PRILOSEC or OMEPRAZOLE

[CarlO]

I have been on OMEPRAZOLE, 40 mg/day, for more than six years. This is for control of Barrett's
Esophagus. It's the generic for PRILOSEC. But a number of posts on this forum indicate that OMEPRAZOLE/PRILOSEC may exacerbate lymphocytic colitis. ……..

Recently the FDA approved a generic version of NEXIUM, which is not the same chemical as PRILOSEC. The NEXIUM generic is esomeprazole magnesium delayed-release capsules.

Does anyone have any personal experience with this alternative? I have an appointment with my physician on Oct. 12, and want to be loaded with information before then.

Thanks for any feedback. Carl

[tex]

The bad news is that the omeprazole is very likely the cause of your MC in the first place. All PPIs are notorious for causing MC, no matter what minor differences there might be in the various formulations. Omeprazole has the worst track record, because it has been around longer than the others (if my memory is correct), but as far as I am aware, none of them are safe for MC patients, and if they are the cause of your inflammation, then any of them will almost surely prevent you from achieving remission of your MC symptoms if you continue to take them.

I wish I knew of a safe one, but there is no such thing as a safe PPI. They also cause osteoporosis, and significantly increase the risk of developing a C. diff infection or some other intestinal infection, because they prevent our normal stomach acid from killing bacteria in the food we eat.

Ask your doctor if you can switch to an H2 blocker, such as cimetidine (Tagamet), ranitidine (Zantac), or famotidine (Pepcid). You would have to take them several times a day instead of just once a day, but they are much safer for MC patients, and carry a much lower risk of triggering MC.

Tex

[CarlO]

Tex - Thanks for the feedback. I have an Oct. 6 appointment with my GI MD, and an Oct. 12 with my general family doctor. With or without their approval, I may simply taper down rapidly with the omeprzole. It could well be that the bland diet I'm trying to develop for the LC problem will also be able to control the GERD and the Barrett's Esophagus. It's a minefield. Carl

[tex]

It could well be that the bland diet I'm trying to develop for the LC problem will also be able to control the GERD and the Barrett's Esophagus. It's a minefield.

Untreated gluten sensitivity is a known cause of GERD. In fact, gluten and dairy are both very common causes of GERD.

Also taking substantial doses of vitamin D can help to minimize GERD (especially if your vitamin D level is not up in the middle of the so-called "normal" range. Just having a "sufficient" level is not adequate for most MC patients, because our immune system uses a lot of vitamin D fighting the inflammation.

Stopping the long-term use of a PPI is not easy, because stopping causes a rebound effect that will make the symptoms worse than they were before starting treatment, for many patients. You might be interested in the information in this old thread:

http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=20650

And this one should be helpful, also:

http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=19761

Tex