Thank you. I'm (a bit) over 60 & have been taking omeprazole for 6 or 7 yrs for reflux. Without it, I sometimes wake at night retching with the acid at the back of the throat. I read PPIs cause a slightly increased risk of stomach cancer (?) but doing without seems worse. My father (86) didn't get his reflux treated promptly & was told he has "tissue changes". I guess that's Barrett's metaplasia, which can lead to cancer. I wonder if an old H2 receptor antagonist like cimetidine might be safer?
@jonno52 Hi there, according to the FDA, PPIs are no longer thought to cause stomach cancer...they apparently disproved this concern! If nighttime acid secretion is a problem for you, it might be wise to switch to an H2-blocker since the problem is usually brought on by histamine. Cimetidine works well, but gotta watch out for its many drug interactions. I'd probably start with Zantac. Be sure to chat with your physician about this! If you case is not severe, it would be wise to switch.
@GetPharmacyAdvice That's very helpful. I'll mention it the next time I see my GP, which will be fairly soon. I can declare some basic (layman's) knowledge on cimetidine, as I wrote out the UK product licence for it back in the 1970s, as an employee of the Health Dept. But things have moved on, and a proper reappraisal of my all medication seems advisable (I take some other things as well). Thanks again!
Thank you. I'm (a bit) over 60 & have been taking omeprazole for 6 or 7 yrs for reflux. Without it, I sometimes wake at night retching with the acid at the back of the throat. I read PPIs cause a slightly increased risk of stomach cancer (?) but doing without seems worse. My father (86) didn't get his reflux treated promptly & was told he has "tissue changes". I guess that's Barrett's metaplasia, which can lead to cancer. I wonder if an old H2 receptor antagonist like cimetidine might be safer?
jonno52 1 year ago
@jonno52 Hi there, according to the FDA, PPIs are no longer thought to cause stomach cancer...they apparently disproved this concern! If nighttime acid secretion is a problem for you, it might be wise to switch to an H2-blocker since the problem is usually brought on by histamine. Cimetidine works well, but gotta watch out for its many drug interactions. I'd probably start with Zantac. Be sure to chat with your physician about this! If you case is not severe, it would be wise to switch.
GetPharmacyAdvice 1 year ago
@GetPharmacyAdvice That's very helpful. I'll mention it the next time I see my GP, which will be fairly soon. I can declare some basic (layman's) knowledge on cimetidine, as I wrote out the UK product licence for it back in the 1970s, as an employee of the Health Dept. But things have moved on, and a proper reappraisal of my all medication seems advisable (I take some other things as well). Thanks again!
jonno52 1 year ago
Youre hot!
Scones67 1 year ago