| Key to ratings for prevacid: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine. |
| Rating | Reason | Side Effects | Comments | Sex | Age | Time Taken | Date Added | |
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| 4 | GERD | None that I know of. | Was on it at 30mg/day until insurance stopped covering it four years ago. I never had a problem with it and it was effective. One thing you have to consider about sites like this is that people are far, far more likely to report bad experiences than they are good experiences, and you never know whic bad experiences can be contributed to a drug and which cannot. Learn to read the clinical trials. They're placebo controlled and peer reviewed. There aren't people with multiple health problems making guesses about what's causing what. No offense to anyone on here but I trust data more than anecdote. With that said, I had a good experience with Prevacid and started going downhill when I was forced to go to Prilosec OTC. I just now took the first dose of OTC Prevacid. I don't really have any concern about side effects...my worries are more efficacy related as I will be taking half the dose I used to. Anyway I don't mean to say that people here are full of it or anything. There are always rare side effects to any drug and some can be bothersome or worse. What I'm saying is the average patient lacks the knowledge to diagnose themselves, and also that bad experiences are more likely to be reported. When people are feeling bad it's natural to point fingers and I don't particularly blame them, but when other people come along and read it these accounts should be taken with a grain of salt. | M | 33 | 2/5/2010 | 1 | Acid Reflux | nausea, tingling upper body, fainting | switched to Prevacid after taking Zantac 150 for about 2 years. Mainly becouse of the coupons. thought I would give it a try. first 2 days, dont remember any problems, 3rd day, was out to eat and was drinking. Became sick to my stomach, light headed and flushed and vomited. Blamed it on the alcohol and my mood. The forth day, same side effects, this time i faited in the bath room and hit my head. Scary. At this time I suspected that it was Prevacid but was not positive. Out of fear I Stopped using it. went back to Zantac 150. Two weeks later, ran out of Zantac. So I took a 15mg Pevacid, within 30 min. all The Side effects were there. Now I am Positive. | M | 37 | 4 days | 2/5/2010 | 1 | GE | GERD | I had been taking Prilosec for 6 years before I decided to give Prevacid a try. I had coupons and it made sense at the time to use them. Unfortunately, I did not visit this site before I took them. Immediately. I felt a change in my body and mood. I was lying on the couch most of the day, getting up only to go to bed. Since I am dealing with the recent death of my mother, I thought that it must be normal. Then the gastrointestinal stuff kicked in. All of a sudden, I was ravenous so I thought that the sheer amounts of food I was consuming must be causing that. Almost overnight, I couldn't wear my jeans and my stomach was constantly making animal noises. I could not eat anthing without getting severe diahrrea. The daily and nightly gas pains were crippling. I seriously did not want to go out because I could not control the gas and it was the type that would clear out the whole building. Last night I decided to look for side effects on Prevacid and EUREKA!! It was all there in black and white. I still had a week's worth of pills left but I dropped them into the garbage can and went out to buy some Prilosec. I never had a problem with Prilosec so I feel stupid for taking the chance with Prevacid. I will never take them again and hope that my symptoms go away quickly so I can go grocery shopping! Oh, I also had mind fuzziness and barely could remember my own name. What a horrible experience! | F | 60 | 3 weeks | 2/4/2010 | 1 | hiatal hernia--gerd | pains in neck and chest,terrible symptoms from slow heart rate,headaches,heart pausing, | runner and very healthy for years,developed high vagal tone which I believe the prevacid caused,ended up in the E.R. have been off med for 6 weeks and have slightly improved. last refill was generic maybe that was the problem | M | 50 | 11 months | 1/31/2010 | 4 | GERD | In order of severity: Gas and intestinal discomfort,heat flushes at night?, forgetfulness?, occasional heart palpitations?, colon polyps? | Prevacid has been working for me.I noticed that as I became older the side effects seemed to get worse. Consequently,I have reduced the dose from 30mg daily to 15mg daily with no perceptible difference in reflux relief, but a big improvement in my side-effects. | M | 53 | 12 years | 1/29/2010 | 1 | GERD/Reflux | Terrible stomach aches, alternate diarrhea, constipation. I knew something was wrong when I barely got 1/2 day relief fromGERD when it went OTC & I decided to switch from Prilosec (had many coupons). I went back to Prilosec a week ago and the stomach nightmares are fine again. | Not sure why but it doesn't work right for me. I'm tossing out my 2wk supply and back to Prilosec, not worth the pain and lost time from work for this junk. Very disappointed and worried for weeks my insides were a mess, thank god I thought to switch back to Prilosec as a last resort, saved myself a lot of money and worry!! | M | 40 | 2 months | 1/29/2010 | 1 | acid reflux | Severe IBS symptoms...loose stools,horrible cramping,burning in upper and lower stomach,intestinal spasms,gas,and bloating. | worked for acid reflux, but immediately caused other bad side effects | F | 35 | 7 days | 1/19/2010 | 4 | GERD | joints pain, weight gain | F | 51 | 11 months | 1/18/2010 | 3 | GERD | Constipation started soon after I started Prevacid, the abdominal bloating comes with it. I changed from Prilosec because I was having late day breakthrough reflux. I've been on Prevacid for about 1 month now. I am having little calf pain that I never would of associated with the medicine until I read other people's experiences, Hmm. Just this last week I felt like I gained some weight, tighter clothes...maybe side effect!? Same for being wiped out it started last week, initially I thought I was coming down with something..but I didn't and I still feel the same. Ditto about the vivid dreams that also started same time the fatique set in about last week....I thought it was odd..but I'm hearing similiar effects. I am gonna go back to Prilosec now and monitor this.... | I switched to this drug because it just became an over the counter medicine and thought I would try it. Thought it might be more effective than Prilosec, but for the GERD it works about the same for me. Going back to Prilosec. | F | 43 | 30 days | 1/12/2010 | 5 | GERD | No side effects | This has worked very well for me to avoid GERD symptoms and to prevent developing Barrett's Esophagus. Since I have MVP I have worried that without any stomach acid and therefore no first defense against bacteria it could cause problems for a heart valve and when I expressed this to my doctor he said it was theoretically possible. However I've been taking it for 10 years apparently without any problems. Highly recommend it, if you can tolerate it. | F | 56 | 10 years | 1/11/2010 | 4 | GERD | The first day was fine. By second day the migraine/severe headache began. It would lessen as the day went on. Headache pain increased for a few hours after taking the pill. By day six severe diarrhea and a depressed feeling. I also began to notice an irregular, more rapid heartbeat. | The side effects are not worth it. It's to bad as my GERD began to greatly improve by my second day on the medication. However, the way I feel now, it's not worth continuing. I hope the drug works its way out of my system soon. | F | 47 | 6 days | 1/11/2010 | 1 | heartburn | stomach and muscle pain, diarrhea | F | 48 | 14 days | 1/11/2010 | 2 | acid reflux | exessive heat flash, rash all over body, pain in stomach, loose bowels | Ive taken prevacid before when it was perscribed to me, for some reason the over the counter ones gave me these awful side effects. | F | 24 | 1 days | 1/2/2010 | 5 | GERD | if I take too much-stomach pain, otherwise-none | Thank God for Prevacid! Saved my life from a severe case of GERD where I couldn't eat and lost 40lbs. Now I take one a day and I can eat anything I want, as long as I don't lie down for 2 hours after eating | M | 35 | 5 years | 12/30/2009 | 1 | taken off nexium(pregnant) | horrible gas pains right before loose stools can not leave bathroom for over an hour. Horrible horrible bloating, this is bad medicine.I have never had this bad of gas in my life. | works for about 12hours for me, not even 24 with the side effects i don't recommend this medicine to anyone try taking otc prilosec works alot better. The only reason I swithched was because I had to for now (pregnant) but i,m going back to my family doctor to get on something else for sure on Monday.I haven't really noticed any other side effects though i do feel a little spacey i thought it was the holidays i,m thinking i should just stop taking it to be safe we will prolly see it on tv next year "if you have taken the drug prevacid please call 800 bla bla you maybe entiled to a cash settlement from the side effects sorry no cash can make up for shittin your pants some where!!! | F | 28 | 20 days | 12/27/2009 | 5 | heartburn, pain, vomit | I've been taking prevacid for a while. Every time I eat I throw up or get such a raging pain I feel like I'm in heat and can't think. My chest would constantly hurt and everything was unbearable. My doctor gave me some prescribed prevacid and it helps lots. I still have a urky feeling a tiny tiny bit, but I'm extremely happy that I can think straight and most of the pain is gone. I did try the prevacids you can get at walgreen's one week when I had run out, but it like didn't really work. I only felt a little less heated and in pain, not enough to stop from vomiting or cringing. When I remember(I'm pretty stupid) to take my prevacid about 10-20 minutes before I eat, I have no problems. So it's awesome for prevention and calming c: I usually take it after I eat/during caused that's when I start getting the pain. It takes llike 5 minutes to start to work, and like 20 to make you feel much better. | F | 14 | 7 months | 12/20/2009 | 1 | I took prevacid for acid reflux | I started having problems after taking prevacid for 2 weeks. I had problems swallowing and swelling in my back that caused nerve root irritation. I have burning in my back, arms and face.I have have discontinued taking it and i hope my problems will go away. | F | 58 | 2 weeks | 12/15/2009 | 1 | heartburn | Irregular heartbeat, severe body aches, nervousness, elevated blood pressure, tingling in joints, brain fog, shortness of breath, foul bowel movements and gas, severe stomach pains | Was always healthy, fit and active. When I decided to come off of an anxiety medicine I took as needed, I got heartburn so they put me on this. I have been off of it for over a year now and am still sick. Had to postpone my wedding as well. Very upset still short of breath but some better. Cannot work. | F | 25 | 3 weeks | 12/11/2009 | 1 | GERD | I started taking Kapidex (new version of Prevacid) one night. Next day I really started feeling cramps and diahrrea. Following day I was vomiting and non-stop bad diahrrea and I literally fainted. That day I stopped and it took 2 days for the side effects to go away. This and a antibiotic called chlyndamycin have been the worsts pills I have ever taken! | Kapidex manufacturer reports over 5% of patients have the symptoms I suffered so it seems that it is a known side effect (http://www.drugs.com/pro/kapidex.html) | M | 40 | 2 days | 12/6/2009 | 1 | GERD, Gastritis | Severe lower back, hip, knee and ankle joint pain/aches, night sweats and chills, odd/obscure dreams, headaches, insomnia, foggy mind | I took it for only 8 days and on day 5 the symptoms started and progressively worsened. First time I have taken this drug and I would take the stomach pain and nausea over the side effects of this drug! | F | 23 | 8 days | 12/2/2009 | 3 | GERD | very tight throat, rigid hard to swallow food because of tight swelling of throat and esophagus, sore stiff neck, swelling under the neck, extreme bloating, fullness, lose watery stools, extreme pain in both knees and hips. extreme lethargic, no energy, unable to move depression, heart skips, extreme weight gain, no appetite, numbness, pressure in chest, ringing in ears, very moody, forgetting everything, blurry vision. | prevacid stops the acid reflux, and helps the gerd problems. But after two months using this drug I feel horrible!. Going to talk to my doctor but I am quitting this drug to see what happens, I have zantac for backup just in case. email me for my results | M | 47 | 60 days | 11/30/2009 | 4 | Acid Reflux, GERD. | None. | I used to be on Nexium until the insurance stopped covering it. We switched to prevacid solutabs. They work great, but honestly, Nexium was still the best for my acid reflux. | F | 19 | 4 years | 11/28/2009 | 5 | GERD, constant heartburn | None!! Prevacid 30 mg worked better than protonix, nexium and others. It's the only drug that stopped my constant 24 hr heartburn and reflux. I can eat and sleep again. - HAS ANYONE TRIED THE NEW GENERIC VERSIONS???? | HAS ANYONE TRIED THE NEW GENERIC VERSIONS???- Mylan Mfg Lansoprazole (generic). Any users of generic???? | M | 45 | 5 years | 11/26/2009 | 2 | Acid Reflux - GERD | After taking Prevacid for about a year, I started to experience hemorriods. At the time, it didn't occur to me that it was related to Prevacid, thinking it was something that happened after getting an upper/lower GI - ya know, an infection or reaction to the test. After 9 months and trying to convince my doctor that I never have had hemorriods in my life and my doctors stating to take something over the counter to ease the pain and itch (which I did), I started to think outside the box. Finally, I tried taking myself off Prevacid as an experiment - within 2-3 weeks the hemorriods were gone and I have been hemorriod-free for 3 months now!! I am taking over the counter Prilosec now and it is doing the job for the acid reflex. | Don't always follow your doctor's advice - if something isn't right, listen to your body and try new venues of curing the problem. And, find a new doctor... | M | 46 | 1 years | 11/25/2009 | 1 | Acid Reflex | Almost killed my husband- 48 hrs. after starting the drug, pain in upper extremities- I immediately asked the Dr. -"No not prevacid". Next pain in lower extremities- in less than 10 days, he could only feed and toilet self. Back to Dr., had all tests 2X- all ok-yet he could barely move. Sent to a rheumatoid Dr. who said it was a funny virus or reaction to medication. Stopped the drug and 3 days later much improve. Took 2 yrs. for his upper body strength to return. | Why do so few Drs. know of these side-effects? It was paralyzing my muscles, and might have stopped my heart had I not quit taking it in time. | M | 70 | 10 days | 11/15/2009 | 1 | gastric ulcer | Within 1 week was spacey, had leg cramps, increased urination, MAJOR HEADACHES, and horrible fatigue and depression. | Felt good accept for my stomach when I began this drug. Now I feel like someone gave me sleeping pills! I am so extremely exhausted. Hard to even get up and move. And I am normally a very active person. Have been off of it for 2 days and am praying that my mood and energy will be restored quickly. | F | 30 | 3 weeks | 11/13/2009 | 4 | stomach pain/reflux | none-but we thought there were | My son had stomach aches for 4 years, which worsened and developed heartburn. Doctor prescribed Prevacid to treat for acid reflux. His pain was immediately cut in half, the heartburn was eliminated, but not the stomach pain. After 6 weeks, he was also complaining of other symptoms-joint pain, spaciness, fatigue plus more. I went to research the Prevacid and found this site. All his symptoms sound like what others here had complained of, but the post about a blood drawn allergy test caught my attention also. We went back to the doctor and discussed if he was having side affects (which she didn't believe he was, of course), but I also requested a blood drawn 'allergy' test. I was told the only food they could do a blood test for was for gluten (wheat, rye, barley). Turns out I didn't quite know what I was asking for, but the doctor ordered the right one, its not technically an 'allergy' test, she also ordered other tests to rule out problems with liver, thyroid, pancrease, etc. Turns out my son has Celiac disease, verfied by a blood test and a later by a biopsy of his small intestine. After being on a strict gluten free diet for 30 days he stopped taking the prevacid. The heartburn didn't return. After 6 weeks of being gluten free, his stomach pain was completely gone, along with the other symptoms. Now six months later, his immune system is built up and he is the healthiest one in the family, instead of getting every virus he came into contact with on top of the stomach aches. | M | 9 | 4 months | 11/12/2009 | 4 | GERD | Worked great for about two years. My dad died of cancer from Barrett's Syndrome and, with my worsening reflux, Pepcid just wasn't cutting it for me anymore. My GI confirmed my esophagus was in rough shape and the Prevacid really helped according to the follow-up endoscopy. However, I started having problems with diarrhea and irritation "downstairs." A colonoscopy came out clear but the problem persisted. Stopped the Prevacid and returned to Pepcid and the GI problems cleared up. Discussed it with my GI and he concurred. | It really worked well for me until it started causing other problems. Diarrhea beats the heck out of cancer of the esophagus but, for me, Prevacid did not end up being a long term fix. However, it did get things healed to the point that Pepcid could step back in and be effective. | M | 53 | 2 years | 11/10/2009 | 2 | abdominal pain, possible gallbladde | worsened abdominal pain, diarrhea alt. with constipation, headaches, put me back into depression, hazy vision, fatigue. | I do NOT like it! My doc put me on it bc of abdominal pain, even though one side effect is abdominal pain. | F | 14 | 94 days | 10/24/2009 | 2 | GERD and hiatus hernia | Severe leg muscle craps (calf), migraine, sound sensitivity, major weight gain(10%), massive loose stool on occasion with severe gas and abdominal pain. I believe I was very moody and suffered memory loss and near depression. Stomach always looked bloated and I think I was over eating as well. | Took for mild regular heartburn. Scope showed hiatus hernia. Worked well for heartburn, but eventually started to hurt me. I never changed my diet or lifestyle, just took the drug (duh). Quit about a month ago - have since lost weight, feel much more alert. I came across http://askwaltstollmd.com/articles/hiatus.php - it's simple, please try it. Worked for me. I had a couple tough days but my family helped me through it. I also take a couple slices of peeled apple before bed.. and sleep peacefully! Don't despair, there is hope for others if me, with my hernia, can even find relief. I'm not perfect (ie. tight pants or bending way over is not always fun), but hope you can feel as well as I do. I eat much smaller now and eat lots of apples :) | M | 35 | 12 years | 10/11/2009 | 5 | GERD | No side effects for me. | The only cure for my GERD, when I take it consistently I don't have nighttime or morning reflux attacks, it's great to sleep through the night instead of waking up with blinding pain. Tried prilosac, otc and prescription, did not work. | M | 37 | 3 years | 9/30/2009 | 5 | GERDS Severe heartburn. | I do have a constant cough but it may be due to the antihypertensive med that I am taking. Who is to know as I cannot go off either for very long. | Prevacid appears to work for me. I am concerned about my long term use but Prilosec is out (abdom. pain) and I have built up resistant to earlier similar drugs. I am interested in if anyone experiences chest pain. I wonder if it's esophageal spasms. Cardiac tests are normal c exception of occasional missed hrt beats. | F | 69 | 15 years | 9/13/2009 | 1 | acid reflux, abd pain | My 7 yr old was placed on Prevacid 30mg daily and shortly after started complaining of "just not feeling good all over" "short of breath" "pain" over the chest area and extreme thrist. | I am stopping it! | F | 7 | 1 months | 9/12/2009 | 1 | Ulcer | Severe migraine headache/sinus pressure; dizziness; severe nausea; lower back pain; fatigue; and "spacey" feeling. | Initially it helped with the ulcer, the burining sensation, etc. but within a few hours after first taking the medication I started having sinus pressure and pain. I've had headaches everyday since and today I have a debilitating migraine and severe nausea and dizziness. My doctor said I could I stop taking the drug immediately and asked that I come in so that she could monitor my blood pressure and "check me out". I never take medication and now I remember why. This is the scariest experience I have ever had taking a medication and I can't wait for this drug to get out of my system. | F | 35 | 5 days | 9/11/2009 | 4 | Barretts Esophogus | I am unsure at this time, will be going in for an MRI soon. I have been on it for 5 months. Have noticed that I have been having many headaches. Recently I had an optical migraine and afterwards lost my memory (couldn't remember family members names). I have had another since then, but with mild confusion no memory loss. The tip of my tongue is numb most of the time. Also the top of my foot feels like it is on fire. I have also had some stomach discomfort, but not as in stomachache, more of a pain. As for the GERD it has done great. | F | 60 | 5 months | 9/10/2009 | 5 | Mild GERD, small Hiatal Hernia | None. | I have tried Protonix, Prilosec and Prevacid. I always go back to Prevacid because it works great and it gives me no side effects like the other 2 do. Started on the 30mg tab and now I only have to take the 15mg cap. Great drug. | F | 26 | 7 years | 9/7/2009 | 2 | Acid Reflux, heartburn | severe nausea, headaches, depression, lack of appetite, loss of weight due to lack of appetite | My son has been taking for two weeks and he has never felt so lousy. He has constant nausea which even wakes him up in the middle of the night. Has had headaches almost every day for the past two weeks. It seemed to help with the heartburn and acid reflex, but personally I don't think it's worth it due to all the other symptoms. Will look for an alternative. | M | 22 | 15 days | 8/13/2009 | 3 | Acid Reflux | Numbness and tingling in hands and feet, joint/muscle pain, burning sensations, head pain | I had been taking 30mg of Prevacid daily for approximately 10-15 years. The past two weeks I had cut it way down to maybe 1 pill a week. Since I have developed peripheral neuropathy (numb, tingling, burning hands and feet), joint and muscle aches and some random head pain (not a headache). I have read many of the posts from folks who have taken Prevacid long-term and I am afraid that it may have done some damage to my nervous system. I'd like to know if others are having similar problems when they go off Prevacid. | M | 41 | 15 years | 8/11/2009 | 1 | heartburn | A stroke after taking Prevacid for six weeks. | Extreme dizziness started occurring after I took Prevacid for a month. I thought that I had the flu. Didn't stop taking the drug however until six weeks. I felt like I had water on the brain. Now CT shows I had some kind of brain disaster while on Prevacid. | F | 67 | 40 days | 8/11/2009 | 1 | 9 yrs | depression, weakness, fatigue, hypoglycemia attacks, regurgitation of food, stomach and intestinal pains | Dr Mary Savard recently talked about ppi's on Good Morning America, and said how long term use can cause osteoperosis. Hello, if it is malnourishing your bones, what do you think it is doing to the rest of your body. Also, I have heard of doctors putting infants on this drug, are you kidding me, it doesn't even have a pediatric indication and can cause a child to not develop normally. Please if anyone see's this, don't let them put your child on this, let alone an adult. | M | 34 | 9 years | 8/10/2009 | 1 | ulcer, acid reflux | I have never connected so many dots as reading these dozens and dozens of "stories like mine." Thankfully, my gastro doc has never put me on these meds long term. He recommends 2-4 week treatments on a need-be basis and srict diet changes. I think the most remarkable thing I noted was eliminating wheat products and corn sweeteners. My worse symptoms have been chest pain and lung congestion. It starts as a false full body cold that then "settles" in the lungs. It lasts for weeks and gets better but never goes away. Not one doctor I have seen has ever asked about or suggested a problem with a PPI. In fact, they say I need to take it continuously. It is hard to heal with just good habits. I am underweight, eat organic, exercise. But when it gets really bad, I go on PPI for a few weeks. It is great when I can go off and the side effects turn off like a light switch has been flipped. | Prevacid is a serious drug and I do not understand while, if the studies are just for short-term use, millions are staying on this drug indefinitely. My 62-year-old sister just fell and shattered her leg. Why was her bone so porous as to shatter from a minor fall while walking? She has been on prevacid for 17 years. Hmmmm. Although she took vitamins and calcium supplements, I have to wonder how much nutrition her body was capable of metabolizing. She has the health of a 70-year-old. | F | 57 | 8/8/2009 | 3 | Acid Reflux (choking) | After being on it for less than a week we noticed my right ankle was severely swollen (it looked as though I had hurt it somehow). I immediately decided to stop the medication in case it was linked. It must be as now (only a few days later) My ankle are far better especialy the right one that looked as though I had rolled my ankle or something (severe cankle-itis). I am going to try and restart it however as the choking is noit a good option... | F | 34 | 3 days | 8/6/2009 | 2 | GERD w/esophagitis & gastritis | Uncomfortable, persistent "heavy" bloating in both upper and lower abdomen. And more than likely also related to the Prevacid, a bacterial infection of the intestines after about 3 months of taking it... | Was just off the Prevacid for less than a week (due to insurance issues) and have lost almost 5 lbs. from my gut during that time! Also, the rebound heartburn I experienced was unbelievable. (Before being put on the Prevacid I very rarely had heartburn despite my diagnosis.) I'm thinking the gastro doc was a bit hasty in insisting I be on this (and continue it indefinitely)... | F | 38 | 4 months | 8/4/2009 | 1 | Acid Reflux | Anything bad you can imagine. Took a long time to find a doc who took me seriously | Was on and off this and Prevacid for 3 months. Been off all of it for about 9 months, still not normal. Improved but not normal. Ruined my life. Got tested for Lupus, Diabetes, Heart Problems, Ulcers, Arthritis, and many other things cuz of side effects. And while weaning off, not even Zantac or Tums help. | F | 24 | 7/10/2009 | 1 | acid reflux | anxiety, depression, restless, irritable, loss of appetite, lost 30 pounds in 6 weeks and counting. Can't eat full meals without being totally wrecked. Dry mouth, nightmares, dizzy, light headed, ringing in ears, light sensitive, heat sensitive, noise sensitive. All these symptoms are new to me and doctors can't find anything wrong... Someone tell the medical association that intestinal flora is necessary please, k thx. There is no test for this (in USA) which is why they aren't finding anything wrong. | There is no rating low enough for this garbage. I am normally very healthy besides the heart burn I had for the last couple of years. I should have just fixed my diet, but instead opted to take the easy way out and pop some pills. Been to the ER like 5 times now in the last 6 weeks and a few doctors. Had every test under the Sun from food allergies to spinal taps. They all want to prescribe me anxiety pills and send me on my way despite all my physical symptoms as well. Damn the medical industry. Just cashin in by handing out the 'flavor of the month' pill decided by whichever drug company is paying. If you do some research you will find that this stuff kills off the flora in your intestines so you can no longer digest food properly. I suspect the great majority of people are having these symptoms due to mal-absorption since they no longer have the critical flora needed for normal digestion. All I can say is STOP TAKING THIS CRAP and nurse your stomach back to health with fruits & veggies & maybe some probiotics. In the meantime, pray for me as I will be praying for all of us to feel better soon. Worst experience of my life right now. | M | 35 | 6 weeks | 7/6/2009 | 1 | Stomach protection from Lupus meds. | I have used Prevacid for 10-plus years on doctor's advice to protect my stomach from vital, but very harsh, Lupus, S.E., meds. I became concerned over a published June '09 medical report concluding that long-term use of this drug, and others in its classification, cause dependency. I stopped the drug as a result but began sufferring almost immediate and terrible side-effects, that I now believe are severe withdrawal symptoms. Therefore, I believe you MUST taper off gradually if you've used Prevacid for a long time, just like you would any other medication that causes dependency. I repeat: Be very careful coming off the drug, and consider doing so under a doctor's care. | After reading the comments here, I now believe that it's very possible that a lot of the symptoms that I have attributed to my severe Lupus over the years may, in fact, have been directly caused, or certainly greatly worsened, by the long-term use of Prevacid. I am STUNNED. I had never, ever, associated this drug with ANY of my underlying symptoms before, and am still trying to wrap my mind around this terrifying, but sadly obvious conclusion! My symptoms have all been strangely progressive, becoming much worse over the years than most Lupus patients whom my doctor treats. My symptoms include horrible joint pain, edema, stomach cramping, joint stiffness, problems walking, dizziness, fainting, headaches, insomnia, very deep depression, problems swallowing, constipation, overall severe dryness of hair and skin, eye pain and increased eye pressure, and sudden, unexplained but consistent blood pressure elevation. Horrible, horrible, horrible@! Even though everything I've just shared, as well as all of the comments at this website, are based solely on personal experiences, I believe them compelling and point to one inescapable conclusion: Anyone reading this should refrain from EVER using Prevacid, or any drug from its classification. I also strongly believe that anyone currently using this medication should stop NOW, tapering gradually if they've taken it over a long period of time. DO NOT become a victim of this medication. | F | 53 | 10 years | 7/5/2009 | 3 | Stomac Burn | I stopped prevacid three weeks ago and I am still suffering its side effects. I have severe muscle pain (I cant not even seat down, walk few minutes and I get muscle pain in my abdomen and large and small intestine) I feel all my abdomen is burned and swollen. I feel bloated like I have to go to the bathroom and when I go nothing happens..I have pelvic inflamation..I had a CT scan, 2 Ultrasounds, one endoscopy and I was told I had nothing but a little heart burn. while prevacid helped me with the heart burn Thank God! on the other hand it destroyed my muscles, my intestines and even affected my reproductory system..I was bleeding for no reason just two days ago... | I asked the Dr. about prevacid side effects and whether I was having an alergic reaction to it and he just said it was psychological..that my pain was psychological and to continue prevacid..to walk a lot and eat lots of cereal..no allergy tests were done and now I am paying the price..I feel really sick and cant have a normal life..I was told by another Dr. I cant have a colonoscopy cause if I have inflamation it could perforate...She just send me to do a cells count and that is a feces test where you have to collect it for two days and keep them cold them bring them to the lab (to look for hidden blood)..sorry I know is too much information but I hope I can help some people from suffering. Please have allergy tests done with this medicine! Good luck! | F | 34 | 1 months | 7/3/2009 | 5 | barrett's esophagus | No side effects, actually cured my GERD and gastritis, good stuff! | Would reccomend to anyone. | M | 40 | 7 months | 6/29/2009 | 1 | GERD/Heartburn | Nausea, severe headache, dizziness, shortness of breath, hair loss after about 3+ years, and unexplained weight gain or inability to lose weight, constipation, depression, sore throat, and insomnia. | I have been taking Prevacid for over 3 years. I didn't have too many issues until the last 6 months or so. I have stopped the medicine and WILL NEVER take it again and would NOT receommend it to anyone, it is a terrible drug and should never have been put on the market, very scary! | F | 32 | 3 years | 6/17/2009 | 3 | Chronic cough | Stomach cramps, bloating, diarrhea, heavy feeling in stomach | F | 50 | 50 days | 6/13/2009 | 2 | acid reflux | Terrible stomach cramps,allot of pain too, constipation first then gas,bloating,loose BM...several a day too.Finally, I had felt depressed, and had horrible itching on my chest,arms and back. | I would like to add it stopped the acid in my stomach,BUT the side effects were so bad I had to quit.I had the upper GI test done,no damage, no stomach ulcer,all was normal.I went back to the generic Prilosec in the am and generic Zantac in the evening.I read this Rx was not intented for long term use and I can believe it!!No more for me. | F | 55 | 60 days | 6/8/2009 | 1 | heartburn.......30mg. dose | was always tired, bloated stomach like i was pregnant, many nites had indigestion, vomiting that came on fast...no time to get to restroom, wonder if prevacid could have made my fibromyalgia worse, extreme swelling the last year or so of neck under chin, large growth on back side between shoulder blades, extreme allergy to foods of which i was tested and found to be allergy free...this was recent, also recent sore throat...feeling like i could not swallow, also could not see my collar bone....i went off prevacid on march 1,2009 due to choking and tongue swelling, lip swelling....and i feel much better....wonder if it was the long term use that caused it??? | it seemed to help at first...but after my bad ordeal this march i would NEVER recomend taking it....my body went thru a lot of pain i feel that was caused by this medicine called prevacid AS a final note....ALL of my side effects are gone....and i am trying to understand....how can they still sell prevacid.. with so many horrid side effects!!!!!! | F | 57 | 10 years | 6/6/2009 | 1 | reflux | my 3 year old son was put on this for reflux, as he had been having recurrent sinusitus infections. After 4 days he has had uncontrollable coughing, little or no appetite, and very irritable. Day 5 he has runny nose & fevers, and continues to have uncontrollable coughing. I took him to the ENT Doctor today, and he said that he was probably having an adverse reaction to the Prevacid. He said that maybe 50 out of 1000 people will have a reaction like this where instead of helping, it exaggerbates the symptoms. We found out 2 weeks prior to this that he was severly allergic to Prilosec as well. | I have stopped the medicine on the advise of the dr, am hoping that we see relief soon! | F | 39 | 6 days | 6/5/2009 | 1 | gerd | irritability, regurgitation of food, muscle pains depression, behavioral disorders, hypoglycemia, severe mood swings, stomach pollops, | Yes, this drug does work but at what cost is the question. I am on a mission to ban this drug from the market. It is only supposed to be taken for two weeks, yet reps tell drs patients can take it forever...WRONG, this is a dangerous drug, I was on this drug for years, and am in the industry, so i understand everything about it. If you are on this drug, ask your partner, spouse, or someoe close to you if you have changed your behavior since being on this drug. I have met several people out in the feild who noticed there significant otherr habits and behaviors changing. Unmotivated, tired, lethargic, pukes up food after eating because there is not longer enough digestive enzymes to break down food in your stomach, thus starving your brain and body of the nutrients you need. I have filed suit with Takeda pharma and awaiting results, a long process, but if I can save people from this drug, I will do everything in my power, if you have any questions, please email me. | M | 34 | 10 years | 6/5/2009 | 1 | Stomach Pains | ALL SYMPTOMS WERE EXTREME: Leg pains, stomach pains did not stop, prickling feeling when sweaty, headaches, terribly moody, OCD, tiredness, extreme irritability when tired, nausea, short tempered. | Thankfully, I found this site about two months ago; read every post and cured my five year old son. Your posts do make a difference. My son was diagnosed with lactose intollerance and had to take Lactaid. He also went through Endoscopy and it was discovered that his stomach was raw and was extremely irritated. Prior to mealtime he would cry when he saw food as the pain would start as soon as he salivated. They tried several things and he was told that his bowls were compacted when they were NOT (NOVA Hosp.) He did a bown flush and vomited, I stopped the flush and they insisted that I start it all over again. He ended up in the hospital. Scans showed there was nothing in his bowls but GAS. Yes, the flush is carbinated and lactose intollerance makes you gassy. The pain was excruciating! My instink was to get him gasX as we had to leave the ER when they said that they did not know what to do for him, but to return to the gasteroenterologist that got us into this mess in the first place. -----------I read the post that recommended: Sherry A. Rogers MD writes a book on this called "No More Heartburn Stop the pain in 30 Days Naturally" . It worked within a couple weeks. My son no longer takes any medication, including Lactaid. I think that when he was on an antibiotic (Zithromax - VERY BAD FOR STOMACH)for an ear infection it killed all the benifical bacteria. My son now ingests all the milk, yogurt and ice cream without any Lactaid. No Meds. I have talke | M | 5 | 365 days | 5/22/2009 | 1 | acid reflux | irregular heartbeat, blurry vision, nausea, heart palpatations, anxiety attacks | F | 25 | 3 days | 5/20/2009 | 2 | Gastritis | chest pain, irregular heartbeat, deep depression, weight gain, severe fatigue | I'm grateful for this website. It certainly helped confirm my intution since it seems so many people have experienced similar symptoms. I was prescribed Kapidex, an updated form of Prevacid. I stopped taking it a week ago but the chest pain and irregular heart beat continue. (I've never had chest pain, etc. before). Hopefully no damage has been done! And although Kapidex helped with the gastritis, as soon I stopped taking it, the gastritis occurred worse than before. I intend to pursue alternative approaches. | F | 62 | 5 weeks | 5/18/2009 | 5 | GERD, Acid Reflux | None | When I began taking Prevacid, I didn't even realize I had GERD. Upon taking my first capsule (30mg) I felt better within 10 minutes. I've been taking 30-60mg daily ever since. I know immediately after eating or drinking anything (water included)if I've forgotten to take it. Prevacid does not always control my heartburn/reflux so I use Extra Strength Gaviscon during those times. There are still plenty of foods I cannot eat. I have found Foreverwell's fish protein supplement a great help with that. Also, I was instructed 2 years ago by an internist at Cleveland Clinic to take calcium w/ vit D to offset depletion. | F | 39 | 11 years | 5/17/2009 | 3 | acid reflux | bloating;IBS symptoms;inablilty to loose weight.i could drink 2 glasses of skim chocolate milk and look like I gained 30 pounds in 5 minutes. | I'm 5 foot 4.About 5 years ago I was eating super healthy and running 8-11 miles and doing weights a few times a week and weighed 135 lbs.In the past 2 years I have done the same and weighed 210 lbs 4 weeks ago.4 weeks ago I tried an experiment and quit taking the prevacid and have lost 15 lbs in 4 weeks.Before I was seeing a gastro specialist and my general Dr said I was "doing everything right".I felt that the acid reflux,IBS symptoms,inability to loose weight and bloating were due to the same thing.The Prevacid helped the reflux but it was the reason that I could not loose weight!I got my idea a while ago when I noticed that if I cut out the Mountain Dew (which is bad for reflux) for 2 weeks I would have stomach pain after a couple weeks but then if a had a couple dews the pain would go away.A friend at work and my sister who is a doctor said that the medicine was making my stomach akaline and the dew being acidic made the ph in my stomach neutral.Even my own doctor didn't tell me that!Now I've had no prevacid for 4 weeks and I feel normal like I did 5 years ago and am loosing weight like expected.I've undergone ultrasounds and catscans and was even precribed to double the dosage.The solution was to stop it! | M | 45 | 7 years | 4/27/2009 | 1 | hiatal hernia-gedrd | first day-thought the symptoms were still side effects of the egd and colonoscopy-abd.pain-gas-etc. second day-severe bloating-gas -stomach was talking everthing language possible to me-diarhhea and the most scaring the knot in my throat!! oh my gosh-i think i cant swallow-was going to go the er again! but i thought i would look up the side effects of prevacid real quick thank goodness i went to this website. i am having enough promblems as it is, i dont need anymore symptoms!! i hope i make it through the nite,because i wont be taking this pill tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!! | M | 48 | 2 days | 4/25/2009 | 5 | gerd, reflux | No side effects | Use to take Prilosec, but my joints were hurting bad while taking Prilosec, found a website that a lot of people complained of this side effect so I asked a Pharmacist, he looked it up too and confirmed (another reason for the change), also had a lot of stomach distress with Prilosec, constant diareaha, was afraid to go anywhere. But with Prevacid I have none of these problems, love this stuff just concerned about taking it long term, have been taking these type drugs for aprox 17 years | F | 56 | 7 years | 4/22/2009 | 2 | acid reflux | Suffered some mild to severe acid reflux for a few years. Doc recommended at my age the standard colonscopy, gi procedure and egd in 10/08. Diagnosis – no barrett’s or fungus. Took Nexium 40mg daily for 30 days, no symptoms. Then the insurance ghouls jumped, whining...save money switch to something else! Doc had me try some Prevacid and since I was doing so well I only took it maybe 2 3x wk. Did not notice anything bad. Followup visit, Doc gives me a Rx for 90 day supply for Prevacid Solutab 30mg = $70, not a generic. Took faithfully for 2 weeks. By 7th day, acid stomach symptoms elevated to extreme gas & belching, to watery diarreha. Skipped 3 days, then started again, with gradually elevated acidic stomach, belching, and loose bowel movements. Today is the 4th day and I have acid bloated stomach, severe watery diarreha and loud belching. By 4th run to toilet, I felt like I was prepped for another colonoscopy! Took anti-diarreha pills, a 3 hour nap, and stil | F | 59 | 16 days | 4/18/2009 | 1 | acid reflux | After three weeks the side effects kicked in: nausea, diarreah, abdominal pain, gas, bloating, itching | Out with prevacid -- looking for a replacement! | F | 50 | 2 months | 4/18/2009 | 5 | barrets esophagus | No side effects | (Before taking prevacid) I had reflux at night and never felt it, and sometimes woke up in the morning with a headache and upset stomach before I was diagnosed with Barrets esophagus. After my diagnosis this medication worked a miracle. Now I take one 30mg pill on an empty stomach in the morning and am good for the day. No more headache or stomach upset. I eat anything I like. | F | 72 | 14 years | 4/16/2009 | 3 | GERD, Heartburn | I have been taking Prevacid for years and it seemed to work for the GERD but not very well for heartburn. I always supplemented w/Maalox, Rolaids... Recently insurance problems arose, and I was forced to use Prilosec, then Prevacid Solutabs for several months; then nothing for 3 weeks; Now I'm back on Prevacid Caps, 15 mg 2 a day but am having horrible reactions and am not sure if the changes in meds or the long-term use of ppi's are causing my symptoms: diarrhea, bloating, nausea, gas, belching, pain in mid-sternum, anxiety, vague abdominal discomfort, shakiness. I also now have Osteoporosis and taking calcium, etc, makes my GI symptoms worse! | I'd like to know if anyone out there has had similar experiences and, if so, I would really appreciate an email. I'm told that if one stops takings ppi's, the GERD & other GI disorders come back with even more acute symptoms. I'm desperate! Doctors seem incapable of sensible advice. I feel so awful all the time and I can barely function! Help! | F | 63 | 10 years | 4/14/2009 | 3 | acid reflux/indigestion/heartburn | I have been taking 15 mg caps once a day for about 8 years and it seemed to work for GERD but had breakthru heartburn. My dr. increased dosage to 15 mg twice a day and I suddenly feel awful: bloating, loose stools, abdominal discomfort, headaches, anxiety, insomnia, pain in sternum and vague abdominal discomfort all the time. | I would like to know if anyone has had similar experiences with this drug. I'm feeling soooo bad and would love to hear from those who can identify with my situation. I've also discovered I have Osteoporosis, likely due to long-term use of ppi's. Help! | F | 67 | 8 years | 4/14/2009 | 4 | GERD | No side effects | Was very pleased with this drug but had to take 2 30 mg capsules per day and sometimes I would forget to take the second one and my reflux would come back in the evening. My doctor just sarted me on the new PPI Kapidex 60 mg capsule once a day. I just wanted to tell everybody how great this drug is working for me in case anybody is still having acid reflux problems on there current PPI | M | 39 | 18 days | 4/13/2009 | 5 | Severe acid reflux | Gas, bloating | I have taken Prevacid for 9 years and it has been wonderful! I am now taking 60mg a day because I also have an ulcer. | F | 65 | 9 years | 4/5/2009 | 2 | Esophogitis | Gas, bloating, stomach pain, muscle aches. | I've only been taking this for 3 days and I already have noticed a drastic increase in bloating and gas (as often as once every 5 minutes), decreased appetite which I'm guessing is partially caused by the bloating. I had esophogitis due to a stomach bug a few days ago where I was constantly throwing up. I am over that now so I am getting off this med ASAP! | M | 20 | 3 days | 4/2/2009 | 1 | never did and never would, deadly | your body is calling for enzymes and probiotics, and or your body is needing to be PH Balanced, an acidic body is subsceptable to disease or sicknesses. | And I see someone is giving a 1 year old prevacid, I had a daughter who vomitted everyday as well, but she ended up having hydrocephaly (water on the brain, pressure) which doctors kept treating as acid reflux, etc, etc. for 13 months. And giving her drugs that were not suited for children under 12years of age, she was 21 days old. | F | 44 | 0 days | 3/26/2009 | 3 | GERD | Weight gain, depression, muscle aches, headaches, malabsorbtion | I've tried to get off this med 5 times. This time I'm doing it for good or bad. I gained 70 lbs in the 7 yrs I have been taking this medicine. The only time I've lost any of the weight has been the times I've stopped taking it. I go back because the doc says I'm ruining my esophagus...but this time I stopped because I had a 4 wk stomach flu and have just stayed off it. I've lost 11 lbs in 3 weeks without doing much other than eating low fat due to the stomach bug. I'm going with herbal healing this time. Marshmallow Root, Ginger, Digestive Enzymes... and adding skinless apples twice a day. This might take more work than popping a pill once a day, but if I can get off it for good, perhaps I can absorb more of the nutrients in the foods I eat and won't be so darned hungry all the time because my body is starving for nutrition even though I'm overeating!! I've had it with pill popping Gastro docs. | F | 48 | 7 years | 3/25/2009 | 3 | acid reflux | first few weeks were fine but now i am having anxiety attacks, heart papaltations, and low pottasium levels. I am getting off these immediately. | M | 31 | 8 weeks | 3/3/2009 | 3 | Vomiting, exclude GERD | Lower Abdominal Pain; first week, followed by unexplained Fever; second week. He is taking the solutab 30 mg. | My son's vomiting has stopped but the lower abdominal pain and unexplained fevers indicate we should stop the medicine. | M | 8 | 14 days | 2/24/2009 | 1 | Acid reflux/hiatal hernia | Horrible watery diarrhea or loose stool, constant churning in stomach, dry cough, back pain, gas & belching, increased appetite, weight loss,extreme fatigue. Malabsorption of nutrients - I can tell my body is not getting nutrients from the food I'm eating! | Wow, this medicine (along with Prilosec) have totally messed up my digestion. I first took Prilosec OTC for about 6 weeks, then switched to Prevacid (which I have taken before with no side effects) for 1 month. Thankfully I found this website - I've been going crazy trying to figure out what was wrong. Someone on this site recommended the book "Gut Reactions" by Raphael Kellman...it is a MUST READ for anyone with stomach issues. The book explains how pharmaceuticals & antacids ruin the ecosystem of your GI tract (and cause other major health issues) and it provides natural ways to restore your health. I've been off Prevacid for 2 weeks now and I'm still not back to normal, although my diarrhea has stopped. I am taking a probiotics supplement to restore the good bacteria and a digestive enzyme supplement before meals to help digestion. I will NEVER take another PPI or antacid again! | F | 46 | 2 months | 2/24/2009 | 1 | The Side effects are really bad | Well until I read this tonight I thought I was going nuts i have been experiencing a lot of side effects from this first was. #1,Blurry Vision #2,Light headiness #3,Dizzy Spells #4,Like I was going to have a panic attach, heart pounding , Blood pressure was high. | I would never use this again I hope after taking after 4 weeks now I will go back to my normal self again.I'm scared I've never felt like this in my life I hope it really goes away and how long will it take to go away. | F | 30 | 4 weeks | 2/20/2009 | 1 | Acid Reflux | Abdominal bloating, diarhea or loose stools, occasional smelly gas, joint pain in fingers | BCBS insisted on my trying 3 medications to get me off Aciphex, which had worked fine for years after numerous other blockers had nasty side-effects. When all of those had issues, rather than giving the OK to Aciphex they told me to try Prevacid (which for a 3 month supply is only about $10 less per month than Aciphex). I wonder what they will tell me to try next! | M | 49 | 5 days | 2/17/2009 | 1 | acid reflux | headache and sinus | in the emergency ward they gave me a capsule before I left ...along with lidocaine & maalox...morning after took another one before eating...(huge headache all day) After reading about the side effects decided to go the natural route.... just starting taking aloe vera juice 4 oz daily... and going to buy probiotics and enzyme chewables and keep maalox just in case...but will never take the prescribed meds again...doctors and pharmaceutical companies make me wonder !! Also changing diet...not as much acidity...low fat milk, yogurt, applesauce, lots of fruits and vegies , almonds are good too | F | 58 | 2 days | 2/16/2009 | 5 | acid reflux | none :) | I have been on this drug since i was about 15, and it's great! went off it once because of insurance issues and they gave me something else that made me sick. once we got it straightened out with the insurance, i went back on prevacid and felt better almost immediately. after having stomach issues throughout my whole childhood, this drug has been a life saver. | F | 20 | 5 years | 2/10/2009 | 1 | heartburn | took one week ago...vomited with severe stomach pain and Diarrhea. Took again this morning and the same thing happened...WILL NEVER TAKE AGAIN! | F | 53 | 2 days | 2/9/2009 | 4 | Acid reflux | First day no acid reflux, sore stomach. Second day still no acid reflux but severe gas pains and diarrhea. Third day stomach pain and severe diarrhea uncontrolible. Stopped pills | M | 58 | 3 days | 2/2/2009 | 1 | Acid Reflux | Low and middle back pain, sore nose, wierd dreams, diarrhea, tiredness. | I had been taking Nexium and had no problems but insurance company would no longer cover Nexium so Dr. prescribed Prevacid. I started this medication one month ago and have not felt good since. Until I found this site and read all of the same symptoms I was having, I didn't even think this was a reaction to the medication. I have also had more heartburn taking this medication. I am going to quit taking it immediately. | F | 57 | 30 days | 2/2/2009 | 4 | acid reflux duadenal ulcer h-pylori | made my acid reflux better. cured my duadenal ulcer. do experience constipation, leg cramps, restless leg.i do not want to depend on this for the rest of my life. i do have joint pain especially my knees and ankles. due to my age? don't know. | it's probably good for short term. it prohibits the absorption of calcium in your stomach. if you have osteopenia (pre-osteoporosis) you need to take calcium citrate for your bones. the prevacid will not allow calcium carbonate to absorb. | F | 55 | 4 years | 1/30/2009 | 1 | Dispepsia | Some of the sympthoms gone away, but after taking Prevacid for 3 weeks, I started feeling stomach pain`, chest pain, anxiety and discomfort while i sleep, I stopped taking it and i am feeling that i am getting back to normal. I would go for natural medication now and on. | M | 34 | 30 days | 1/28/2009 | 5 | acid reflux | I do not have any side effects at all. | Works great for me. If I don't take it I have the worst pain in my stomach. | F | 37 | 2 years | 1/25/2009 | 1 | GERD | I took Prevacid for several months in 2007. I started having heart palpatations and angina. 3 trips to Emergency room a colonoscopy, stress tests and EKG's. I was going NUTS. Started having to take Ativan before bed just to sleep. It did help my stomach though. In 2008 my insurance company preferred that I take Protonix. Within a week my heart palpatations stopped, angina went away. At the beginning of this year insurance stopped paying for Protonix. Back to Prevacid and I am completely miserable. Finally just today my doctor put me on Nexiam and my insurance approved it. I have taken Nexium in the past with no problems. I wish the insurance companies would allow us to take what works best for us. Listen up Insurance Company Execs. PREVACID SUCKS and patients need choices. When patients use what works they spend less time at the doctors office and hospital. | More studies need to be done. This medication may work for some but it has been a nightmare for me. Protonix and Nexium both work well without the side effects. | M | 41 | 8 months | 1/22/2009 | 1 | YEs | blurry vision so bad I had to lay down*leg cramps* severe abdominal & chest pains*anxiety*depresion*and i think it's made my tongue feel weird | reflux can be one of the most overdiagnosed things in ER. i think all i really had was anxiety but they put me on prevacid saying i had reflux. now i'm trying to wean myself off from 30mg to 15 per day - can't wait to be off this stuff! | F | 35 | 30 days | 1/21/2009 | 5 | GERD | none, just relief | love it | F | 29 | 10 months | 1/20/2009 | 2 | Coughing up bile | I took Prevacid for 2 1/2 years (Nov 05-Mar 08) when I felt like I could quit taking it. I did fine for 9 month...no problems. I suddendly noticed that when I quit taking the Prevacid my Migraines immediately stopped. I had been having 1-2 migraines a week and after stopping Prevacid I only had 1 in 9 months. Hmmm...I thought there HAD to be a connection. I don't drink hardly any alcohol, but around the holidays I had some then one night I had 1 glass of wine and 3 small glasses of Port. A week later I was coughing up bile. When I called my doctor she asked if I had any Prevacid left and put me back on it immediately. This is the 3rd day I've taken the Prevacid and I've had a horrible migraine all day. I ended up needing to take medication for the migraine that tears up my stomach...kind of defeats the purpose of taking the Prevacid, doesn't it? The Prevacid helps the stomach problems, but I can't take the migraines. | No other side effects | F | 49 | 3 years | 1/16/2009 | 5 | acid reflux | Slight headaches, a little constipation | I have break through reflux sometimes. It has been a miracle drug. None of the others worked like Prevacid does. | F | 65 | 10 years | 1/15/2009 | 4 | barrets esphoph. | severe anxiety attacks - dizziness/light headedness - nausea - gas -a little shortness of breath - crampy stomach and strange dreams | I have been taking prevacid for about 10 years and until maybe last year the only side effect i was having was loose stools but within this last year everything went downhill. I thought I was going nuts ! I'm very happy I found this site because now I know What may be causing these bizzare effects. I am going to the docter next week to speak to him about a possible change in meds. and i am going to stop taking it and see what happens although my reflux is sure to return. | M | 49 | 10 years | 1/15/2009 | 1 | Possible GERD | Abdominal bloating and severe cramping especially at bedtime; constant severe churning in stomach; nausea; migraine headache. | I started my 14-year-old daughter on this drug and it worked wonders for her GERD symptoms, but she gradually developed the symptoms mentioned until a week and a half later the cramps and throwing up were so bad I thought I would have to take her to the hospital, but it all subsided around 4:00 a.m. and she was finally able to get to sleep. She has not taken the med in 3 days, but is still having the symptoms...they are gradually getting less severe, but she was still up last night with stomach cramps...I would not recommend this med for children at all. I have been on the 30 mg dose for about 1.5 years with no problems, but my daughter's reaction was so severe that I am starting to question whether I should take this anymore or not. | F | 14 | 10 days | 1/12/2009 | 1 | acid reflux | liquid diarrhea several times daily, vomiting, nausea, extreme abdominal bloating and cramping, constant gas | Recently our insurance suddenly refused to cover Aciphex, which I'd been taking for acid reflux for several months without any side effects, so my primary care physician switched me to Prevacid 30 mg daily. Began 12/8 and was violently ill on 12/17 during a vacation to New York City, which I initially blamed on food poisoning. But because the Prevacid was the only change to my regular routine, and because the symptoms have continued for the past 3-1/2 weeks, I am stopping it as of yesterday 01/03/09. Will post again if this works to ease the symptoms. | F | 49 | 26 days | 1/4/2009 | 1 | Taking Prevacid for Acid Reflux | I took Prevacid solutab for about 5 weeks starting April 2007. I developed muscle twitching, IBS, skin rash, heart palpitations and muscle weakness. I have been to many doctors searching for clues as to what is the cause. I had nuclear stress test, ekg, EMG, MRI of the brain, upper GI 2 times, and colonoscopy 2 times. All they could say was to take a tranquilizer your IBS is caused by stress. I kept telling them it was the other way around. The physical problems are causing the stress. | I found the answer to my disease that was caused by Prevacid after a long 1.5 years of suffering and close to loosing my job. I went to a doctor outside of the insurance network and paid dearly to have some tests run. I had a CDSA stool test run and a IgG Food Antibody test run. I was diagnosed with Klebsiella and Citrobacter dysbiotic flora in my intestines. This was caused by a dysbiosis when I took the Prevacid. I also have severe food and chemical allergies now due to the infected gut. The condition is called Leaky Gut Syndome or Hyperpermeable gut. Sherry A. Rogers MD writes a book on this called "No More Heartburn Stop the pain in 30 Days Naturally" I urge anyone who has problems with the proton pump drugs to have a CDSA stool test. I am not a doctor but a person who has suffered a great deal and would hate to see anyone else have to go through what I have. | M | 45 | 5 weeks | 1/1/2009 | 2 | GERD,possible barretts esophagus | headaches,very tired, swollen glands, stomach pain. | My Dr. just put me on this three days ago, 30mg two times a day, I have had a headache ever since and sinus pressure started second day, I am waiting for an endoscope in a week and hopefully will be taken off of this, I can't take it! Was diagnosed at 16 with ulcers and have been fine,able to deal with pain, take tums & on occasion prilosec, reflux has been worse and family history of barretts & esophageal cancer. | F | 37 | 3 days | 12/19/2008 | 1 | gerd | Been on prevacid for ten years. Just stopped realizing this drug had severly affected my life. From deep depression, mood swings, suicidal thoughts, impulse control problems. Wife even thought i was bipolar. The fatigue was terrible, not realizing how much it has affected my life, I am considering a class action lawsuit regarding this drug | Beware, you don't get all the side effects and long term use of this drug, as my dr recommended dmged my life, don't let it do the same to yours. Prevacid has not long term clinical trials or outcomes studies on possible severe side affects. | M | 33 | 10 years | 12/19/2008 | 2 | Gastric Ulcer & inflammation | The worst for me was deep Depression - as if there was absolutely NO hope at all! I couldn't figure out where this came from, til a friend finally suggested maybe it could be the Prevacid. Other side effects for me - sore muscles, as if I'd really exercised hard, but I hadn't. Sore hips. Sinus & eye pressure, stuffiness & really sore inside nasal passages. All these side effects disappeared after I stopped taking the Prevacid. It was really effective for the gastric symptoms, but SO not worth it regarding the side-effects. I'm taking the vinegar/honey thing & that seems to be helping. Oh! and when I read online about the Calcium leaching of Prevacid, that was IT! I can't believe my doc prescribed this when I am a woman genetically very prone to osteoporosis! | Would NOT recommend. Too much risk of adverse reactions, and those are only a few "recognized" by the drug company. There seem to be a number of other side-effects more common than any drug researcher has reported. | F | 55 | 10 days | 12/16/2008 | 1 | Doctor didn't know yet. | nausea, severe headache in my left temple, weak, feeling hungry all the time. | stopped taking the medication immediately. Hated it!!! | F | 26 | 5 days | 12/6/2008 | 4 | GERD/Acid Reflux | Possible slight hair loss (not sure from prevacid) Gas, bloating, constipation and diarrhea (again not sure from PPI's) and stomach polyps. (again not 100% sure from PPI meds. Coughing and choking at night and getting asthma type symptoms. | I have taken prevacid and like medications for over 10 years. Prevacid seemed to help me the most. I have still have break through acid reflux at any given moment. However I have found out this year I have 3 issues either due to acid reflux or causing it. 1)Hiatal hernia. 2) Barretts esophagus and 3) Stomach polyps. I have recently learned that Stomach polyps can be caused from excessive use of PPI's. I cant not at this time stop taking Prevacid because of the Acid reflux causing Barretts esophagus. And I am reluctant to take it because of the stomach polyps that cover 80% of my stomach. I am having surgery in January to fix the hernia and also having Fundoplication surgery to prevent anymore acid reflux. Prevacid helped me a lot. but, I am scared of what long term affect I could have for being on that medicine for so long. I have learned from research that PPI's were not intended for LONG term use. Where does that leave sufferers and long term problems? Has anyone ever heard of P | F | 43 | 10 years | 11/29/2008 | 3 | ulcer | severe pins and needles that felt like i was actually being stabbed by a needle when ever i felt hot or started to sweat | Used in the past with no problems but when tried recently caused severe pins and needles when i got hot or sweaty. | M | 24 | 6 days | 11/29/2008 | 2 | Acid Reflex/Stomach Pains | SEVERE Diarrhea, nuasea, unsettled stomach | After taking it for a little over 2 weeks, my reflex and stomach pains subsided, but my stomach was never settled, constantly turning, especially at night, and one day had the WORST case of diarrhea I have ever experienced and was consistently nauseas. | F | 23 | 2 weeks | 11/28/2008 |
| Key to
ratings: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine. |