About a week ago, I had an idea. I thought I would see what happened if I went off my proton pump inhibitor.
For those of you not in the know, a proton pump inhibitor, also known as a PPI is what people with heartburn take to reduce the amount of acid in their stomach. A lot of people actually prescribe them to themselves, as in they buy prilosec or nexium available over the counter.
Recent studies have linked proton pump inhibitors to a variety of medical issues, such as kidney problems or heart failure. That was…concerning, as I’ve been on PPIs since I started having acid reflux in 2002. Mind you, there are no conclusive causality links. That hasn’t stopped the press from treating it like it is, or kept those commercials where you can sue a physician in the style of mesothelioma from appearing. But it might be something about the kind of person who takes PPIs, their habits or diet or something that causes these issues.
Still, in the great tradition of American hysteria, thanks for the hype, all. I even had a conversation with a concerned friend. Before that, I called my doctor, and we had a talk about medicine, illness and risk.
Have you thought about your medications? You know Americans pop NSAIDs like they’re candy, but they can cause serious effects too. For a while Motrin was getting all the love, but everyone wants to sell Advil. And yes, that pain I can tolerate when my knee gets bad. I take Advil as little as possible, exceedingly intermittently over a prescription arthritis med.
The reason I take proton pump inhibitors is to keep my esophagus from getting doused in stomach acid. There’s an almost certain chance that if that behavior were left unchecked, it would lead to pain and suffering, then erosion of the esophagus, then Barret’s esophagus, then esophageal cancer. Sounds a little like a slippery slope, but that is more likely than me getting kidney dysfunction. So, medicine is often the choice between a greater evil and a lesser evil the more we up the ante.
Yet, I thought I might see what happened if I went without the PPI. Could I manage my reflux through diet, exercise, and habit modification? You see, even on the PPI’s, I still have heartburn, gas, and reflux. So I thought that maybe we’d just been progressively ramping up the meds, but not treating the symptoms.
I made it for three days without the meds, and ended up with a constant acidy burning sensation. Nope, looks like I need that pill. The next thing I’m trying is to loose more weight and take a less serious proton pump inhibitor.
Regardless, I learned that sometimes you can’t power your way or wish your way through a health problem. Not to be morbid, but no one gets off the leaky boat, and my body is going to continue to deteriorate as I age. I do what I can to manage the risk of a variety of things, but in this case, no, I do need the medicine, and yes, I have to accept the risk that there could be side effects. So far, so good.
So, if you all would stop trying to wind me up regarding the new study, I would appreciate it. I would appreciate it if the media stopped winding me up in general. That too is bad for people with acid reflux.
