Long term use of PPIs (Esomeprazole) for hiatus hernia

[GinJeanie]

Hiya. Just wondered if anyone knows more than me about taking proton pump inhibitors for severe reflux? I've had the condition for around 5 years and an endoscopy found I have a large hiatus hernia. I took Omeprazole for around a year then came off on advice from the consultant and had two years without symptoms. Had another bad flare last year and have been on Esomeprazole since. Planning to come off soon.
Are the meds safe to take long-term? Someone recently told me that their Dad has damaged kidneys from taking them. Another friend's Mum who has had reflux all her life and not taken meds now has incurable oesophagal cancer. My hope is I can just take them when I have a flare-up but I know this condition isn't going to go away. Many thanks!

Don't know but bumping op as my DH has to take ompersolz every day as well.

@TheRubyRedshoes commiserations to your DH... my GP has never mentioned an issue but the story about kidney damage worried me!

Following really. Diagnosed with Hiatus hernia 2 weeks ago and on Lansoprazole since end June

This link should help. Scroll down to long term side effects (no mention of kidneys) and note that

"If you take omeprazole for longer than 1 year, your doctor will regularly check your health to see if you should carry on taking it."

www.nhs.uk/medicines/omeprazole/side-effects-of-omeprazole/

Shelling my DH has been much longer than a year and nobody has checked him at all.

He's the kinds of person to not want to bother anyone.

I have been taking omaprezole for a few years. I have had a couple of breaks but nobody has checked up on me. And had a few other issues recently.

I have Addison’s disease which means I take daily life long steroids to keep me alive and and as a result i need to take esomeprazole 40mg long term to protect my stomach. I’m on an Addisons forum with 8k members and almost all of us are on some sort of PPI long term with no issues at all. The main issues people do tend to have (if they have any at all) is b12 absorption. I’ve never heard of anyone having kidney damage from it in the circles I’m in.

I've been taking it for 7 years and nobody has questioned me...🧐

My teenage son has been on it for over a year and he's never been checked 🤔

Life-long Lansoprazole here. Couldn't care less if it increases cancer risk or potentially damages my kidneys, it's effective against the utter misery of constant severe reflux and excess acid so I'm more than happy to continue to take it every day.

18yo DD has been on Lansoprazole for a couple of years due to a hernia. She has yearly blood tests and (hit and miss due to Covid) appointments with her consultant.

As PP said it's linked to pernicious anaemia due to the stomach not being able to absorb b12. If this gets left unchecked you will feel quite rotten.

I'm on it long term. Just had some bloods done - I'm on b12 tablets but may need injections.

@Shellingbynight - thank you so much, that's really helpful. Am hoping to be able to have gaps but ultimately know I'll be on and off these meds for life.

@Afterfire - really hope you're feeling well atm. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience...

@XDownwiththissortofthingX - I do get what you're saying in that severe reflux symptoms make everything so grim. There's nothing worse than dreading eating/lying down etc because you know it's going to make you feel awful. Before I developed it I thought it was a bit of indigestion but it really impacts on quality of life 😕. I'm the same as you in that I'll certainly take the meds rather than suffer.

5 years for me, no check up