[faze action]

I don't suffer from GERD, but I have a friend who does. About a year and a half ago she started getting intermittent reflux that seemed to be related to stress (she was going through a rough time with her husband when it started). According to her it was pretty random and would come and go over a period of days and then disappear entirely for days- weeks. She went to the doctor (and ENT) and he prescribed pantoprazole (Protonix). Well, it's now about 18 months later and she's been on this medicine the entire time (almost daily) and her GERD has gotten substantially worse. I looked up Protonix and read that it should not be used chronically and only an 8-week treatment course was the norm.Anyway, my question is: could the drug prescribed for GERD be making my friend's condition worse? (or is something else the cause?)Anybody else use Protonix and experience this?

 

[TheHobbes]

I have GERD also, discovered when I had an endoscopy. I never had any acid reflux problems or discomfort in my life when they told me I had pretty severe damage from it and needed meds. I was on Protonix for a month (switched later because insurance did not cover it). But from the day I started taking that stuff I would get acid coming back up and burning in my chest when I ate or drank anything. It was weird because I had never had this happen before. I didn't get any answer from my doctor as to why this happened, but even now, a year later and on a different acid reflux med, I get bad reflux every day. It's very irratating and I really wonder what would have happened if I had never gone on the meds.

 

[overitnow]

As a possible alternative, you might give the flavonoid supplement I have used, Provex CV, a try. It took about 6 weeks to eliminate the constant burning but, other than a couple of occasions of really poor food choices, I have had no chronic digestive problems since 1999. It reversed a case of male smoker's impotence in about 2 weeks, stopped the GERD in a month and a half, stopped my D over a year's period, and has helped reduce my chances of a heart attack from 50% to 2% over 10 years.Mark

 

[faze action]

Thanks for the responses guys... overit, I'll mention that supplement to my friend in case she wants to give it a try.Hobbes, that's interesting that you had pretty much the same experience on the Protonix. I've been telling my friend she needs to go back to her primary care doctor for a second opinion (or maybe another ENT); at the very least maybe she should quit the meds and try something else...