Doctor recommended I take Prilosec for 14 days....but I'm hesitant in taking it..?

Question

Doctor told me to take Prilosec OTC for 14 days for my heartburn. I've read a from a couple of people that it does work, but once you're off, it's back and sometimes even worse.

I've looked around for natural remedies, such as apple cider vinegar, celery, cabbage soup, etc. And I've tried these and they do seem to help out (i'd say cutting the symptons in half as far as intensity and frequency), but doesn't completely eliminate the problem.

I'm also guessing that it doesn't completely eliminate the problem because once in a while i can't help but indulge in more regular foods...

So...my questions are, what do you know about Prilosec OTC? What's your take on using them?

Or should I go the natural way? Can I beat heartburn naturally?

Just to add more details, I use to go to the gym regularly for 5 years...and stopped in December because of financial reasons. And recently I had a molar pulled out and was prescribed codeine. Which I believe is what jump started the whole thing.

Answer 1

Prilosec has never worked for me personally but it has worked for several people that I know of.  Neither have the traditional home remedies worked for me.  Especially vinegar.  That made it 100 times worse!  There are many chemicals and foods that can cause heartburn and your doctor should have discussed these with you.  If he hasn't you should do an internet search to find out what foods you should avoid.  Many fruits, high in acid, such as oranges, lemons, and other citrus foods can cause heartburn, as well as spicy foods, caffeine, and nicotine.  Cutting those foods and substances should help.

Answer 2

my accupuncturist gave me aloe vera juice and enzymes, and I have never had heartburn/acid reflux since.  I tried everything like you...but taking 1 teaspoon of aloe vera juice a couple of times a day and enzymes too, and it worked instantly...

Answer 3

To help promote a healthy digestive environment you need liquid chlorophyll and pineapple every day.

Answer 4

Try the natural way to beat this:  there are some amazing natural supplements out there that are not even very expensive.  I am taking spirulina and chlorella and my blood pressure went down(along with my cholesterol).  I di od on the supplements, I bought a 3 month supply and took it in 6 weeks, but it helped.  Now I take the recommended dosis to maintain what I've achieved.

Another supplement you can try is stuff called glyconutrients which you can get online from mannatech or from healthtechmeds.  Mannatech is cheaper.  I take the stuff since a year now and I have never felt as good or looked as good as I do now.  Best of all, I didn't have to take any statins or other drugs to get my problems under control......good luck

Answer 5

A friend of mine was taking prilosec for about a year and she started getting back pain, very bad abdominal pain and was a wreck.  She was going to doctors and no one could find out what was wrong with her.  She finally discovered it was the prilosec making her worse.

She changed her diet to a gluten free, sugar free and basically carb free diet and she is fine now.   She got a lot of good info from the book "Breaking the vicious cycle"

It is something that you are eating most likely.

Answer 6

Take it for the 14 days, and use the time to do research. At least you will be able to compare the medicine v/s alternative treatments.

Answer 7

Prilosec is known as a proton pump inhibitor (PPI).  It is one of a class of drugs that reduce acid production in the stomach.  Some of the PPI's work better in some people than others.  (Others you may have heard of are Nexium and Pantoloc)

There is also slightly weaker type of acid reducer known as H2 Blockers.  Zantac and Pepcid belong to this class.

Lastly there are just plain old antacids like Tums, Maalox etc.  The ones with magnesium or aluminum salts work better than the calcium containing ones.

Have you been tested for the bacteria Helicobacter pylori?  That is now know to be associated with peptic ulcer disease and can be cured by antibiotics.

If you have acid reflux, then the sphincter that keeps the stomach contents in the stomach may be weak...it can be assessed by doing a barium swallow xray, or a gastroscopy...but that's getting a bit invasive for garden variety heartburn.

Some people are able to keep their symptoms controlled with just diet...you might have to experiment a bit to find which foods are your triggers.  Some people can take the meds for a period of time and then go off them until symptoms return. And some people seem to need to be on them more long term.  There are some health concerns with long term use of acid suppressing drugs. There are also health concerns with untreated heartburn, as it can cause scarring of the esophagus and is associated with esophageal cancer.

Answer 8

There is no evidence that heartburn will be worse after you've been on Prilosec for 14 days.

Neither is there any evidence that apple cider vinegar, celery, cabbage soup, etc are going to be helpful.

Prilosec is widely considered to be one of the safest drugs around.  You should at least give it a try.