Is it true omeprazole 'covers up' IBD?

[girlinterrupted]

Just wondering if anyone knows the real truth to this, my doctor said for me to get more cameras done I will need to come off omeprazole and ranatadine as they won't find anything? But if I come off them I always go into a flare up an I'm not so sure if he's right?

 

[Crohn's Mom]

Do you have Crohns in your stomach? From what I know omeprozole treats stomach acid/ulcers - not intestinal issues.
If he's worried that it will hide stomach-esophagus issues then I tend to agree, buy beyond that? I've personally never heard that.
I'll be interested to see what others have to say ...
Good luck with your scopes !

 

[girlinterrupted]

Hiya, well I'm diagnosed as 'gastritis' at the moment but keep having bad flare up of pain and diarhhea and sickness, the pain is awful sometimes I just feel like I can't do it anymore. But as its been so long and I keep relapsing on omeprazole they are now looking into it further ... He said because I get the pain in the duodenum area and left side that it has to be gastritis. X

 

[DanHerefordshire]

iv always been taking omeprazole when having any scopes done.. my dr hasent complained yet but i usually am in quite a good crohns flair if i have one done so is prob very visable

maybee different for other ibd/ibs related issues

 

[Trysha]

Omeprazole is a proton pump inhibitor and its action involves the Proton pump mechanism of the gastric parietal cells.There are a number of proton pump inhibitors commercially available by prescription .
Ranitidine inhibits the gastric acid production.
Both products would stop the gastric acid and allow the mucosa to heal.
If your crohn's involves the stomach and duodenum then it would make sense to discontinue them while being investigated if the GI requires it to be that way.
There have been reports that suggest patients may be more prone to developing
C.difficile infection when being treated with proton pump inhibitors, however other studies disagree with this finding.
This medication is not designed to deal with other than stomach, esophagus and duodenum.
Feel better soon
Hugs and best wishes
Trysha

 

[girlinterrupted]

Thanks trysha, very very helpful, I just hope they don't 'mask' the problem an then gives doctors an excuse to say 'there's nothing there' but yes I've heard they only work on the stomach. X

 

[Cupcake]

Trysha is completely correct in my case. I took Nexium (esomeprazole) as prescribed for heartburn as needed for many years, and this caused my esophageal and upper GI crohn's issues to be overlooked. I had some relief from Nexium and Reglan, thus taking it until I was without these medications to really seek more treatment from the issues.

I have read that while upper GI crohn's is thought to be rare, it's been more common than previously thought, as it can go untreated or covered up by various other medications. After a scope, I was diagnosed and the treatment I am on now is much more effective than the previous drugs.

 

[girlinterrupted]

Hey cupcake (lol love the name) yeh that's what I'm worried about they are saying they think its upper gi crohns but what I'm worried about is the ranatadine and omeprazole I'm on will cover it up and they might think nothing is there when I come to having scopes, also I'm worried if I stop them I go into a flare. I'm on both as one on its own does nothing whereas I get a little relief from these meds.

 

[StarGirrrrl]

Personally I would come off them before the scope, just to make sure something isn't being hidden/masked, even at the risk of a flare. Going through procedures like that need to be worthwhile really as they aren't easy/nice, and I wouldn't be happy if something was missed when it could have been found through stopping meds.

You can always ring the Endoscopy unit for advice once your appointment letter comes through.

You have to do a laxative prep for colonoscopy and a fast (no food/water) for endoscopy so you probably can't have your normal doses anyway close to the scope (s) due to prep instructions.

Perhaps in this instance you have to choose the "lesser evil" of potentially missing something on scopes taking meds or risking a flare with not taking meds.

:soledance:

 

[Cupcake]

The way I can explain it was using the previous medications was just like applying a bandaid. It worked for the time being but it wasn't a real solution.

I went through using a variety of treatments in combination trying to get relief before I got the correct diagnosis. I was taking nexium to control acid, reglan to move digestion through, carafate for treatment of ulcers, zofran to control nausea, and viscous lidocaine to numb things so I could even eat. Even with all these medications, I still was in pain and wasn't having much progress getting some areas to heal. When I had them go away, it was only temporary as they would return eventually.

After realizing these treatments weren't what I really needed, my doctors were able to change the treatment plan and I've had no issues. And not having to be a walking pharmacy is a nice added bonus. Short term it might seem really daunting to be in pain and deal with, but the procedure is fast and afterwards, you'll get an answer which could be the key to really feeling better.