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Anyone else get anaemic with their GERD or gastritis?

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Posted 7/1/2011 4:35 AM (GMT -7)
Am struggling to manage my GERD and gastritis with Zantac and low dose Lansoprazole; side effects on higher dose are really bad. Now turns out I'm anaemic as well. Am wondering if that's due to the recent flare up or more due to the drugs; can you absorb iron whilst suppressing stomach acid? Can you absorb iron if you have gastritis instead of suppressed stomach acid (those are my only available options apparently!). Getting worried. sad
Posted 7/1/2011 5:52 AM (GMT -7)
Hi mudmagnet,

After reading your post I went looking for answers online and discovered these three links that might give you some information.

I have never experienced that side effect, but it sounds like it can happen.

Here are the links...hope they're helpful:

www.livestrong.com/article/371947-omeprazole-iron-deficiency-anemia/

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21318590

www.mayoclinic.com/health/anemia/DS00321/DSECTION=causes

Hope you get to the bottom of it, and get feeling better.
Denise
Posted 7/1/2011 8:27 AM (GMT -7)
Denise, thank you. I guess it could be the Lansoprazole tipping me over the edge, iron status wise. The only way to get well seems to be to take a drug that makes me ill in lots of other ways! Can't see a way forward at the moment and am worried that they'll want to do further tests sad
Guess just try to keep papering over the cracks . . . .
Posted 7/1/2011 10:32 AM (GMT -7)
Hi mudmagnet,

So sorry that you're struggling. It's not easy to have chronic problems, as you well know. Hang in there the best you can! If you are aware of an anemia issue, is the doctor going to supplement you in any way?

I would guess that if you're having trouble absorbing iron, it would make sense to eat more, so it has a better chance of getting through. Here's a link for the top ten iron-rich foods...

www.webmd.com/diet/features/top-10-iron-rich-foods

Hope you're having a good day!
Denise
Posted 7/1/2011 6:20 PM (GMT -7)
Funny to see this post, because I just had a random conversation with my GI about this yesterday. I have gastritis pretty bad, but not to the point of being anemic. I tend to get in long conversations with my doctors, just prodding for information, and yesterday something that I learned from my doc was that when gastritis is really bad, it can affect iron absorption. The thing that seems to help me the most with gastritis is carafate. Was on it for a month, and felt pretty good. Got off it for a month, and felt terrible. Just got back on it again yesterday, and already starting to feel better. If you arent already on it, it might help.

Chuck

Posted 7/2/2011 1:55 AM (GMT -7)
Thanks Chuck. Would love to try carafate but they just don't prescribe it over here in the uk. My doc has heard of sucralfate but no one uses it anymore.

Severe gastritis does interfere with iron absorption, as do the antacid drugs; so it's a true catch22. I'm just not sure if that is enough to explain me losing 2 grams of haemoglobin in 6 months, which is why I'm worried.
Posted 7/2/2011 5:19 AM (GMT -7)
Hi mudmagnet,

If your doc says "no one uses it anymore" , does that mean that it's unavailable? If it's available, why not prod your doc to prescribe it? It would be worth a try. If you just have gastritis and no esophagitis, then you could just take as a pill. If you also have esophagitis, you could put it in a little medicine cup, add a bit of water to make a slurry, and throw it back like a shot. That way it coats the esophagus on the way down. Like Chuck says, it is a great, (yet benign and very safe) drug.

If you can get him to write you a script, I'm sure you could even get it online.
I think you'd be surprised at how helpful it will be.

Good luck!
Denise
Posted 7/2/2011 6:28 AM (GMT -7)
MM,

I think you may have a point re the cause of your anemia. In clinical tests, people that had low stomach acid were found to be anemic. An iron supplement in liquid form may be something to discuss with your physician.

Thinking of you and hope things start to get better for you quickly.

Gentle Hugs,

Kitt

Posted 7/2/2011 11:09 AM (GMT -7)
Thanks Kitt. I haven't found an iron preparation that doesn't give me horrendous gut rot! Am only managing a very low dose tablet and red meat! Another catch22 really as I think things don't heal well when you're anaemic. Hope you having a good week.

MMM
Posted 7/2/2011 11:40 AM (GMT -7)
Hi Mudgamen...m

I was diagnosed with low iron a few years ago... when I was seeing my gastro....The crazy thing was that I am a guy and young. So he thought I was not absorbing things right..

He said take iron supplements then stopped after a couple of months.

But my iron level is back up....
Stareted eating leafy greens...i know u eat alot probably

Keep us posted.
Posted 7/2/2011 11:49 AM (GMT -7)
Thanks. I've always had lowish iron stores, more so since had the kids (2). My guess is the GERD or the drugs has pushed it lower. I was anaemic last year and it normalised on Omeprazole (which I later stopped cos of side effects). So maybe it's more the gastritis than the drugs causing it, but who knows. Have to monitor it for a while; if it goes lower I'll no doubt get "invited" for more tests involving a light on the end of a long flexible pipe . . . .
Posted 7/2/2011 12:00 PM (GMT -7)
My gastro also said, women tend to have a lower iron levels due to their mentrual cycle and because they have kids, they lose blood..Sorry about this but you probably know this.....

Just try to keep eating iron veggies....

All I can say.....Sorry can't give much help...
Posted 7/2/2011 3:28 PM (GMT -7)
Nickels, I know what you mean. I don't have "women's problems" luckily but I think I just don't have any iron reserve, so that side of things chips away at the stores too. Without stomach acid you can't really access the iron that is in veg, only "haem iron" which is in meat.

Denise, I've asked twice about sucralfate (uk version) and been blown off both times. It's still out there but they seem very loathe to use any "add ons" in addition to acid suppression. I haven't used Gaviscon for ages, maybe I should try that again. I do have mild oesophagitis, yes. I keep trying different natural stuff and different drug combos; permanent plate spinning!!
Posted 7/4/2011 6:35 PM (GMT -7)
 

about 7 years ago, I started having problems with shortness of breath so I went to the ER thinking I was having a heart attack or something.  Well, my heart was fine but they determined that my hemoglobin levels were half of what they should be so they immediately admitted me and gave me two units of blood.  They did tons of testing but couldn't figure out what was causing the anemia.  Several years later, my hemoglobin dropped again and I had to undergo weekly iron infusions.  Again they couldn't figure out what was causing the anemia.  Finally, they deducted that the large hiatel hernia I had was preventing the iron absorbtion.  I had the Nissan procedure almost a year ago and for the most part, I'm feeling better (until recently).  I completely understand the frustration you're going through right now.  Hang in there.

Posted 7/5/2011 1:53 AM (GMT -7)
Thanks Cake Laura. That's interesting. My hernia is very small but I believe neither the drugs nor the gastritis are friends of iron uptake!
Posted 7/12/2013 4:06 AM (GMT -7)
http://www.endogastricsolutions.com/aboutTIF.aspx explains it well.

Seems like a new procedure.

I wish there was something full - proof. Sign me up for that.

More research is needed.

This is so painful
Posted 7/12/2013 6:02 AM (GMT -7)
hopingToFindCure

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