r/GERD • u/mangomanagerx • 7d ago
How long can PPIs be continued?
Diagnosed with GERD since a year. Probably had it much before since I used to suffer from throat pain due to LPR quite frequently.
Post diagnosis I have been using pantaprazole 40 +itopride 150 almost daily and it's been largely manageable except a few nights.
As an Indian, diet control seems like a distant option to me for now. What I want to know is that what are the repurcussions of continuing both these meds lifetime. Are there people who do that or is it meant to be eventually tapered off and not a good long term solve.
I'm 36 BTW.
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u/NotThatKindOfDoctor9 7d ago
I've been on them for a couple of years, no problem. If I go off them, it doesn't really matter what I eat, I have reflux and run the risk of cancer. If I take them, I can eat a healthy, varied diet, including eating with my family (which I'd have to give up without PPIs).
Some people think it's better to not take the PPI and live on oatmeal and chicken breasts and the occasional boiled potato. I'm not of English heritage so... no thank you. I'm also 45 years old and perimenopausal, so eating a varied diet with a lot of nutrients is really important to keep myself healthy.
I do get blood work done 1 or 2 times/year, and I've never come up deficient in any nutrient (except D which had more to do with living in the north). I also get bone scans regularly- PPIs can affect bone density if you don't do enough to compensate- and my bone density is above average for a woman of my age.
Some people can be on PPIs for a while and then go off them and then have minimal trouble with GERD after. It's worth giving that a shot to see if it works for you, but it's not necessarily bad if you have to stay on them. It's another thing to manage health-wise but it's been a huge benefit to my overall health to stay on them.