take.

Didn't mean to make this all about me, but thought it might be useful to give some insight on my rather long experience with PPIs.

I suppose that's what it all comes down to really. Pros and cons. Do the benefits of taking this medication outweigh the negatives that could affect me in a year or 40 years from now?

I suppose I get a bit frustrated when I see a new doctor and they try to take me off them without realizing just how much I had to go through in my youth and say "Oh have you tried natural remedies to your heartburn?" or "Have you tried gaviscon?"

Let's just say that there are some choice words I would like to say to them sometimes that would make my mother very angry :D

[pulisa]

Have you ever been offered a Nissen's fundoplication or is that the invasive surgery you referred to?

[Mindprison]

It was a long time ago so I don't remember if the actual name of the surgery was given to me, I was only told that it was invasive and what it involved but i'm assuming that it probably was Nissen's fundoplication. I had too many other problems going on at that time to even consider surgery anyway so I suppose I reasoned that Omeprazole was the lesser of the two evils. At that moment, I just wanted my life back, the pills were doing something and that was enough for me to actually feel like I was in control again. A first since before my teens! :yesyes:

[pulisa]

My son was born without an oesophagus and when he was born the Nissen's surgery was just being introduced at Great Ormond Street for children plagued by reflux. You've obviously been through the mill and if the PPIs can give you a decent quality of life then stay on them and I'm sure you will be carefully monitored by your doctors.

[Mindprison]

Medicine is improving all the time and i'm almost certain in the near future there will be a much better alternative. My practice actually did clinical trials for some new drug for reflux very recently so that's encouraging.

It's actually quite astonishing how many people I know that are on PPIs and have been for quite some time and many of them I would say don't even really need them.

[pulisa]

I know. They can be doled out like sweets by some GPs when they really aren't needed.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I know. They can be doled out like sweets by some GPs when they really aren't needed.

Yep, my dad's GP just gave them out without even considering diet and he's been on them years without any follow up. My GF, at another surgery, was only allowed a month then came off and went back on them for a short time until they found it was actually something not in anyway related or even treatable by these meds and only surgery was an option.

Sadly, very cheap generic meds seem tempting for GP's. It makes you wonder how many millions a year we lose in taxes...the cash strapped NHS, eh? :doh:

I think when you become elderly they just throw meds at people without trying. It's one of many occasions meds are first or only resort with my parents when there are other forms of treatment.

[poppy77]

I've been on PPIs since January 2016 and am gradually trying to wean myself off them. I've a small hiatus hernia caused by having three big babies and it was six months after having my daughter that I ended up with horrendous reflux causing health anxiety which made stomach acid worse. Doctors put me on a double dose to quickly sort out reflux and bring my extreme anxiety over it under control. I'm now on 10mg of Esomeprazole a day (I bite the tablets in half). It's hard to cold turkey come off as you will most probably get some kind of acid rebound effect. Wean down gradually. I'm like you, I am fairly young to be put on a drug like this long term and want to try and completely come off or get down to as minimal a dose as I can.