Which PPI for GERD???

Hello ALL- I have a doc appt. soon and want to ask for a PPI for my GERD. What experience do any of you have with them and which ones work best? What kind of side effects do any of you have from them? I tried OTC Prilosec but it gave me stomach aches and GAS (along with CPAP gas-OUCH!!). I am very drug sensitive so I always wonder if there are ANY drugs out there that I can actually tolerate. Would like some feedback to help with this decision before I go to the doc. THANKS!!!

I was told by my GI Specialist that PrevAcid was the best there was and before Prilosec went OTC it was $200 a month, insurance even called me on that one, they still paid for a year's worth.

Even after taking it for a year it did NOT cure my GERD. So turning off your acid making ability has NO impact on GERD in my opinion. Now if you go on the opposite end of that argument and say well it is low acid in the stomach causing the problem, you can take cayenne pills (ground up red chili peppers in a capsule that dissolves) it WILL turn ON that acid making ability, in fact after a few days of it you will understand what heart burn is big time.

Then when you go to the bathroom you will be saying come on ice cream

I think taking a PepcidComplete (OTC Red Cap) works just as well as the PPI and it is instant relief that lasts for hours. I'm not a big fan of PPI's, they lower your bacteria and virus fighting ability by having no acid in the stomach. Since most bacteria and viruses come from the food we eat, it is just not worth it in my opinion. PepcidComplete is cheap at Costco, you can get berry flavored tabs for like $10 bucks and get 100 tablets.

Controlling what you eat and when you eat it seems to help the most.

My doc put me on Prilosec which has worked well for me. I suspect that it's like a lot of things ... there's no one drug that's best for all.

Mindy

My doctor put me on Protonix about 4 years ago. It worked wonderfully.

After about 2 years, my insurance decided it was no longer on their list of approved meds. They twisted my doctor’s arm to put me on Prevacid instead. Prevacid works marginally at best for me.

About a year ago, my doctor added Zantac, so now I’m taking both Prevacid and Zantac (and my insurance is helping pay for both -- go figure.) I would still say the combination works marginally.

For me, Protonix worked better. YMMV

Wayne

While the Prevacid works for me, my wife takes that plus Carafate, a rather thick Rx liquid that coats the stomach.

I started out on Prilosec but my pharmacy switch me to the cheaper (at that time) Prevacid. Then Prilosec went OTC (snicker). If you can get it OTC it's no longer covered!

I take generic Omeprozal, 40 mg. It's helped my GERD a lot.

But what helped even more was raising the head of the bed 6 inches. That made a big difference.

Jeff

Omeprazole is generic Prilosec. 10 mga work great on my stomach. 20 mgs gave me headaches about an hour after taking the pill - and affected my visual accomodation too.

PrevAcid on the other hand gave me stomachaches and gas. I'm very happy with the 10mg of Omeprazole that I take.

Medication gives some people side effects some of the time - and nobody's experience will really tell how your body will react to the medication. Try one - if its not good enough, try another. Your doctor too has no way of knowing ahead of time which is better.

O.

Prevacid is the only thing that really works for me, but I have friends for whom Nexium and Protonix are the better drugs. I did have to try Nexium before insurance would pay for Prevacid and then only when my doctor sent a statement saying I'd failed on Nexium. You may be forced to try something first based on your insurance company's contract, but you can get what works best for you in most cases. You just have to figure out which one that is and sometimes it's trial and error for a while....

As Snoredog said, PPI's do not cure GERD, they just make the symptoms tolerable or make them go away, if you're really lucky.

Good luck.

I've been prescribed lanzoprazol (same as prevacid), which works very well to eliminate my symptoms and seems to have no interactions with my other medicines (especially provigil). Over the counter Omeprazol also works, but not as well, and does not mix well with provigil in my experience.

Ozij- Where can you buy 10mg. Prilosec??? I think the OTC was in 20mg and that was a little too harsh for me. I am wondering if the lower 10mg might suit my "wacky" system a bit better. PLEASE ADVISE!!!

SNOREDOG- How often do you take the Pepcid Complete- just before bed or in the a.m. too? I agree about the PPI's- in fact I worry about the H2 blockers setting me up for some illnesses down the road because of too little acid in the stomach. It is a fine line we walk trying to get things to a somewhat "normal" state (if there is such a thing). I have noticed lately that a lower dose of the regular Pepcid (like 10 mg.) seems to leave me feeling more "balanced" if that makes any sense. What I mean is that often when I take a higher dose (20mg.) I have the acidic burn instantly and it seems to be less effective. I know that sounds "backasswards" but I am wondering if I should just take 10mg. twice a day instead of the 20mg. at night. Wednesday I suffered all day with the acid back up in my throat and I took a 20mg. Pepcid and the burn was worse almost instantly and I still suffered most of the day. Yesterday I took a 10mg. in the a.m. after breakfast ( I forgot to take it before) and that seemed to help more. Go figure!!! Thanks for any advice!!

GG,
The truly ridiculous thing is that I can't buy 10mg OTC - in Israel where I live - though I could buy 20 mg OTC... and you're not supposed to cut to pills because they have a protective covering....

O.

Ozij- Do you get them by prescription?? Does someone buy them for you in the states- if so- what store sells 10mg.??

Possibly useful info from Dr. Weil on this: http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA400477/W ... tburn.html

I get them by prescription locally - I have no info about how you can get them in the States.
O.