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My health is really impacting on my lifestyle at the moment and I would appreciate some advice from medical bods on here.
I’ve been plagued by colds this year, so in a desperate attempt to do anything to avoid I started taking vit c, often 1st thing in the morning and on an empty stomach. A combination of this and the very occasional few pints has irritated across the top of my stomach, something that lasts for a week of more after each drink/vit c and that I’ve experienced in the past.
The doctor diagnosed it as a kind of acid reflux and gave me one prescription, but in a few days I suffered skin irritation as a side effect, so he’s just switched me to something else. One thing I forgot to mention to him is that I’ve started to feel quite weak, almost in a way like when u have a bad cold. I’m normally quite fit and despite the multiple colds, have been riding ok soon afterwards. Now I’m fairly wacked after just walking up the stairs.
Is the weakness due to just being ill or am I not absorbing nutrients from the food properly?
I feel like I’m pestering the doc a bit here, but do I need to go back and tell him about feeling weak as I forgot to mention that when I saw him and phoned up about the side effects?
****ing hell, I sound like a right moaning get here. Sorry and thanks in advance.
I assume you have been prescribed a proton pump inhibitor - most likely omeprazole. These can cause drowsiness, general malaise and itchy skin.
I am not a medical professional.
yep thats the original one, but he's just switched me to something else (mrs is picking it up today so don't know what it is, something like zantac)
I was feeling farly weak before I started taking it.
Zantac is probably the best for that sort of thing.
If I was you, I would go back to the GP and get another check-up based on your current tiredness/weakness. Doesn't sound like you are a moaner BTW but you know your own body (hopefully) and need it checked as there are many things which could be causing the problems which couldn't possibly be diagnosed on t'internet and without knowing your medical history.
I take lanzoprazole every day for the same problem, I was origianlly prescribed omeprazole, which despite it apparently being the same, was not, it essentially didn't work for me and made me feel knackered. The docs told me he didn't want to prescribe lanzoprazole first, as its much more expensive..
You've managed to make yourself ill by self medicating with vitamin C; hope your colds have gone....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_C
Have a read here.
I was getting my Zantacs mixed up with Losec/Nexium (my ex-missus used to sell them all!). IIRC losec is now off patent but as Toys says, they are all more expensive than Zantac which has been out a long time now.
Zantac is from a family of drugs called H2-receptor antagonists. They basically reduce the output of gastric acid. Ranitidine is a typical drug. Unfortuantely, these too can cause tiredness and rash!
If I take those high dose vitamin c tablets they give me flu-like symptoms. Same with oranges or orange juice.
Mmm - I have no medical training whatsoever, so take this with usual pinch of 'internet sourced' info. My sister had severe health problems (still ongoing but better)a year or so ago. It started after she'd been taking VitC the soluble ones - up to one a day. She started to get weird symptons in her throat and digestively and the docs diagnosed acid reflux and gave her inhibitors ... that's when stuff really started to get bad. She had what can only be described as horrendous pain in her throat (severe constrictions, unable to swallow) and stomach pain (basically couldn't eat anything at all and ended up on a severely restricted diet of simple veg and rice and some meat no dairy, sweet carbs, bread, alchohol, tea, coffee etc, as she was unable to tolerate anything else). The 'reflux' issue got worse, she had several consultations with docs who couldn't really identify or explain to her what was going on. She was incredibly weak and exhausted the whole time. She stopped taking the inhibitors - ostensibly against medical advice - and gradually over time (we're talking a year) things have improved. She can eat more things and has put back on some of the 1 stone she lost but is still on a restricted diet. She obviously has thought about this a lot and her (also not supported by medical opinion) view is that it was the inhibitor drugs that really ****ed her up.
So not sure what to advise other than, think very carefully about whether the drugs you are being given are really helping you and don't expect your average GP to know what is going on either. Hope things pick up.