Elementary Watson, It was the Stomach Medicine…

My friend had been discussing several health issues that seem totally unrelated.  He’s in his early sixties. He had lost a lot of weight earlier in life. He had gastric bypass surgery in his late 40s. It was needed in his case. The problem is that this can lead to a host of “minor” health issues and complications, including a weak sphincter between the esophagus and the stomach. This lead to a diagnosis of GERD and the need for a long term stomach medication. It was so severe that he was on a PPI (think Nexium, Prevacid, etc) and an H2 blocker (think Zantac, Pepcid, etc). This provided adequate control. He was still on that regimen until about a year ago. Why did he stop?

Let’s go back. He approached me for a recommendation for a physician specialist about a year ago because he was concerned. He had been light headed and tired. His lab values showed some abnormalities but these are common with gastric bypass patients. This is the reason for the large dose supplements that were prescribed years ago. But, he knew that he just didn’t feel right.

There was one fact that was a red flag to me. It caught my attention right off the bat, that something else could be the cause. He had recently received a new osteoporosis diagnosis. He was a stocky built man but was experiencing early onset osteoporosis, which is unusual. Stay with me here. What if…. These two problems were not mutually exclusive, but actually related to each other. This lead me to ask about the GERD. Every time we talk, he brought it up and I just blew it off. I put it in the “price of gastric bypass” column,  But then, I remembered a little known long term side effect with the proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), bone loss.

I then asked the naive question – how can we get you to stop taking them? This simple question resulted in a year long odyssey, that included multiple specialist opinions and a procedure. Truthfully, the problem still isn’t totally resolved, but it is better.

Here is my message to you. This is a “harmless” over the counter medication that is not meant for long term use. There are real problems that may necessitate long term use. Just re-read my friend’s story. These side effects are serious and real. There is no “benign”,”hassle free”, or “side-effect free” long term medication. I want you to think before you use – anything. Really consider the risk versus benefit. I can’t express to you how important medicine chest minimization can be to your quality of life.

Next week, I am going to cover some of the long term side effects with the PPIs and the H2 Blockers. You will be shocked to know, but knowledge is power. And then, I am going to provide a list of options to explore. Contact me.  I can help you.