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Yeah, but right now there's no choice, morphine doesn't cut it. Hopefully this won't last long.

Question: what are the pros and cons of chronic use of proton pump inhibitors like Prilosec?

Daughter's ulcer resolved after 4 days hospitalization back in August ($25,000 in bills, mostly insured), but now she has worrying stomach symptoms again. Her doctor put her on Prilosec and counseled her on diet, also advised her she might be taking Prilosec indefinitely.

Quote:

Originally Posted by livi (Post 8229605)

Sorry to hear of your daughters situation. It is fairly common however and sometimes dependent on the Helicobacter pylori bacteria that in it self is a very frequent guest in our stomach lining. Often arguably not causing any trouble. But when it does, a combination of antibiotics like the one your daughter is prescribed, will mostly eradicate the little villain and heal the inflammation.
Many times however, there is no bacteria to be found and you have to rely on the standard acid reducing medications. It is common that the treatment is successful but often needs to be repeated and many time for longer periods, like 4-8 weeks.

Quoting myself - and yes, treatment periods may need to be longer than that.

Sorry to hear about this - terrible when a kid isn't doing well. People her age shouldn't have to worry about things like this.

I take it the lab tests for H. Pylori came back negative the first time around (?) If not and it was that, is it possible it's another case / infection? And even if it was negative, I suppose it's possible that this is a new unrelated instance of it this time although unlikely...

Anyway I just did a quick look online and here's what popped up - lots of good info. on drugs.com, the only thing I'm not certain of under "side effects" is how exactly the terms like "rare" and "less common" are defined exactly (is it X number of cases out of 1,000 in clinical trials or what?). Drug makers are so afraid of litigation they'll list everything under the sun as a possible side effect (disclaimer "catch all" mentality) so it's hard to know what really is a realistic possible side effect and what has no (or virtually no) chance of ever manifesting. One of my good friends is an RN and we have some very interesting discussions on occasion about pharmaceutical manufacturers, medications, how that whole supply chain works and why. It's pretty fascinating (and scary) Anyway here's what I found - hope it helps:

Prilosec Uses, Dosage & Side Effects - Drugs.com

Side Effects:

Rare:

Back, leg, or stomach pain
bleeding or crusting sores on the lips
blisters
bloody or cloudy urine
chills
continuing ulcers or sores in the mouth
difficult, burning, or painful urination
fever
frequent urge to urinate
general feeling of discomfort or illness
joint pain
loss of appetite
muscle aches or cramps
pain
red or irritated eyes
redness, tenderness, itching, burning, or peeling of the skin
skin rash or itching
sore throat
sores, ulcers, or white spots on the lips, in the mouth, or on the genitals
unusual bleeding or bruising
unusual tiredness or weakness

Incidence not known:

Drowsiness
fast, racing, or uneven heartbeat
mood or mental changes
muscle spasms (tetany) or twitching seizures
nausea or vomiting
trembling

If any of the following symptoms of overdose occur while taking omeprazole, get emergency help immediately:

Symptoms of overdose
Blurred vision
confusion
dryness of the mouth
flushing
headache
increased sweating

Some omeprazole side effects may not need any medical attention. As your body gets used to the medicine these side effects may disappear. Your health care professional may be able to help you prevent or reduce these side effects, but do check with them if any of the following side effects continue, or if you are concerned about them:

Less common:

Body aches or pain
chest pain
constipation
cough
diarrhea or loose stools
difficulty with breathing
dizziness
ear congestion
gas
heartburn
loss of voice
muscle pain
nasal congestion
runny nose
sneezing
unusual drowsiness

Common if drinking un-boiled un-treated water from mountain streams...

Giardia

take Flagyl.

Nasty stuff.
You said she was a cook at a mountain camp.

I don't think she has giardia, seems that would have been found when she was hospitalised in October. H. Pylori was also negative then.

Wife fetched her from college yesterday (only two hours away) and took her to her doctor, who said "gastritis", counseled her about avoiding certain foods and drinks, and said she should take the proton pump inhibitors daily.

So she is on an unscheduled visit home, resting and feeling better. I'm just not thrilled about her taking a drug chronically.

Her plan is to go back on the diet she was on for most of the term: no coffee or fruit juices, no tomatoes or other acidic stuff, limited alcohol, very little sugar, no junk food, lots of vegetables. That was working well . . . until midterms and backsliding . . .

Ibuprofen gave me stomached ucler. It us nasty stuff when taken repeatedly.

Yeah, she is avoiding nsaids!