Anemia, Dexilant, B12....Oh my!

[1KJCRUSADE]

Posted this on a different forum but asking here as well...

This is for my mom not for me. About two months ago my mom started having fatigue, heart palpitations, headache, shortness of breath. The only medication she started around that time was Dexilant 60mg. There is no history of heart problems but there are digestive issues. In april she had some bloodwork done and then again this month. We are thinking that she has symptoms of anemia but the doctors are saying its nothing too serious. Could the symptoms be caused by Dexilant? If so, how long until the Dexilant is out of her system (I mean if she would go off of it.) Also, is this bloodwork indicative of Iron deficiency anemia? B12? or what is anyone's thoughts based on the bloodwork.

I will be writing two numbers the first one is the blood work from April, the second is the recent bloodwork.

RBC:  4.29      3.88
Hemoglobin: 12.4         11.4
Hematocrit:   39.3%        35.4%
Platelet:         227            221
Ferritin:                            55 (no ferritn levels or iron levels were checked in April only this month, June)
Iron:                                 95
TIBC                                374
% Saturation                    25.4

B12              384               645 (she did take B12 supplements..thinking it could be the cause, no difference)

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. They want her to see a cardiologist, which is fine, but we kind of doubt it that. It's interesting she started these symptoms when going on the Dexilant (however; she did go off of them for 3 days, no symptoms relief. She went back on them because it helps with GERD). Did she not give the Dexilant time to get out of her system? Could the Dexilant have cause vitamin deficiencies that quickly? She was also on a strict diet...so again, does the blood work indicate iron or maybe nutritional deficiencies?

[TheLightSeeker]

Hi 1KJCRUSADE.

I think your moms iron panel looks pretty good.
The B12 at 384, even if the lab range may indicate this as normal,
it happens to be too low, for healthy function for most people.
European and Japanese ranges START at 500-550 pg/ml!!!
So her levels have improved since, HOWEVER, these are for Cobalamin B12 and nobody knows if it converts to Methylocobalamin B12, which is the form the body actually uses, unless she's already taking it.
Theoretically, the Dexilant decreases gastric acid which "supposedly"" helps with GERD symptoms and at the same time causes low Intrinsic Factor, so she might need to keep supplementing with B12, but the Methylocobalamin B12, sublingual drops, would be the wiser choice, as it need no further conversion.
She might have developed some other deficiencies, specially if her gastric acid levels are low. When combined with a PPI acid reducing drug, the
problem gets amplified.
Low gastric acid is more common in GERD than high gastric acid.
Acid reflux will still be a symptom when one has low levels of acid, as only
a small amount of gastric acid is plenty to cause the acid reflux.
The problem is that the whole process of digestion is in dissaray when gastric levels are low.
Insufficient stomach acid leads to  the increase in intra-abdominal pressure (IAP). When IAP increases it pushes against the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) and it causes it to open, so even a microscopic amount of acid touches the inside of your esophagus it can produce large amounts of pain and burning.
This is because the esophagus has no protection like the stomach from high acid levels.
Absorption of essential nutrients and minerals would be impaired.
The immune system, naturally weakens in such circumstances.
Bacteria, toxins form undigested foods, higher levels of acid in the blood,
wreak havoc in the body. Not a pretty picture!

Have her do a Betaine HCL challenge (just follow the label instructions and if she consistently feels better on this, it indicates low gastric acid)
and/or the baking soda "burp"test. 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda with a 1/4 cup of water. After drinking this, she counts the minutes it takes to burp/belch. 3 minutes or less is healthy, longer indicates low gastric acid.

Magnesium is very important for digestion, gastric acid production ,  healthy heart function and heart rhythm regulation among many other important functions.
She's a good candidate for a trial of magnesium.
Mg absorption requires plenty of Mg in the diet, Selenium, parathyroid hormone (PTH) and vitamins B6 and D, some of which she may be dOrally you can use -what I believe is the best form of magnesium- magnesium chloride hexahydrate 25gr/L
solution with water.
Dose is 125 ml every 6-8 hours sipped very slowly.
Do not let possible initial laxative effects deter her, as they are  usually only temporary. Tapering up to the 125 ml lessens the lax effects
Also transdermal Magnesium Oil treatments every other day will be a great adjunct to boost levels as oral Mg is notoriously difficult to absorb
Magnesium Oil= 1/2 magnesium chloride flakes + 1/2 water.
Once dissolved , use a spray bottle and spray on your body,
excluding sensitive areas, leave on for 20' and then shower.
It will help in more ways than you can imagine, but give it a few weeks, before you really experience results deficient in.

Some extra magnesium benefits:
-- Magnesium suppresses PTH and stimulates calcitonin helping put calcium into our bones and joints,  and also removing it from our soft tissues.
--Magnesium converts vitamin D into its active form to aid in Calcium absorption.
All the enzymes that metabolize vitamin D require Magnesium.

Please note that my comments are not intended as a replacement for medical advice.

Best wishes,
Niko