Article in the Huntsville Times Tuesday May 11, 2010

Los Angeles:

The widely used family of acid-reducing drugs that includes Prilosec, Nexium and Protonix increased the risk of bone fractures by about 25 percent and can more than double the risk of contracting the troublesome bacterium Clostridium difficile, new studies released Monday confirm.

The increased risk is not thought to be caused by the drugs themselves, but by the sharply reduced levels of acid in the stomach and intestinal tract, which make the organs a more hospitable environment for infectious agents such as C. difficile and which can impair the uptake of the Calcium required for strong bones. The drugs have also been shown to increase the risk of pneumonia.

Wish they had put the author of this but I have read about this before and it is a caution for me for getting off these as soon as I can. Right now I do need them though.

Okay so I hated my calcium pills and started taking tums as my calcium. Oops!

Hi, you need calcium citrate, not calcium carbonate as in TUMS. Unfortunatly most calcium suppliments are in the carbonate form so you have to look at the labels very carefully. I mail ordered my Solgar Calcium Citrate with Vitamin D.

I am having a big problem with acid I now take Prilosec twice a day plus I was taking some rolaids in the middle of the day. So I let Dr. Aceves know how bad it was and this is the reply Gaby sent me.....

The doctor is out of town, but I called him

he says to please do not take any Rolaids

do not take calcium carbonate products (TUMS, Rolaids, those type products. They will help immediately but in a few hours they will create more acid than you had to start with.

He wants you to try Gaviscon.

Thanks for the update from Dr. Aceves...guess it is Gaviscon for me.

Hi, you need calcium citrate, not calcium carbonate as in TUMS. Unfortunatly most calcium suppliments are in the carbonate form so you have to look at the labels very carefully. I mail ordered my Solgar Calcium Citrate with Vitamin D.

Hi Jane, I really like Solgar products. Can you tell me what the size of the Calcium citrate w/D pill is? I sort of gag on the really large ones. Thanks.

Hi Jane, I really like Solgar products. Can you tell me what the size of the calcium citrate w/D pill is? I sort of gag on the really large ones. Thanks.

Hi Lis, they are quite big, not super large though. But you can dissolve them, takes a bit of stirring and they don't taste of anything much. Maybe dissolved them in some hot Water and stir into yoghurt or something, or break them in 2 and take in parts.

Cheers, Jane

Kathy... thanks for the info.

Hi gang,

Well, here's my experience thus far; I'm almost four months out. Took Nexium as prescribed for three months. Ran out, got some Prilosec - it works just as well. Started reading more and more about how unhealthy PPI's can be so thought I would give getting off a try with the help of Zantac. So, I am at day two without my PPI and I took one Zantac (150mg) yesterday mid morning and made it just fine through the day. Today, not so hot. I took a Zantac early; right after my coffee (I know, I know) and was fine until about 1 p.m. I took another one due to burning and discomfort. I think I'm on the right track, however and am going to keep at the Zantac for the time being. So far, the "withdrawals" have not been as bad as I thought they might be. Yay! I'm hoping it continues and I can get off all this junk soon.

Just my .02 Have a great weekend ya'll.

C

Keys,

Can yu let us know how this works for you. Zantac is not a PPI? I am not familiar with all the OTC drug specifics.

Thanks Linda

It's been almost a week since I went off my PPI. Yesterday I had bad heartburn all day. Today it's not too bad. I hope I can get off of it. I am going to give it 2 weeks to see if the heartburn lessons and my body adjusts.

Keep us posted. I really really want to get off of PPI's and I'll be interested to hear if its worth sticking it out through the heartburn phase to see if it will go away.

didn't it say somewhere that our bodies will adjust and just stop makin so much acid? I thought I read that it rebounds for awhile, then settles down.

Oregon, I sure hope so. Are you using anything at all?

I took a couple of tums yesterday. I haven't used anything today.

Thanks for the update from Dr. Aceves...guess it is Gaviscon for me.

I think I might try the Gaviscon instead of the Pepcid AC, in addition to the PPI Aciphex I take once a day. I was diagnosed with Laryngopharyngeal Reflux (LPR)... Anyone interested in my latest blog entry...

http://verticalsleevetalk.com/blogs/lan2k/560-no-improvement-yet-i-am-concerned.html

If anyone is or has gone through this sort of reflux and has some info that can help me to resolve the problem please come forth!

I know my acid is real bad. I take 1 prilosec in the am no eating or drinking for 20 min then I am suppose to take Gaviscon at 12 noon no matter if I have acid or not then another prilosec about 9pm. Dr.Aceves said a big acid problem ( I know most of us won't like this) is chocolate! All my protein shakes are chocolate and sometimes I was sucking on some sugarfree chocolates. He told me to stop all products with cocoa. I have been a good girl and have followed doctors orders and have had no episodes at all.

I stopped my prevacid 3 days ago and have had no problems with reflux or anything. First day I had slight nausea after eating but only lasted briefly. Now nothing. I am amazed! At night sometimes sleeping on my stomach would get that roll up the esophagus of bile few times early on after surgery, but haven't had one thing!!! Hope this continues. Have not used anything else but do have gaviscon for backup if needed.