Pantoprazole for GERD User Reviews (Page 4)

• Cla...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 1, 2017

"I've had moderate to severe GERD for 10+ years; the last med I was on was Lansoprazole for 5+ years. Recently, I was switched to Pantoprazole Sodium 40 mg a day; I've taken it for less than a week, and it's been hell since the first day I took it. I've had sweats and the worst joint and muscle pains and cramps, and ulcers in my mouth along with a sore throat. At the NP's advice, who prescribed it, I also take magnesium. I'm stopping this med today and hope these side effects go away soon."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 20, 2016

"I have been on 40 mg twice a day for 2 weeks. I can't shake this awful headache. Then a week ago, I woke up feeling as though I was hit with the flu. Body hurting all over, severe headache, restless, no energy, cotton mouth to the extreme, no appetite. Been so sick haven't even noticed if the medicine is actually working for what I am taking it for. Went to the doctor, tested me for flu, pneumonia, strep, you name it, and found nothing. Pain is unbelievable and continuous. Stopped taking the medicine yesterday and showing huge signs of improvement. I will stick to my bottle of Tums a day over that horrific pain. Not worth it. Heartburn is painful, but at least I can go about my day with it. This medicine I couldn't even get out of bed."

• Pau...
• June 6, 2019

"Started having real bad GERD. Went on Nexium one morning and one at bedtime. Eating only applesauce and toast in the morning and chicken and rice for dinner. Lost 30 lbs. Still having bad GERD. Went to my doc, and he put me on pantoprazole. On the second day of taking this drug, I started to have stomach pain. Waiting for a return call from my doc."

• Don...
• September 24, 2015

Pantoprazole "I was put on this medication after my insurance company stopped covering another PPI that worked well for me. I lasted one month and spent most of it popping ranitidine since anything I ate or drank caused almost immediate heartburn. By the end of the month, I was vomiting. It was awful. I hated to be a pain, but I called my PCP and told them I needed to go back on my previous med, which, of course, involved a lot of paperwork on his part. I have a friend that swears by this medication, but mostly all I did was swear during the month I took it."

• Nay...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• April 6, 2016

"I have been taking this medication for 6 years now, religiously, every morning. I am now concerned about the long-term risks. They are linking this drug and other PPIs to a higher risk of developing dementia. I take 40 mg every morning, and my doctor has prescribed me 20 mg so I can start to slowly lower myself off from taking so much. I have not started the 20 mg yet since I've been on 40 mg for years. I'm afraid of how my body will react to it. Overall, this medicine works better than any other medicine I have tried for my acid reflux. I don't think I will be able to live without it."

• Dia...
• February 1, 2021

Pantoprazole "I have had GERD for over 10 years now, and I tried Nexium OTC, which helped, but I ended up in the hospital because I had chest pain really bad. The hospital put me on Cafarate and Protonix, it helped right away. I take Protonix twice a day and Cafarate before every meal and at bedtime. I can eat anything I want and have no more pain in my chest. I will continue to take this medication as long as I can because I can eat anything without any pain."

• Mac...
• March 7, 2009

Pantoprazole "I love Protonix. Only wish it was more affordable. My insurance company will only cover the generic form-which is NOT the same. I found the name of the manufacturer, but again the insurance company won't cover it. The three months I was on the generic, all my symptoms returned. Back on the Protonix for two weeks and everything was gone!"

• had...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 1, 2019

"I also took pantoprazole for GERD, it caused me dizziness, fatigue, and when I was told to take it twice a day, I started getting a burning rash all over my body. It's been a week and I am still having side effects from not taking this anymore."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 28, 2018

Pantoprazole "I took Protonix for about a week, and every time I took it, I got a severe headache every day. It did help to keep my heartburn at bay, but to me, it is not worth it for the side effects. My mood dropped because of this medicine, and I just did not feel like myself. I have stopped taking this medicine, and I am now taking Zantac 150 mg. Took effect, and it is working wonders for me."

• Wag...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 6, 2016

Pantoprazole "I have had severe GERD/acid reflux for nearly 6 years. It has put me in the hospital 7 times now and has totally destroyed my teeth, which I have always been meticulous about caring for. Presently, it's also causing me swallowing problems and voice troubles. The pain the GERD can generate is an actual true '10'-far, far worse than the pain I experienced from a quad cardiac bypass surgery. My doctor gave me Protonix for it, and it worked very well on reducing, perhaps, 80% of the pain. Unfortunately, the medication caused peripheral edema big time, and I had to go off of it again. The edema immediately went away, but the pain came back too. I have noticed this reaction from almost all proton pumps that I have tried to date."

• pwc...
• November 5, 2014

"I was prescribed Protonix for GERD after having a heart attack. I had been prescribed omeprazole prior for the same condition, but after about 3 days, I had a very painful stomach, and eventually, my stomach failed to empty, and I spent a night over the toilet, throwing up everything I had eaten the afternoon before. I stopped the omeprazole, and then tried it again about 3 weeks later, same result. Protonix was new to me, and I decided to give it a chance, but 5 days after taking my first dose, I just spent a day in pain and once again, threw up my dinner and lunch from the day before."

• Lew...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 18, 2019

"Prescribed pantoprazole by specialist twice a day. Started with a massive headache, then terrible nausea. Throat burns! Can't even eat mild foods without pain. Seems counterproductive. Even water is hard to swallow. This drug is not good for me. Only been on for a week and a half. Every day is worse, even though I'm eating considerably less (and bland) due to discomfort. Foods I could eat 2 weeks ago cause me pain now. I tried to stick it out for at least a couple of weeks, but this is the worst. I need to go back to the doctor to see if something else is going on."

• Mar...
• October 29, 2008

Pantoprazole "I loved this drug-until my insurance company said it was the 'same' as another less expensive drug. I've been miserable ever since. The acid reflux is returning, I am bloated and bowels are always a surprise. My surgeon is thinking a second surgery might be needed - if only I could afford the Protonix, it could be avoided."

• Bad...
• December 1, 2011

Pantoprazole "I only discovered I had GERD from an endoscopy. I've always had a horrible stomach, but recently had a constant sore throat. The Protonix worked wonders! But then I noticed I was constipated and had a huge appetite. I briefly switched medicines but went back to Protonix. It was when I started taking it again and had two abdominal exams that I realized my liver was enlarged. The doctors immediately dismissed it since I've had my gallbladder removed. They said it was scar tissue. My daughter has eosinophilic colitis, so I'm really just focused on her gastrointestinal care, but at my next follow-up, I will address the issue. I did cut out milk/dairy from my diet, and that seemed to help as much as the medicine!"

• Ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 18, 2018

"20 mg worked really well with heartburn/reflux symptoms, but unfortunately this gave me terrible bloating, constipation, and horrific-smelling wind (literally had to open windows and put a fan on to air out ONE small room, and even then it still stank and lingered - talk about embarrassing and unpleasant). Not to mention I looked like a combination of 6 months pregnant/a fat overstuffed sausage around my lower stomach, which was very distressing and made me even more self-conscious - (I'm a very petite woman and it was so bad it was showing through even my loosest t-shirts) like the awful wind wasn't enough! Perhaps it will work for you, but I cannot say I'd recommend it as it was awful. As soon as I stopped, the digestive issues began to ease off, literally 24+ hours after the last dose I was already getting relief from the constipation and bloating. It's a no from me."

• Pic...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 23, 2016

"If you have type 2 diabetes, I strongly urge you not to take this drug. Even though they say that an increase in blood sugar is rare, this happened to me. About five days after I started taking this drug (40 mg), I started to feel lightheaded. My morning reading of blood sugar is normally about 6.6 three hours after breakfast, but I started getting readings of 11.6. I felt like hell. Even worse, the spike in blood sugar caused my blood pressure (controlled by medication) to also spike to about 165/80. I decided to stop the pantoprazole. The lightheadedness went away, and my blood pressure returned to normal. Be very careful with this drug. There are a couple of websites that warn of an increase in blood sugar."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 12, 2018

"Instead of fixing my acidity, it increased, and now my stomach is more sensitive than it has ever been. I can't eat almost anything. I have acidity from basic foods like pears, boiled vegetables, and bread. So yeah, don't recommend to anyone."

• Tru...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 31, 2023

"This med is horrible. Not once, but twice I took this, and it put my system into a nosedive. I have acid reflux and most likely a hiatal hernia. My GP said, here, take this, and in three days you will be good as new. Well, not hardly… within three days I was bloated and could not poop if my life were on the line, and it felt like it was. This ruined my life for three weeks, twice. It took me twice to realize this little pink tablet will shut down the digestive system quicker than carnival food. Three weeks and a couple of bottles of Milk of Magnesia later, maybe you will have your life back. If your doctor suggests this crap, run!"

• Jen...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• September 17, 2019

"I have been taking pantoprazole 40 mg for 15 years for acid reflux, and it has worked well. Three months ago, I got a yeast infection in my esophagus with severe burning and esophagitis. I took 200 mg of Diflucan for 3 weeks, which cleared it up. Now, 3 months later, it is back with a vengeance. I have a-fib and am afraid of the side effects of antifungal. Anyone with this experience? Did anything help?"

• Sis...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• April 23, 2020

"I've been on this medication for a few years. It did great until now. I have burning and itchy vaginal and anus. Dark urine, gurgling down through the intestines. And I'm having swelling in my legs with chills. Some stomach pains as well. I stopped the medicine to clear up, which it is now doing. I had bleeding in the vaginal and anus area too. I will be getting a colonoscopy this summer."

• Jen...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 20, 2020

"I love this medicine, pantoprazole, other than the fact that it has given me insomnia. I have absolutely no acid reflux like I did with Nexium, I just cannot sleep at night now. I would love to be able to fall asleep at a normal time rather than when the sun is coming up."

• Tes...
• July 2, 2008

Pantoprazole "I have a Lap Band. Before I had the band, I had no problem with heartburn. Then, after I got a couple of adjustments, I had acid reflux and heartburn so bad I was eating like 20 Tums a day. Zantac no longer works, or anything for that matter, so I went to my doctor, and he gave me samples of Protonix. Within minutes, my heartburn was gone. I have slept through the night without vomiting my own stomach acid. Highly recommend this drug. If you have a Lap Band, then you know how horrible it can be."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 2, 2023

"I had reflux for a month or two and also had severe stomach pain. The doctor prescribed this, thinking I might also have an ulcer or gastritis. Almost 2 months later, I found this page and can’t believe I didn’t connect the dots. My reflux symptoms persist after 7 months of taking the drug daily. Here are some of the symptoms I had over the last 2 months (not knowing for certain if these are caused by pantoprazole): feeling like my lungs are irritated and occasionally cough, anxiety and panic attacks, feeling like something’s stuck in my throat, heart palpitations, confusion, random pains in my body, especially in my stomach, gas and belching, throat ache, breath smell. I took my dose today but can’t wait for the drug to be out of my system and see if all of this was because of 40 mg of daily pantoprazole."

• ric...
• February 2, 2010

Pantoprazole "My gallbladder was acting up, and the pain was terrible. I took a Protonix as soon as I got out of the doctor's office (with a sandwich and Dr. Pepper). About 15 seconds later, I was burping like crazy. Viola! The pain subsided considerably in less than 3 minutes. An hour later, it was like I never even had the pain! I felt much, much better."

• Fai...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• August 20, 2019

"I had my gallbladder out years ago, so long ago this medicine wasn't generic and very expensive. It was the only thing that relieved my pain. Since I've tried so many times to get off this medicine, but I experience heaviness in my chest and lots of pain. Trouble breathing. My body is now so dependent on this I'm stuck. I pray no one gets dependent on this or any other medicine with all these side effects."