More On The Dangers of PPIs (Prilosec, Nexium, Prevacid)

It continues to become very clear that these medicines are doing serious harm to people. Every week there is a new article with more information about the dangers of these medicines.

The following is from a recent article in the U.S. News & World Report.

Taking PPIs has been linked to an increased risk of pneumonia and a higher risk of developing a digestive system infection called clostridium difficile that causes diarrhea and can be life-threatening. In addition, PPIs can affect absorption of vitamins and minerals and have been found to be associated with certain deficiencies, such as for vitamin B12, calcium, iron and magnesium, says Dr. Joel Heidelbaugh, a clinical professor of family medicine at the University of Michigan—Ann Arbor, who has done research on the overutilization of PPIs and risks associated with this class of drugs. He notes there’s now also concern PPIs could possibly affect kidney function and be linked to a higher risk of developing chronic kidney disease. “Of course, all of these associations were determined retrospectively,” he says. The drugs haven’t been studied prospectively to prove a cause-and-effect relationship between taking PPIs and the health issues studied. But experts say the risks are worth considering when deciding whether to start or continue on PPIs.

Most recently, a study published online in April in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology found patients who take PPIs for heartburn, acid reflux or ulcers were more likely to experience a decline in kidney function, compared to those taking H2 blockers, and had an increased risk of developing chronic kidney disease and kidney failure. Researchers found the longer patients took PPIs, the greater an individual’s risk. Regarding possible vitamin deficiencies associated with PPIs, Heidelbaugh notes in recent years that attention has turned toward magnesium. Low levels of magnesium have been linked to issues ranging from osteoporosis to high blood pressure. In addition, research published last year in the online open-access journal PLOS One found that taking PPIs was associated with an increased risk of heart attack.

I’m so glad I made the decision to stop taking this awful drug. It still worries me that there may be residual damage after more than 20 years of taking it daily. I have to tell you that at this point I have zero confidence in getting to the truth of it inside the medical world.

Several years back I expressed to my doctor my desire to quit this medicine, and his response was “why? it seems to work well for you and there have been no long term damaging side effects noted, I would recommend you continue with it”

I like my doctor, I’ve been a patient of his for almost 20 years, and I plan to discuss this with him at my next visit and share with him my concerns and the entire weaning process I’ve gone through. I want it specifically noted in my chart for future reference.

If you are still taking any of the PPI medications please discuss it with your doctor and perhaps consider this weaning process as an option for you too. If you have any questions, suggestions or comments please share them with us. You never know who it might help, after all it was a friend that shared her experience with me that encouraged me to quit these drugs.

Have a great day!

Till Next Time,

Lori

Omeprazole Update

Today is the beginning of week 7 of weaning myself off Omeprazole. I have to say that it really hasn’t been bad at all. I believe the L-Glutamine and digestive enzymes have helped it go smoothly. After reading the book Eat Dirt by Dr. Axe I have self diagnosed myself with leaky gut syndrome.

Here is a little information on leaky direct from Dr. Axe’s book Eat Dirt:

What Is Leaky Gut Syndrome?

Think of the lining of your digestive tract like a net with extremely small holes in it that only allow specific substances to pass through. Your gut lining works as a barrier keeping out bigger particles that can damage your system.

When someone has leaky gut (often referred to as increased intestinal permeability), the “net” in your digestive tract gets damaged, which causes even bigger holes to develop in your net, so things that normally can’t pass through, are now be able to.

Some of the things that can now pass through include proteins like gluten, bad bacteria and undigested foods particles. Toxic waste can also leak from the inside of your intestinal wall into your bloodstream causing an immune reaction.

Leaky Gut Symptoms and Progression

This leads to inflammation throughout your system and can cause symptoms, such as:

Bloating
Food sensitivities
Thyroid conditions
Fatigue
Joint pain
Headaches
Skin issues like rosacea and acne
Digestive problems
Weight gain
Syndrome X

Dr. Axe also states in his book that leaky gut can be attributed to long term usage of medicines such as Nexium, Prilosec, Omeprazole (generic Prilosec). Well hello, I’ve been taking Prilosec or Omeprazole for over 20 years.

A few things I’ve learned while weaning off of the Omeprazole are:

Daily stomach pain, cramping and bloating is not normal.
Portion control of every meal is important in eliminating acid reflux. This was especially hard for me because I’ve never specifically portioned food, I just filled the imaginary sections of the plate. I also ate untill I was full, which by that time was too late, I had already overeaten.
Drinking a good amount of water through out the day, but limit beverages during meals.
Allow plenty of time for digestion before bedtime and try to prop yourself up a bit when sleeping. I start out that way but end up always sliding down in the bed during the night.

So this is where I am in the process. Last week I did experience some discomfort but it was directly related to some foods that I ate. I can add white pasta to the list of things that are difficult for me to digest. I did fine with the honey wheat bread I made, and honestly I didn’t have any issue with the buns I bought for our hamburgers, so I don’t believe it’s a gluten intolerance. But something about boxed white pastas causes me discomfort. Looks like I’m going to need the pasta attachment for my kitchen aid. 😉

I’ve been putting some probiotic fermented whey lemonade in my morning water. I got my recipe for fermented whey lemonade from http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/ I love her website as it is filled with a lot of great information and videos.

This is going to be a long, well actually it’s going to be a lifetime process for me. Changing my diet from where it was to where it needs to be with organic real foods, quality over quantity and eliminating the chemicals from our lives as much as possible.

Today I started the lower dosage of removing 175 of the 200 little balls in the 40mg Omeprazole capsule, which means in next week I’ll start the every other day process for a week and then hopefully I’ll have completed the weaning process ( I hope, I hope, I hope).

Have A Great Day!

Till Next Time,

Lori

April Goals and Little Balls

It’s time to start thinking about April’s goals. As I mentioned in a previous post a group of friends and I set goals for ourselves each month. Monthly goals for me are easier to focus on rather than 3 or 4 or 12 goals for the entire year all made on January 1st, which are usually forgotten about and / or given up on by the end of March.

My big goal or resolution if you will for 2016 was to quit smoking. I had also set a smaller goal to get some exercise in to try and offset the 20# “quit” gain. So far so good with those goals. And on a side note, I have to admit that the smell of cigarette smoke disgust me so much now that it’s hard for me to believe that I ever smoked. How cool is that?

My April challenge / goal is to kick the Omeprazole. If you’ve been reading my blog then you know I started my April challenge in March. But I’ll be refining it in April to include daily exercise, keeping a food journal of what I can and can’t eat, when I can and can’t eat, and slowly lowering the dose of the medicine.

All the research that I’ve done so far indicates that there really isn’t one diet that fits all, especially in this area of trying to heal the gut and prevent GERD. There are many different opinions out there about what foods to eat and what foods not to eat. But one thing that does seem consistent in the research is eating habits that will help. Such as smaller portions, eat less but a little more frequent, drink plenty of water, but don’t drink beverages with your meals, go for a little walk after your meals if you can, and don’t eat 2 to 3 hours before going to bed. Also there is a consensus that there are specific triggers for GERD and should be avoided. Chocolate, Alcohol, Mint, Coffee, Caffeine and Smoking.

There is a lot of information out there on different ways of lowering the Omeprazole dosage. This is what I’ve done. Each of my capsules is 40mg which has approximately 190 to 200 microscopic little pain in the ass to count balls in them.

Yes, I did that, I opened a capsule and counted the little microscopic balls of one pill and decided that it would be a fair assumption that every pill would have the same number of balls in them. Think about that for a minute. You probably have the same look on your face that the Z Man was giving me. That side eye look like “what the hell is she doing now”

Anyway… I removed 50 of the little microscopic little balls and closed the capsule back up. Then I repeated this process for 6 more pills. See where I’m going with this? This is what I have in mind….

3/27 – 4/2 capsule with 150 little balls
4/3 – 4/9 capsule with 125 little balls
4/10 – 4/16 capsule with 100 little balls
4/17 – 4/23 capsule with 75 little balls
4/24 – 4/30 capsule with 50 little balls
5/1 – 5/7 I will take a capsule with 50 little balls in it every other day. Then DONE!

And I am fully aware that after I’ve counted out all these microscopic little balls for a month that I will probably be in need of some other form of medication for my insanity, but hey, we’ll cross that bridge then.

So, that’s my challenge for April. I’m going to be playing with a lot of little balls all month. WOW, did I really just type that?

What’s you April challenge going to be?

Till Next Time,

Lori

I Love My Tervis Cup

Every weekday I use my Tervis cup to carry tea to work and then I continue to fill it with water through out the day. But, sadly one morning before leaving for work I sat my cup on top of the car and it slid off and broke the lid. Not Cool!

I’m a creature of habit, and I know that comfort is very important to me also. We all know that water consumption is one of the key elements to good health and I probably fill my 24 oz water cup 4 or 5 times a day. I have tried drinking from different cups and bottled water and it’s just not the same which results in me not drinking enough water.

So, off to Bed Bath and Beyond I went with coupon in hand and purchased a new lid for my Tervis cups. (I have 2 that I alternate between, one was a gift and one I purchased at a thrift store in Texas for $1) Anyway…. I was making conversation with the clerk ringing me up and told her about the cup falling off the hood of the car and that I was lucky only the lid had broken. She said “Tervis cups have a lifetime warranty, you could just bring it back here for replacement” I said, “I didn’t buy the cup here”, and she said “That’s ok, we can still replace it for you”

Now, while I’m not real keen on returning something back to a store I did not purchase it from, I do think contacting the manufacturer would be a good alternative. Oh, and the warranty does not cover the lids.

These cups retail for around $25 so for a creature of habit like myself to continue to get the proper amount of water in daily, this guarantee is good news. Very Cool!

Also noted, I could have just flipped the cup over to see that it reads “lifetime guarantee” Ahem (eyes rolling), not exactly a lightbulb moment for me 🙂

I’m often guilty of not considering manufacturers warranties before replacing something. This is a good lesson for me to start doing that. Or even better considering the company’s reputation and warranty policy prior to making purchases. I certainly would pay a higher price for something of better quality and lifetime warranty.

Drink up friends!!! By the way, the reason the water in my cup looks a little brown is because it had a little leftover tea in the cup when I filled it up. It’s not bourbon, I promise 😉