Pantoprazole and Nausea: What Users Say

• Tyl...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 19, 2021

For GERD "Started taking this after bad acid reflux, helped with the acid reflux but started feeling very ill, muscle pains, muscle twitching, headaches, back pain, neck pain, abdominal pains. I dropped weight really fast, dry throat, nausea, didn't feel hungry, panic attacks/anxiety, depression, foggy head/troubles concentrating, troubles sleeping, ringing in my ears, my sugar levels also started to crash a lot two weeks in. My doctor thought it was my diabetes medication, while emergency thought it was all in my head when I expressed concern to this medication being the problem. Also ended up spending a lot of money being told to take other meds for anxiety/sleep, taking trips to the hospital, and being out of work. Would not recommend this medication."

• Eva...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 3, 2020

For Stomach Ulcer "The doctor prescribed this drug to heal my stomach after having nausea and no appetite. After taking this drug, I have experienced really bad side effects which have affected me so much. Depression and extreme crying, anxiety to the point of having chest pains and a tight chest feeling, joint pain, pins and needles, fever, gas and bloating, extreme nausea and no desire to eat, abdominal pain, brain fog, weakness and tiredness, insomnia, headaches. This has made me go to the ER thinking something serious was wrong with me. Being off of this medication for 2 days and symptoms are subsiding but still present. I was finally able to regain some appetite and eat again. I am sharing my story to let others know of the serious side effects of this medication."

• Sun...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 22, 2021

For GERD "I was put on pantoprazole almost 2 months now. I first started and it seemed to be working. I just received my COVID vaccine and thought I was having a bad reaction from the injection. I just out of the blue googled the side effects from pantoprazole and I have almost all of them. Crazy - I've been wondering why I'm so dizzy all the time with nausea, diarrhea, intense anxiety and more acid waking me up, gas, and burping. I'm done!! Tired of trying meds that don't seem to work."

• Mil...
• October 18, 2019

For GERD "I've been having acid reflux for a couple of months now, but it was never bad enough for me to want to take medication for it. My doctor had prescribed me pantoprazole, but I never reached for it because I was wary about it, and my symptoms were not severe. A week ago, my symptoms worsened slightly, and I decided to give it a try. With each day that I took it, my acid reflux got worse and worse, as well as my anxiety. I had intense nausea, an awful taste in my mouth, burning and squeezing sensations in my chest, and my throat was constantly tight. I thought that maybe it would get better, but my symptoms worsened so much that by the 3rd day, I couldn't tolerate it anymore. I stopped taking the pantoprazole, and it's been 3-4 days ever since, and I'm still battling the symptoms the drug worsened. I know this drug may work for some people, but it definitely didn't work for me, and I'd recommend not to take it."

• Jen...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 7, 2018

Pantoprazole for GERD "I have both IBS and Gastritis. Protonix has been a complete game changer for me. Without it, I have chronic nausea, difficulties tolerating food, vomiting, low energy, and headache. My days were very difficult prior to being prescribed this med. I feel incredibly better."

• Lpe...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 9, 2021

For Gastritis/Duodenitis "Can anyone tell me how long the side effects last from this medicine? I took it for 12 days. During the second week, I started waking up crying and feeling depressed every morning. I have more anxiety. I started having stomach pain, and one day I had severe nausea. Also, I was dealing with some loss of appetite, and that’s gotten worse. I also experienced brain fog and extreme exhaustion and fatigue, like I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I think that PPIs can be extremely dangerous for some people. How can a medicine that’s supposed to heal bring so much destruction to your body? Ugh. I want to figure out something natural to take."

• MDa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 20, 2019

For GERD "Got prescribed this pantoprazole a month after getting treated for H. pylori. Did nothing at all to control the acid and was still taking Tums to stop the pain. A week after I started taking the drug, I had extreme nausea lasting a day and a half. I felt dizzy and weak. Couldn't eat anything apart from plain crackers and could only stomach water. Nausea only eased when I stopped taking the drug. Be wary of taking this drug, I wish I never took it at all."

• Tee...
• December 17, 2015

Pantoprazole for GERD "This was the worst medication I have ever taken. I was just prescribed this medication last week. After being on it for only 2 days, I stopped. Headache was unbearable. I thought I was going to have to go to the hospital to get a CAT scan until I realized it was probably the Protonix. Then there was the nausea that came along as well. Five days later, I'm still nauseous, but used ginger to help with that. Overall, I will never use this medicine again."

• ell...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 13, 2019

For Gastritis/Duodenitis "Do not take this pantoprazole, it is bad for you. Avoid it at all costs, I mean it. I was supposedly diagnosed with gastritis. The doctor gave me pantoprazole. After the first few days, I started feeling throat tightness/lump feeling even after light exercise. Then, gradually worsened, and I felt it all day, every day. Also, had extreme nausea, had to go to the hospital. Been off it for 2 days now, and my throat is recovering and my nausea has also subsided. DO NOT TAKE THIS. It will make you feel awful, and it is hard to recover from it."

• Anonymous
• April 15, 2009

Pantoprazole for GERD "I had the worst side effects with Protonix. I took it for 15 days and experienced increased anxiety and heart palpitations. I also had dizziness, nausea, and insomnia. Going off of it took 6 days to feel somewhat normal."

• Suc...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 17, 2021

For GERD "This drug was horrible for me. I woke up at 2:30 in the morning to use the restroom and was unable to go to sleep after. Racing thoughts kept compiling into more racing, anxious thoughts about things I shouldn’t even be anxious about. My anxiety was through the roof, and I don’t have any meds for anxiety. Constantly needing to use the restroom and nausea, vomiting was constant. A whole day wasted from no sleep. This drug did not help me at all, it made my life worse. I am going to try a probiotic instead in addition to the Pepcid another poster recommended."

• Wal...
• August 8, 2021

For GERD "I developed GERD and was prescribed Pantoprazole. It seemed to help quickly. A month ago, my stomach pain became unbearable, and I started sleeping almost all day and night, which is very unusual for me. Then I started with diarrhea and nausea and could not eat or drink anything. The thought of food or even water made me nauseous. After two weeks, I went to the ER. I could barely walk and had lost 15 pounds. I was dehydrated and received an IV for fluids. They could find nothing such as a bacterial or parasitic issue for my distress. I was told to go home and continue the Pantoprazole. After six more days of dizziness, diarrhea, nausea, sleeping all day, I thought of the medicine as the one thing different in my life. I stopped it three days ago and finally was able to start eating and drinking liquids again. This drug should NOT be on the market. I wish I had researched the side effects earlier."

• Hll...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 11, 2021

Pantoprazole for GERD "I started taking Protonix a few months ago. I’m 19 and have never had any prior health issues besides bad acid reflux. I was taking Protonix for about a week and started to notice awful headaches. By week two, I was having awful dizzy spells, and I avoided going to class because I thought I was going to pass out. I thought all of these side effects were related to when I had COVID a month prior, so I overlooked it. After taking this medicine for a month, I went to the ER twice because I felt like my heart was skipping beats, I was nauseous, couldn’t catch my breath, tingling in my hands and feet, and my dizzy spells were unbearable. The doctors summed it up to panic attacks, which I knew was wrong because I’m not an anxious person. I researched Protonix online and realized a lot of other people had the same side effects. DO NOT take this medicine!!! It made me feel like I was going crazy, and for a whole month, I couldn’t do anything because of dizzy spells!"

• Mim...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 5, 2022

Pantoprazole for Stomach Ulcer "Prescribed this for a stomach ulcer with possible bleeding. This medication has been a miracle for me since the first dose. Immediately eliminated abdominal pain from the ulcer, and although I am still not able to eat much, I am able to eat solid foods again. This medication did have side effects and made me nauseous, but this stopped after the first three doses, which was also helped with Zofran. However, the side effects were minimal compared to the pain and weakness I was feeling before being prescribed this medication. I go for an endoscopy in a few days, and I’m very hopeful that it has helped to heal the ulcer (not fully, of course, as I haven’t finished the medication yet). I hope this review helps someone!"

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

For GERD "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."

• Xan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 16, 2022

For Gastritis/Duodenitis "I had chest pain and heart palpitations and a stomach ache and had to go to the emergency room. After a 6-hour wait, I was diagnosed with gastritis and prescribed pantoprazole. I took it for a month with no improvement, so I got a refill from my doctor with hesitation. The second month, I started having anxiety attacks and was crying all the time. I felt this huge depression come over me and lived with unbearable stomach pain and gas. I could not eat from the nausea. I passed out three times, twice in the kitchen and the third time down the stairs. Something that has never happened to me before. I could not get out of bed. It got so bad I wanted to die. So I started Googling my blood pressure meds and anything I took. Then I started reading all the bad reviews on pantoprazole. So for me, it’s deadly, the worst medication I have ever taken in my life. I can’t believe it’s on the market, it almost killed me. Take at your own risk!"

• ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 18, 2020

For Barrett's Esophagus "I was diagnosed with Barrett esophagus without dysplasia. GERD is mostly asymptomatic, the endoscopy was for something else. Started taking the meds in the middle of the day, 30 minutes before lunch. After a month, I saw an article saying that it should be taken 1 hour before food in the morning (thanks for the disinformation, doc). Things were mostly going well, but the fear of developing cancer was too high to ignore the consensus coming from the NIH. So I changed my routine. Things got bad from there. Diarrhea even worse than IBS flare-ups, pain, nausea, cannot put anything in my mouth without having to run for the bathroom and it is a lot of mucus. Have to run to the bathroom even before eating anything. Water is no help. And the almost inexistent reflux that I had before hit me hard for a few days. Pretty weird, and my quality of life has gone down in just one week. Trying to go back to my old regimen until I can get a hold of the doctor."

• Ren...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 28, 2021

Pantoprazole for GERD "Prescribed Protonix by my doctor, and after a week and a half, I had to stop. Almost immediately, anything I ate gave me heartburn (I didn't have frequent heartburn before), headaches every morning, extreme nausea, so much that I had no appetite, foggy brain, joint pain in my hands/wrists, abdominal pain, and depression/anxiety. I wish I would have done my research and asked more questions. I'm on day 2 after stopping, and I feel slightly better. I'm going to try a cleaned-up diet and not eating so late. Let us hope it works."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 1, 2020

For Peptic Ulcer "Had terrible heartburn/nausea that was just making it hard to eat things like a sandwich, and it made it hard to get through work because of the pain. Doctor said I probably had an ulcer. Took pantoprazole and it worked like a miracle, only had a lot of seasickness like I felt dizzy, like I was on a boat. Then I went from 2x a day to 1x for like 2 weeks, and I started feeling bad again, so I stopped. Immediately after I stopped, I started getting terrible stomach/chest pains, and now my acid is just abysmal. I think taking it actually left me worse off than when I started. I've never had acid regurgitation before, but now I started having it, and I feel so weak :("

• pan...
• August 14, 2023

For GERD "Well, since I took this medicine, my symptoms I get are bloating, increased hunger, weight loss, just really feeling worse than I did before I took this medication. I don’t recommend it, and I think it should be pulled off the shelf. The gas pains are horrible, and the bloating for some reason, all in my left side, and I feel so nauseous too. So I will stick to Pepsid one a day, I’d rather have a little heartburn than to feel like crap."

• Fra...
• September 25, 2017

For Gastritis/Duodenitis "I was with gastritis symptoms for about two weeks and didn't pay attention until last Sunday. I had one of the worst stomach pains ever, couldn't sleep, had fever and nausea the entire night, and even during Monday. I went to the doctor that same Monday, and he gave me this medication; after I took it, the pain went away within 20 minutes, and in about 3 days, I almost came back to normal. I'm still taking them for another 6 days because I still feel I need it (I was almost an entire month feeling weird, so I think I will take a while before I go back to normal). I'm also complementing with a healthy diet (stopped drinking coffee, sodas, foods with sugar or fat)."

• Dia...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 2, 2022

For GERD "This website has saved me. I thought I was going crazy! I started taking this drug 2x a day in March of 2021 to cure my chronic gastritis and GERD. At first, this really helped me out because the pain I got from gastritis was unbearable and caused me nausea and appetite loss. Over the summer, I was prescribed to take it for another year. So around October, I started to feel like I wasn’t myself with extreme anxiety and depression. There were many times when I started shaking and panicking for no reason at all. I passed out 2 times, had 3 traumatic panic attacks, and have been dizzy for days. Finally, in December, I was at my lowest and started having dark thoughts. I was so anxious, tired, dizzy, nauseous, had stomach pain, and was depressed. I was so upset that I started feeling this way and cried to my mom. She found this page and became livid! Why would my doctor prescribe me with this medicine for mild gastritis and GERD for a 20-year-old for a year? Horrible. Don’t take this."

• joe...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 6, 2022

For GERD "I took this stuff for two weeks, and it made me feel nauseous, so I stopped. Three months later, still having the nausea, which keeps getting worse and worse. Never had a single problem like this in my life until this stupid pill. Doctors tell me that it's pure coincidence. Who knew medical professionals could be so obtuse?"

• Lee...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 24, 2022

For Stomach Ulcer "Been taking pantoprazole since 2018. I've had nothing but bad depression, anxiety, sore stomach, bone aches, weird pain on my left side all the time. Doctors don't know what's causing it. The chest pains, pins and needles, headaches, brain fog, blurry vision, diarrhea, bloating, loss of appetite, nausea, and insomnia. I did stop taking them for about 3 weeks and felt great, but that yuk acidy taste came back, so I thought I'd take them again. Now feeling like rubbish again. Now I'll stop taking them for good."

• JHa...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• November 13, 2015

For GERD "I have had great results for several years with generic pantoprazole, except twice when the pharmacy used the version from Sun Pharma. Not sure the marked difference (although there was a patent lawsuit against Sun for not disclosing a slight difference in chemical structure several years ago), but taking the Sun version is pretty much like taking nothing at all. I took a week's worth this time (there is a shortage of the Teva drug I usually get) and spent last night sick to my stomach with gnawing pain and bizarre single hiccups and belches. And while the pharmacy apparently had gotten some of the Teva brand in, I had to pay the full $40 because I couldn't get another batch covered by insurance for 2 weeks. Not all generics are equal."