I Am an Addict
I have a bad habit: I read the New York Times every day, cover to cover, and it gets me in so much trouble. This week, on Monday, I read this article: Heartburn Drugs Tied To Kidney Problems.
I have been taking Prilosec since 1998 for really uncomfortable heartburn, with my doctor's encouragement. David H. stressed to me that heartburn irritates the esophagus which can result in cancer of the esophagus. That never sounded pleasant to me, so I've been taking one Prilosec a day for almost twenty years and have been heartburn free. Then on Monday, I read the article I've linked to above.
Four times a year I get my blood tested, principally for the A1c which is an important tool for monitoring how well I'm controlling my Type 2 diabetes. I had my blood work done on Monday, and on Tuesday I saw David, so I asked him about the article. He asked me if I had ever tried going off the Prilosec? I hadn't because whenever I forget to take it...along with my Vitamin D, my Actos to control my blood sugar, a diuretic, and a thyroid pill...a cocktail of meds...my heartburn comes back with a vengeance. He explained (for the first time!) that the Prilosec acts as a dam holding the acid reflux back; when I don't take the pill, it floods my system. He suggested I skip the Prilosec and see what happens. He said that if my heartburn is really chronic, after a couple of days without the Prilosec, the heartburn will stop, but then gradually return. If I don't need it anymore, of course, it won't come back at all or will be easily controllable with something like Maalox. (Maalox and several other over-the-counter remedies work differently from Prilosec and Nexium, and don't damage the kidneys.) There is a good chance that my heartburn won't return because in 2001 I had my gall bladder removed.
So what happened yesterday when I skipped my Prilosec? I know you are waiting with bated breath! Just what you might expect: by mid-afternoon I started to experience heartburn, right on schedule. I ignored it. That was all I could do because I had neglected to buy some Maalox or something similar, like David H. suggested. I ate my usual diet and, much to my surprise, after dinner I tossed my cookies! I was amazed. I didn't expect that extreme a reaction.
Today, right now, this very minute, at noon on Thursday, having eaten cold cereal with strawberries for breakfast, and had a cup of coffee, I am having mild heartburn. I have not gone out and bought another heartburn remedy...the drug store is three whole blocks away...but I may do so later: I have to go to the post office anyway. I could stop by on my way home.
As for the rest of my visit with David H., he will be happy to refer me back for another session of p.t. in March, my A1c improved for the second time in a row, and all is otherwise well with me...and will get even weller if I can control my heartburn without taking any more Prilosec.
On the other hand, if you are 78, something else will probably kill you before the ill effects of eighteen years of taking Prilosec will have a chance to come home to roost. Nobody gets out alive. FanSee
I have been taking Prilosec since 1998 for really uncomfortable heartburn, with my doctor's encouragement. David H. stressed to me that heartburn irritates the esophagus which can result in cancer of the esophagus. That never sounded pleasant to me, so I've been taking one Prilosec a day for almost twenty years and have been heartburn free. Then on Monday, I read the article I've linked to above.
Four times a year I get my blood tested, principally for the A1c which is an important tool for monitoring how well I'm controlling my Type 2 diabetes. I had my blood work done on Monday, and on Tuesday I saw David, so I asked him about the article. He asked me if I had ever tried going off the Prilosec? I hadn't because whenever I forget to take it...along with my Vitamin D, my Actos to control my blood sugar, a diuretic, and a thyroid pill...a cocktail of meds...my heartburn comes back with a vengeance. He explained (for the first time!) that the Prilosec acts as a dam holding the acid reflux back; when I don't take the pill, it floods my system. He suggested I skip the Prilosec and see what happens. He said that if my heartburn is really chronic, after a couple of days without the Prilosec, the heartburn will stop, but then gradually return. If I don't need it anymore, of course, it won't come back at all or will be easily controllable with something like Maalox. (Maalox and several other over-the-counter remedies work differently from Prilosec and Nexium, and don't damage the kidneys.) There is a good chance that my heartburn won't return because in 2001 I had my gall bladder removed.
So what happened yesterday when I skipped my Prilosec? I know you are waiting with bated breath! Just what you might expect: by mid-afternoon I started to experience heartburn, right on schedule. I ignored it. That was all I could do because I had neglected to buy some Maalox or something similar, like David H. suggested. I ate my usual diet and, much to my surprise, after dinner I tossed my cookies! I was amazed. I didn't expect that extreme a reaction.
Today, right now, this very minute, at noon on Thursday, having eaten cold cereal with strawberries for breakfast, and had a cup of coffee, I am having mild heartburn. I have not gone out and bought another heartburn remedy...the drug store is three whole blocks away...but I may do so later: I have to go to the post office anyway. I could stop by on my way home.
As for the rest of my visit with David H., he will be happy to refer me back for another session of p.t. in March, my A1c improved for the second time in a row, and all is otherwise well with me...and will get even weller if I can control my heartburn without taking any more Prilosec.
On the other hand, if you are 78, something else will probably kill you before the ill effects of eighteen years of taking Prilosec will have a chance to come home to roost. Nobody gets out alive. FanSee