Should be OK, as long as side effects don't crop up. The main one is vitamin B-12 deficiency. Acid is required for absorption. It takes 3-7 years for a deficiency to develop because the body stores so much. Another issue is that chronic use of proton pump inhibitors is associated with C. difficile infections.

So, if you can function without the Prilosec, or get by with something like Zantac or Pepcid, you'll be better off in the long run.

Jan

I have been on one PPI or another since my UC diagnosis in 2002. I also have a hiatal hernia and gastritis which causes me awful heartburn. My GI just did a scope and gave me a script for Dexilant. I hope we can get my insurance to cover it as all the OTC ones I have tried and either they no longer work 100% or they make me worse (Zegerid made me throw up daily).

I take one 40MG capsule a day for GERD and have for years. As Jan stated it is not good for c.diff which I have had several times. I'm going to check into getting something other than a PPI to replace it. Other than that possibility, it works well. I tried tapering off of it a year ago and got nauseous so it works,

I'm on a double dose of Prilosec for LPR (it's like "silent GERD"). I have no side effects and have never had C. Dif. Ease off any PPI very slowly - there tends to be an acid rebound effect that can be miserable. A couple of years ago I actually failed one attempt to get off Nexium, and damaged my teeth (with the acid reflux) in the process. My second attempt worked better, but required a taper that made prednisone look easy - I added about an hour to the dosing interval each day. In retrospect I'd be aggressive with Zantac during a PPI withdrawal, since Zantac is easier to stop.

Thanks Scott. I might have more questions for you in a few weeks. I had tried going every other day. So I didn't try too hard.

Tricia: Has the Dexilant helped? I also have a hiatal hernia and my doc just gave me samples and instructions to take for 3-4 weeks. Have you contracted C Dif?

TE Marie: Do you think you got the C Dif from the medicine?

Jan: How is this possible? I can't handle C.Dif. I had it right before my colitis started and it took 3 attempts with Vancomisin to stop it.

Please any advise on alternatives to the meds. Also, has anyone else gotten C Dif from a Proton Pump Inhibitor?

I'm not taking it till I hear back from you all. Thanks.

As Jan posted on a parallel thread, PPIs don't *cause* C Dif. They can make you more susceptible to the infection, most likely by reducing the stomach acid that would otherwise kill most or all swallowed C Dif spores. It's *not* a common side effect, or these PPIs wouldn't be over-the-counter. A harder question is whether PPIs (like Cipro) are a bad idea for someone who's had C Dif before.

I'm still on Omerazole 40 mg once a day and don't think I got c.diff from it. I also take a specific probiotic for c.diff called s.boulardii, which I discussed in another thread, prevention daily. I also take a B12 supplement and my B12 on the high normal side when my blood is tested. I haven't had c.diff in almost 18 months. I feel I contracted it because my j-pouch was in a weak state because I had cuffitis and either pouchitis or IPS that was untreated for months before I sought help.

I've tried to wean off of it and need to take it. I was on something stronger and stepped down to this several years ago. After several endoscopies it's been documented I have a hiatal hernia, GERD plus my GI has had to dilate my esophagus twice.

After all that we've been through we don't want to go through anything at all. I had c.diff several times when I had my colon and once was caused by Cipro. Believe me, if it was ever caused by Omerazole I wouldn't be taking it. I can't tell you if you will or won't get c.diff from taking it just what's happened in my case. Even if I didn't take a PPI I would be taking s.boulardii, just like I take VSL#3DS. Anything preventative like a probiotic and I'm there - cautious. If you don't think you need the medication that badly then maybe your doctor can come up with something different to help you.

Thank you guys. I am thinking that since it isn't that common and I'll only be on it for about a month, I'll take the medicine the doctor gave me and hope for the best. I know I may have sounded like an alarmist, but what you said, TE, is true. "After all that we've been through we don't want to go through anything at all."

I've been considering the surgery to fin the Hiatal hernia because this has been a recurring medical problem with the GERD and the other symptoms for so long. But I heard that the surgery makes it so you can't burp or throw up ever again. Although that sounds positive to some people, to me I'd be afraid of not having the ability to release gas from my stomach. And more importantly, have somewhere for stomach contents to go if I got a small bowel obstruction. Have you considered the survey to fix the HH Has anyone here had it and what have been the consequences and successes?

My step-mom had hiatal hernia surgery about 30 years ago and she was constantly burping the last ten years of her life. She told me that she was told she could not vomit, but I'm not too sure how accurate that was. She definitely still had GERD, so stuff was coming up...

From what I have read it just may be more difficult to burp or vomit, particulary right after surgery. But this is supposed to improve with time.

Jan

There are lots of reasons to only consider surgery for GERD if all medical options have failed, and the reflux is causing real harm. The surgery is fairly crude (IMO), though it's better than esophageal cancer (one of the possible long-term consequences of unmanaged reflux). The surgery is not better than PPI medication, if the medication is working properly.

Scott: Thanks for the thoughtful analysis.

Jan: That sounds like what I heard. Not good. Thanks Jan.

My step-mother's husband died of esophageal cancer and after hearing about him I'm taking the medication. I was told I won't need surgery.

I hope all is well for you after a month. That is why I try to wean off the medication every once in a while. I'm with Scott and will take medication before having any surgery again. The last 2, j-pouch ones, just about did me in.

Thanks for your perspective. I really would rather not have surgery. I am hoping we can get it under control with a month of meds. And then I will eat more carefully so I don't aggravate it. And no eating after an early dinner. This usually helps because then I lose a few pounds and that takes some of the pressure off my abdomen and the hernia doesn't slide up. I'm starting to remember this whole routine from years ago. If I did everything right forever and never forgot why I was doing it, I'd have a whole lot less to say around here. Thanks for all of your input!

I sincerely wish you luck. I lost 75 lbs after the surgeries, finally got the prednisone weight off, and was hoping I didn't need to take a PPI anymore. I tried going off of them, with my doctor's instructions of how to, but was wrong.

I have been on Dexilant from the get go of being on steroids when dx with UC. All the other PPI medications did not work for me and Dexilant has. I have never had C Dif in all my years with UC dx in 2007 and being on a PPI. I do have a hiatal hernia and I keep vomiting along with migraines. I am now trying Dexilant an hour before I eat dinner and see if that will help with the nausea/vomiting/migraine attacks (which I always get while sleeping). GI dr. seems to think its because the dexilant has worn off in the middle of the night and that could be the problem. I am also going for an EGD on Tuesday to see if I have done any more damage to the hernia and she wants to just look.
Not that I want people to have the same problems as me but it is nice to see that I am not alone on this lovely j pouch path. Sometimes I just wonder what the XXXX is going on with my body! My GI and everyone around me states "but you look so good"! I tell them it is all about LOOKING GOOD! NOT! Only my husband and kids know how much I (we) suffer because they live it with me! You just gotta laugh!

Roberta

RLC: I'm so sorry you are having so much trouble. I didn't realize that hiatal hernias were so prevalent. And TE: I really hope I don't get the rebound acid when I go off it. That's another reason not to take it. But I have already started. I'm glad to know that you all didn't get C diff from taking it. There are plenty of other negative things about taking a PPI, but weighing the cost/benefits I am going to hope for the best and hopefully get better. Thanks.

I recently had reason to withdraw from a PPI again, and Zantac twice daily did a great job preventing the rebound acid.

Thanks Scott. And then you went off the Zantac?

I'm obliged to stay on the Zantac, for reasons unrelated to my intestines, but Zantac is easy to withdraw from. You won't get any extra reflux from the withdrawal, just whatever reflux your body is prone to without meds.