[GeoGeo]

I was wondering if anyone has weaned off their acid reflux medication after taking it for several years? And if so, how did you wean off it?

[ttown]

Originally Posted by GeoGeo

I was wondering if anyone has weaned off their acid reflux medication after taking it for several years? And if so, how did you wean off it?

Yes. I was on Pantoprazole for years.i had been told I would always be on it. For many reasons I decided to try to get off this strong med. I took it every other day...every third day etc. till finally I was not taking it. I don't eat after six....I sit up after eating...all the anti reflux tricks. It has been six months or so and so far so good.

[ttown]

Of course I checked with my Dr first.

[NotGolfer]

I stopped several months ago. It's taken awhile but I only feel "heartburn" occassionally now. When it comes I have a licorice type of supplement that I take.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by ttown

Of course I checked with my Dr first.

Good for you. It is prescribed for your heartburn and also prevents esophageal cancer. Stopping any prescription medication is not a good thing to do without consulting your doctor.

[GeoGeo]

ttown and NotGolfer,

Did you experience the rebound that people talk about when you go off the acid reflux meds?

I tried before, but it was like I had extreme acid production. I didn't know if it would ever go away so I went back on the med. Would really like to get off it.

And I checked with my doctors. One wants me off it and the other says stay on it. EGDs look good.

[Bonnevie]

I have tried a few times and had the extreme rebound. I am trying to use ranitidine to transition down. I would use the pantoprazole every other day, ranitidine every other day, then pantoprazole every 3rd day, ranitidine the other days...etc. still doing it so can't say if I can get entirely off it. It's tough.

[martygrillo]

Get.off of it. It depletes magnesium. I got osteoporosis from using pantoprazole. I am doing fine. I took it for 20 years. Not recommended for long time use. It does not prevent esophageal cancer just mask the symptoms

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[karostay]

I had acid reflux . My Dr recommended over the counter Famotidine
I take 1 in the am never have heartburn or acid reflux

[Carla B]

I had a total knee replacement several years ago and within a month developed ulcers in the esophagus. The GI doctor prescribed large doses of omeprazole and ranitidine. After a few weeks I was able to taper off and finally got completely off within a year. Thanks to a chart I found on the internet listing alkaline vs. acid foods I avoided some of the most acidic foods such as coffee, diet coke, chocolate, and many starches, even though I was suffering from weight loss. It seemed to help relieve some of the symptoms.

[janewk]

I was on prilosec for 20+ years. Long story short, I lost 45 lbs. (on purpose) and just decided one day to stop taking it to see what happened. I haven't taken it since, have had no acid reflux, didn't have any side effects from stopping, and all is good. Sometimes when you don't know what you don't know, things turn out pretty well. I didn't know at the time that I should have checked with my Dr. before stopping the med.

[Bonnevie]

there are legitimate reasons that some people need to take it. Since you're doctors disagree you need to ask them why. The fact that your endoscopies are good may be because you are taking the meds.

[easyliving]

I have been on Nexium 40 mg for over ten years and wanted to stop taking it and also felt like my lifestyle and eating habits have changed completely. I discussed it with my DR and tried stopping cold turkey. It was a disaster with all original problems returning after a few days. I resumed taking it for 5 months, returned to the DR and decided weaning was worth a try. I have been on Nexium 20 mg for 2 weeks now and am not having difficulty. I researched and found that your stomach needs to wake up and resume normal operations. I intend to take the reduced dosage for another month then stop the Nexium and revert to over the counter antacids if needed. I hope that will work for me. Good luck to you.

[springfield]

Organic apple cider vinegar with "the Mother" helped me get off of it. Our bodies need acid to help digest our food. Those drugs suppress what we need. I take a tablespoon with a warm glass of water, honey and cinnamon. The cinnamon also helps control my type 2 diabetes (which is now totally gone) All of the drug instructions say to only use for a short time so there must be a reason not to take for a long time

[virgind]

Try honey and apple cider vinegar. You will be surprised the results. Sorry Springfield didnt read your post.