Oh the med peeps

Kimwhiz

Kimwhiz

Member
I love my drs. My primary and gyn. They have been good drs for 20 years for me. One, I’m worried they will retire and I’ll have to start over again. Well, it will happen so I shouldn’t even waste the worry time. Second, since they are nearer to retirement, I do think maybe they aren’t up to date as the younger ones since they are winding down their careers. ie, ppi meds. I’ve taken these for 7 years. I have acid relax and it’s bad at night if I don’t take it. If been reading all these articles about it causing all these issues if taken long term. I call Gyn about it since he prescribed it, he says ask pcp. PCP says it if works then take it. Then I go to a new pharmacy since I moved. Pharmacist says, do you take calcium. I said I was, but gyn said stop taking it because it causes calcium deposits in your heart. She said I need a bone density test. I call my gyn and he schedules that. Now if I want a new class of anti acid I have to see pcp but he already told me to take it if it works. Should I print about a bunch of medical articles and take it to him? I don’t know. Urg.
 

I sympathize! I’ve printed out a couple of articles to take to my PCP the next visit about things we have some disagreements on. Don’t know how she’ll react. On calcium: I was always told if I was consuming plenty of non fat or fat free dairy (which I was) I didn’t need to take it beyond what’s in the multivitamin. Then 2 1/2 yrs ago I fell & broke a thigh bone & the Ortho docs yelled at me because I hadn’t been taking calcium. Then I got a new PCP and she yelled at me FOR taking it for the heart risks. Then I saw a cardiologist and all she would say is “It’s controversial “ and that given my age & history she didn’t think I had any additional cardiac risk, & the fact that my bone density wasn’t really bad she didn’t think that taking it or not taking it would make a difference. So I’m just taking a little bit extra & continuing to enjoy calcium in its natural state, FOOD.
 
Geezerette said:
I sympathize! I’ve printed out a couple of articles to take to my PCP the next visit about things we have some disagreements on. Don’t know how she’ll react. On calcium: I was always told if I was consuming plenty of non fat or fat free dairy (which I was) I didn’t need to take it beyond what’s in the multivitamin. Then 2 1/2 yrs ago I fell & broke a thigh bone & the Ortho docs yelled at me because I hadn’t been taking calcium. Then I got a new PCP and she yelled at me FOR taking it for the heart risks. Then I saw a cardiologist and all she would say is “It’s controversial “ and that given my age & history she didn’t think I had any additional cardiac risk, & the fact that my bone density wasn’t really bad she didn’t think that taking it or not taking it would make a difference. So I’m just taking a little bit extra & continuing to enjoy calcium in its natural state, FOOD.
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Thanks for the info. I didn’t know it was controversial. I’ll try to include more calcium rich foods in my diet and maybe start a multi vitamin. But I think ppi do inhibit the absorption of calcium. I’ll see what the bone density tests says and go from there. Breaking your thigh, ouch! Are you all healed from that?
 

If you have acid reflux, modify your diet. Experiment around, on your own, with different foods. You may be pleasantly surprised. Too many people, today, and I'm not implying you, want pills for everything, but never think of modifying what they're putting into themselves. Good luck!
 
treeguy64 said:
If you have acid reflux, modify your diet. Experiment around, on your own, with different foods. You may be pleasantly surprised. Too many people, today, and I'm not implying you, want pills for everything, but never think of modifying what they're putting into themselves. Good luck!
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I have read up on diets for acid reflux. My husband cooks, yay!, and we do eat a very healthy diet. I haven't had a coke for a year or so. You know in Texas we say 'coke' for any soda. lol.
 
Kimwhiz said:
... I haven't had a coke for a year or so. You know in Texas we say 'coke' for any soda. lol.
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Here too and I love them! ....but they're so bad for us 😥 😥 😥 I've had one this year.

As for PPIs, I'm a RD and have never thought they were a good idea other than for severe cases and not used long term ...even when they were first touted as a Wonder! drug. More and more studies are showing the dangers. And some people (incd one of my best friends) have a hell of a time weaning off of them. I was worried about digestion and absorption when they first came out; now they concern me even more in their negative impacts on the gut microbiome.

As for the calcium debate, making sure you're getting enough Vit D3 to keep your blood levels at high normal will help you get the max out of calcium rich food sources. Low Vit D impacts so many other things besides calcium, and most of us don't get enough. I've found that dosage varies for individuals. The best way to know for you is to start at recommended doses of D3, have your D levels checked a couple of months after regular supplementation, then adjust your D3 intake accordingly. It may take several lab draws to find your optimum D3 dosage. High normal levels are best, but you don't want to go over that. Both too low and too high Vit D levels contribute to soft tissue calcification.
 
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First...DON'T prescribe to the doctor. DO research scripts and side effects, and DO report side effects to your doctor. DON'T tell your doctor to prescribe something because you saw it on TV or in a print ad. If you get to a point where you no longer trust your doctor to manage your care, find a new doctor.
 
AnnieA said:
Here too and I love them! ....but they're so bad for us 😥 😥 😥 I've had one this year.

As for PPIs, I'm a RD and have never thought they were a good idea other than for severe cases and not used long term ...even when they were first touted as a Wonder! drug. More and more studies are showing the dangers. And some people (incd one of my best friends) have a hell of a time weaning off of them. I was worried about digestion and absorption when they first came out; now they concern me even more in their negative impacts on the gut microbiome.

As for the calcium debate, making sure you're getting enough Vit D to keep your blood levels at high normal will help you get the max out of calcium rich food sources. Low Vit D impacts so many other things besides calcium, and most of us don't get enough. I've found that dosage varies for individuals. The best way to know for you is to start at recommended doses, then have your D levels checked a couple of months after regular supplementation.
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Hi. I got on this med because one night I sat bolt up in the bed and was aspirating some reflux that came up in sleep. Scared the pants off of me. I could hardly breathe. Hubby was out of town so I called him. I finally was able to stop coughing. I'm terrified of that happening again. I do get lots of vitamin D from the sun. I'm always outside. But winter time is another story. I had my bloods done a few weeks back and all is normal. Thanks for the info. :)
 
GeorgiaXplant said:
First...DON'T prescribe to the doctor. DO research scripts and side effects, and DO report side effects to your doctor. DON'T tell your doctor to prescribe something because you saw it on TV or in a print ad. If you get to a point where you no longer trust your doctor to manage your care, find a new doctor.
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I would never do that. I trust them. I just would like to sit down and talk about it with them more in depth. I'm going to make a appointment with my pcp to do that.
 
My story...I was in the hospital, and just when one of the on-call docs came into the room, I had heartburn. Really bad heartburn for no particular reason. I mentioned it. Doc gave me something that made it go away instantly. Like the second I swallowed. Then...she prescribed whatever the heck it is to be taken every single day (apparently for the rest of my life?). NO!!! I tried to explain that it was unusual, just that one time, but she just didn't get it. When I got out, I asked my PCP. She said if I didn't need it, don't take it. I don't.
 
I took those reflux meds off and on for years and then they stopped working. I had to modify my diet. I used to go through the grocery store looking at all the stuff I couldn't eat. The only thing that really helped after that was apple cider vinegar. I tried it because I was desperate. It helped at least to stabilize me. I can eat only a restricted diet, but at least I can sleep at night. No more spicy foods, no more citrus, gotta keep the fats low. No fun at all.☹
 
Judycat said:
I took those reflux meds off and on for years and then they stopped working. I had to modify my diet. I used to go through the grocery store looking at all the stuff I couldn't eat. The only thing that really helped after that was apple cider vinegar. I tried it because I was desperate. It helped at least to stabilize me. I can eat only a restricted diet, but at least I can sleep at night. No more spicy foods, no more citrus, gotta keep the fats low. No fun at all.☹
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I'm sorry. After talking to you guys I would like to get off. I'll talk to my pcp. Thanks.
 

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