Prilosec, Prevecid, nexium

[PatHoover]

I have another question. I take Prilosec every morning for GERD. My GI said I make too much stomach acid so it will not cause any other problems. I asked him if taking it would cause me to get H. Pylori (sp). He said no. I was wondering however, can it cause me to get c. diff? I was thinking..imagine that....if I do not have enough acid to kill it out when using this med every day???

It takes way too long to get into see these dr.s they are so busy. I cannot see mine till July 8th but I am on his cancelation list....

Thank you

[cindym]

There are some doctors now saying that there is reason to believe that PPI's allow the bacteria to thrive in our systems. However, if you have GERD as bad as I do I have to take them.

[TheVike]

Ditto her I have been aon all three and now take ONE Aciphex each day this has been the norm for me for about 12 years now! Most of my Heartburn I know is from smoking and drinking however they do work when I had the Diff I stopped taking them for about 3-4 months didn t need em for no food I was eating! Now back on I really don t think the effect us one way or another really????

[cindym]

Vike- For me the Gerd is so bad if I do not take them that I wake up choking and sometimes develop pneumonia. I have no choice but to take them or end up taking another antibiotic for pneumonia which would have the potential to kill me! GEEZ what a life! Now my brain! WOW whats next? I hate to even think about it.

[Bobbie]

PatHoover,
One study in particular (done in the UK - see Media Reports) linked PPI's to C. diff. I believe there is now some additional info. that confirms it.

However, there is no drug w/o a side effect. I've had C. diff. twice after bouts with pneumonia. I wasn't on an PPI either time. About six years ago (after a stressful summer when my mother broke her hip in MT & I was there 10 wks. & sold her house, car, & a lot of "stuff," I moved her to KC), I developed acid reflux. An endoscopy showed I also have a hiatal hernia. I take one Aciphex every morning & often have to take Mylanta in the middle of the night. I am not as careful about my diet as I should be but do sleep with the head of my bed propped. (See FAQ-Acid Reflux.)

I had to take an antibiotic for pneumonia several l8 mo. ago. I didn't develop C. diff. Go figure!

Point of story: no one really knows the correlation. Do the best you can & try not to worry. We do have to take some meds. even if we would prefer not to do so. I decided on "quality" rather than "quantity" of life years ago, but then I am older & my children are grown.

[PatHoover]

Do you know of any test they can do to see just how much stomach acid we actually have? What a breakthrough that would be. Some of us may not need to have as much for our acid problems. I needed more then the OTC meds but that has been quite a while ago. I don't know if I still need to have Prilosec now since the reports say when we get older our stomach acid reduces naturally. I am only 59 so I was just wondering. If it is not my GERD it is my IBS......what a life is right. Do you think the Aciphex work better then the other three?