I am about 8 months out, and at my last checkup (about two weeks ago) I asked if it was OK for me to get off the PPI acid reducer. I have had pretty good luck with not having acid problems using the Omeprazole, except maybe 1 week of some breakthrough acid. Before surgery if I ate well, not too much junk or chocolate, I was fine. Acid problems were directly related to what I ate. Well about 10 days ago I quit the Omeprazole cold turkey. So far so good! I do watch the chili, which I used to love but bothers my stomach a little now... I eat some chocolate every day, but just a table spoon or so....and so far, no acid problems. Have any of you never taken PPIs (My doc insisted I go on them for one mont before and 6 months after surgery) or stopped after surgery? I am worried about the calcium absorption on PPIs....that is the main reason I went off.

If you're going to take a PPI again you need to try it for a couple of weeks in order for it to take full effect.

I was told to take Calcium Citrate from the beginning, never really knew why so thanks for the education! As for a PPI, I took it for the first week or so but then never could remember to take it and never really needed it apparently. I do get hungry though, so I wonder if I started taking it again, if my hunger would go away.....any thoughts?

If this is true, why don't all surgeons inform their patients of this? I was never told about Prilosec canceling the benefits of taking calcium carbonate. Why would they tell you to take the two together if that was the case? Doesn't make sense.

No, I haven't, and in fact, because you posted this, I went and checked--and yeah, it's just calcium carbonate that evidently doesn't fare well with omeprazole (Prilosec). Yay! So I'm going to keep up with the calcium citrate and keep trying to cut back on the Prilosec as I can. It's been a good day so far, but there's probably still some residual keeping things tamped down.

I'm still going to do the every-other-night thing for a while and see how that goes.

Edited to add that my pharmacist was the one who recommended the calcium citrate when I told him I had had weight loss surgery and was on long-term Prilosec.

If this is true, why don't all surgeons inform their patients of this? I was never told about Prilosec canceling the benefits of taking calcium carbonate. Why would they tell you to take the two together if that was the case? Doesn't make sense.

Welcome to the wonderful world of advice! There is a LOT of MIS / DIS and just plain WRONG information being pushed out there - including by doctors. And a LOT simply forget to give out information, and a LOT of patients simply don't read all the advice materials supplied to them either. That's what's great about forums like this, you can typically get the RIGHT info by asking questions.

A comment on a remark a few posts up: YES, it can take a few DAYS to build up the effect that PPI's have but not a few weeks. My guess is the occasional poppers who "Take as needed" simply get over their acid condition naturally by the time the pop a pill and they attribute the effects to the capsule.

ALSO: a great tip my doc gave me, rely on the old fashioned remedy for upset / acidic stomach that pregnant women have used for hundreds of years - CRACKERS. Yes, the good old saltines, just a few will adsorb the excess acid and get you over an "acid trip" till your next meal. A few a day won't kill your diet and the carbs and calorie are minimal.

I just ordered some calcium citrate. Pretty sad that I have to learn about this on an internet forum instead of from my doctor but I'm glad I did!

Welcome to the wonderful world of advice! There is a LOT of MIS / DIS and just plain WRONG information being pushed out there - including by doctors. And a LOT simply forget to give out information, and a LOT of patients simply don't read all the advice materials supplied to them either. That's what's great about forums like this, you can typically get the RIGHT info by asking questions.

A comment on a remark a few posts up: YES, it can take a few DAYS to build up the effect that PPI's have but not a few weeks. My guess is the occasional poppers who "Take as needed" simply get over their acid condition naturally by the time the pop a pill and they attribute the effects to the capsule.

ALSO: a great tip my doc gave me, rely on the old fashioned remedy for upset / acidic stomach that pregnant women have used for hundreds of years - CRACKERS. Yes, the good old saltines, just a few will adsorb the excess acid and get you over an "acid trip" till your next meal. A few a day won't kill your diet and the carbs and calorie are minimal.

Yes, this IS why we are ONLY supposed to take calcium citrate. It is the only form that will be absorbed after surgery.

I take my 20 mg of prilosec in the morning when I get up and after dinner/before bed!

Kelly

Just a note on quitting cold turkey....I have been on Omeprazole 40 mg delayed release for years and it is not good to quit cold turkey. It's been documented in studies that patients often suffer from 'rebound acid production' if stopping suddenly, which only lasts about two weeks, thankfully. This rebound effect of over-production can be lessened if you wean off your PPI's. After two weeks of quitting, your acid production returns to your own baseline 'normal'.

One thing I can't seem to find in all my hours of research, is WHY we have more issues with acid AFTER the sleeve? Our stomach is much, much smaller, many of the proton pumps that created and distributed the acid is gone, etc, etc, why more issues? I have had severe GERD for years, in addition to a hiatal hernia (to the point where I aspirate acid in the middle in the middle of the night) and I am terrified that it will be WORSE after my surgery. Doc is repairing my hernia, but my valve is still completely shot.

You know, me and my dr. both were worried about my GERD getting worse after surgery. However, I find that mine is MUCH MUCH better.

I only had one issue since surgery in 4 months and it kinda was my own dumb fault. I took Nexium for 8 years and switched to Prilosec because it helps control my hunger better. Once night, I woke up choking on acid, which I had NEVER done before!! IT was horrilbe!

Come to find out, I was only taking my Prilosec once a day and was supposed to be taking it twice!! DUAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I thought it was the tacos!!!

That is the ONLY issue I have had!! So, your acid could get better, mine has.!!

Oh and my dr. said the reason it gets worse is because the stomach is so close to the esophagus now and just flows right up.

Kelly

Just a note on quitting cold turkey....I have been on Omeprazole 40 mg delayed release for years and it is not good to quit cold turkey. It's been documented in studies that patients often suffer from 'rebound acid production' if stopping suddenly, which only lasts about two weeks, thankfully. This rebound effect of over-production can be lessened if you wean off your PPI's. After two weeks of quitting, your acid production returns to your own baseline 'normal'.

One thing I can't seem to find in all my hours of research, is WHY we have more issues with acid AFTER the sleeve? Our stomach is much, much smaller, many of the proton pumps that created and distributed the acid is gone, etc, etc, why more issues? I have had severe GERD for years, in addition to a hiatal hernia (to the point where I aspirate acid in the middle in the middle of the night) and I am terrified that it will be WORSE after my surgery. Doc is repairing my hernia, but my valve is still completely shot.

I saw a research paper lately that showed a graph of the correlation of acid and weight gain... it showed higher acid after surgery, lowering during the middle phase (till about 2 years I think it was) then it raised right along with weight gain... so it looks kind of like if you slip back to earlier eating patterns the acid increases with the regain....if I find the study I will post... it is on this site somewhere else... maybe research?..

LOL, oh, yeah! I remember your taco meat episode!! I replied to that one cause I've often woken up to that same thing....scary and horrible, and painful!! Burns, huh??

You know, me and my dr. both were worried about my GERD getting worse after surgery. However, I find that mine is MUCH MUCH better.

I only had one issue since surgery in 4 months and it kinda was my own dumb fault. I took Nexium for 8 years and switched to Prilosec because it helps control my hunger better. Once night, I woke up choking on acid, which I had NEVER done before!! IT was horrilbe!

Come to find out, I was only taking my Prilosec once a day and was supposed to be taking it twice!! DUAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I thought it was the tacos!!!

That is the ONLY issue I have had!! So, your acid could get better, mine has.!!

Oh and my dr. said the reason it gets worse is because the stomach is so close to the esophagus now and just flows right up.

Kelly