How I Fixed My Stomach, Baffling Doctors

I was on aspirin therapy for years, but no one ever told me to limit alcohol. Aspirin therapy (yes, even little baby aspirin) erodes your stomach lining. Drinking along with aspirin erodes your stomach more. So an endoscopy eight years ago revealed the war zone of my stomach. I was prescribed Pantoprazole (aka Protonix), a brute force drug best known as an antacid (it makes all the acid go away, so there's no more acid problem). It is also the go-to cure for stomach erosion.

Eliminating all stomach acid sounded extreme. We have acid for a reason (beyond punishment for late night pizza binges). But my doctor did not want to discuss risk. Millions of people are on Pantoprazole. It's fine. Safety in numbers, etc.

I pulled way back on my alcohol consumption, and after a few years, tried to wean off the Pantoprazole, still leary about eliminating all stomach acid. I had some medical guidance for the wean, but it didn't work. There was sharp stomach pain. "You'll be on Pantoprazole for life", my doctor told me four years ago.

Two years ago, I suffered seven severe food borne illnesses in 18 months. Campylobacter was the culprit, and while it's normally no big deal (it's the most common cause of "traveler's tummy"), it was hitting me worse and worse (40 lb weight loss; kidneys full of micro stones due to extreme sustained dehydration, updating my will, etc.). Having lost all ability to fight it off, I had to take a series of antibiotics, putting myself at risk of resistance (and the dreaded C. diff).

Doctors couldn't account for the infections, but I eventually came back to my earlier thinking: I'd lost my gut's first line of defense. There is no literature on risk of food borne illness from Pantoprazole, but most Pantoprazole patients likely don't eat as adventurously as I do. Anyway, to use the medical term, "Duh". Of course that was the culprit.

I could wean off of Pantoprazole or else permanently renounce travel, restaurants and prepared foods. Gastroenterologists are busy with cancer and really don't want to chat about your stupid antacid medication millions of people take every day without problem. And family doctors have only superficial understanding, i.e. "For erosion, prescribe Pantoprazole."

One of the many mystified family and emergency doctors who'd been treating me agreed with my logic and urged another wean attempt, but didn't have much advice to offer. The others thought my theory was nonsense. There is no literature about increased risk of food borne illness due to acid cessation from Pantoprazole, etc. Absence of evidence isn't evidence of absence, but doctors often lack this basic logic. Sometimes you have to use your brain.

ChatGPT discussed my theory at length. It was worth a try to get off this drug with superhuman diligence and caution . I became a professional Pantoprazole weaner for 3 months. It was "what I do". Here's my protocol, thanks to extensive collaboration with the chatbot.

---

Pantoprazole Dosage 2 weeks alternating 40mg/20mg
2 weeks 20mg
2 weeks 20mg/0
Then full cessation
I extended each step until symptoms stabilzed.

Support Protocol (3 Months during and post wean). Note: none of this makes a lick of sense to doctors

Wake up
Take B. longum 35624, a patented, tested, expensive probiotic that may be the one probiotic that actually does anything.
Wait 15 mins
Taurine 500 mg
Wait 15 mins
Light breakfast

At least 90 minutes after breakfast, and 30 mins before lunch: take PepZin GI (zinc-L-carnosine), 15 drops of  Iberogast in a little water with 1/2 rice cake to buffer the bit of alcohol in the Iberogast, and chewable DGL (Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice Extract).

Note: Iberogast is a panacea for any sort of indigestion. It's nothing but essential oils, and I'm no health store hippy, but if Iberogast were a woman I'd marry her.

2 hours after lunch: take Magnesium (Glycinate/Lysinate Chelate 200mg—Magnesium citrate is better, but it caused side effects for me) and a multi-strain probiotic containing Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, Bifidobacterium longum, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum (all this is available cheaply from yogurt. But tablets ensure quality, consistent dosage and timing).

30 minutes before dinner, repeat pre-lunch trio (Pepzin, DGL, 15 drops of Iberogast in a little water with 1/2 rice cake)

60 minutes before bed: another multi-strain Probiotic, plus 15 drops of Iberogast in a little water with 1/2 rice cake

Just before bed only when needed: Gaviscon Advance (Sodium alginate & potassium hydrogen carbonate).

---

This was all 1. very expensive (I've probably paid close to $1000 on these supplements), and 2. hugely labor intensive. For the first month or so, it was pretty much my daily focus, though it eventually became more second nature.

Last week, four months after weaning from Pantoprazole, I had another endoscopy. The gastroenterologist studied my chart and previous endoscopy results, and said "Going off of Pantoprazole was a mistake. I expect to see far worse erosion."

But no. My stomach and esophagus are perfect. Perfect. Also: I've had no campylobacter for months. I can even eat spicy food once per week and drink moderately.

Note: I actually dropped aspirin therapy one year ago. European cardiology protocol says to take either Clopidogrel or aspirin to support a medicated cardiac stent once the stent is fully settled. The Clopidogrel is still erosive, but I'm obviously tolerating it...with the help of these supplements. I'm still taking most of them, and will drop them individually and slowly.

Though stunned to the point of disbelief, neither my GP nor my gastroenterologist has the slightest interest in my protocol (ODPGFY seems to be the attitude—"One data point? Go fuck yourself"). But I'm leaving it out here in case someone finds it useful.