Prevacid

Posted By rd on May 19, 1998 at 21:52:06:







I have been taking 90mg of Prevacid for 6 months now for what was thought to be reflux.  Before that, I took 60 mg of Prevacid for 4 months.  I was initially put on it for asthma like symptoms, and malaise after eating.   An acid ph study done while I was taking 60 mg was abnormal.  My gastroenterologist (my third one) referred me for surgery because he felt I would never be able to come off of the 90 mg dose, so the ph study was repeated.  This time I went off of the Prevacid for 5 days and the study came back normal so the surgeon was skeptical that I have reflux.  Although my EGD does show recent evidence of reflux, I do not have classic symptoms.  My other symptoms initially were burning in my back, URQ pain (intermittent), belching, and malaise after eating.  When I started taking Prevacid, the malaise slowly went away and I felt normal.  After several months, the RUQ pain also stopped.  On the suggestion of the surgeon, I tried going off of the Prevacid slowly, but after I was completely off for 8 days, the malaise after eating and the RUQ pain (which had been gone for 4 months!) came back.  I started taking the Prevacid again and am slowly returning to normal.  This happened to me a couple other times early on when I went off of the Prevacid for some tests; that was how I knew the Prevacid was helping intially.  I have had numerous ultrasounds, ct scans, enteroclysis, blood work-ups, secretin stimulation test, etc.  I guess I can stay on the Prevacid for the rest of my life but I really would like to know why I have severe malaise after eating and RUQ pain if I don't take it.  If my stomach makes too much acid, could that cause these symptoms?