ALERT!!! If you have been having any one of these side effects...

I was having numbness and tingling in my hands, fatigue, and now a Vit D deficiency.....My bowel movements have been loose, mild nausea, and I am so fatigued and gaining weight. I am finally having a Nisson procedure the end of June. I am on 80mg per day of Aciphex (2 of the 20mg. tablets in the morning, 2 at night) and a Prilosec at bedtime.
Now I had a bad EKG, with a ST problem...but before the high dose of Aciphex I had a perfect one...I wonder if these things are all related. I am thinking of contacting an attorny...any input on this?

I would strongly urge against the Nissen procedure. This is major surgery that may not be needed. Have you had a second or third opinion?

The reason I say that it might not be needed is that too little stomach acid can cause the same symptoms as too much stomach acid. Too much stomach acid causes acid reflux from the excess acid, and too little stomach acid causes the food to sit in the stomach and take a much longer time to digest than normal, causing nausea, gas, and acid reflux.

Have you been tested for exactly how much acid your stomach produces? The thyroid gland controls hormones, one of which affects stomach acid. I would suggest that you have your thyroid tested also for that particular hormone.

Also, the thyroid controls metabolism and weight. If you have been gaining weight, then that would increase my suspicion of thyroid problems.

In any case, taking Prilosec and AcipHex drastically cuts the amount of stomach acid. If you had too much stomach acid in the first place, then taking them may have been the right thing -- but, from the symptoms you have been having, it doesn't seem like it to me.

Without that stomach acid, your food and the vitamins within it cannot properly digest, especially a vitamin called vitamin B12.

Your fatigue and tingling hands were probably caused by vitamin B12 deficiency. Without vitamin B12, the myelin sheath around the nerves erodes, and, in severe cases, the nerve itself will erode. THIS IS DANGEROUS, AND CAN LEAD TO COMA OR DEATH. Go to your doctor as soon as possible and ask for a urinary MMA test. It is the most accurate test for vitamin B12 deficiency. If the MMA is high, you are deficient in vitamin B12.

However, many doctors do not even know about this test. Mine didn't. Ignore them if they say you do not need this test. INSIST on it. I went to nine different doctors over the time I had these symptoms, and not one of them knew a thing about what was wrong with me.

I would also highly recommend getting the book "Could It Be B12? An Epidemic of Misdiagnoses" by RN Sally Pacholock. There is much more information in there about this.

Your low vitamin D was also probably caused by low stomach acid. This is also a cause for concern -- without it you may develop osteoporosis -- I did.

If your stomach acid test shows low, you could try an experiment -- buy some betaine hydrochloride (which is the same thing as stomach acid -- you can find it at health food stores usually) and take a very low dose with food. Do not take any AcipHex or Prilosec that day. If your stomach burns, you took too much betaine hydrochloride and take some tums to stop the burning. If you feel gassy and nauseated, then you took too little. More information on this can be found in the book called "Digestive Wellness" by Elizabeth Lipski, PhD, CCN. The particular information of interest to you can be found in Chapter 10, "Natural Therapies for Common Digestive Problems", section 3 -- "Stomach".

If your stomach acid test shows high (which I doubt, because of the deficiency symptoms you have been having), then you may in fact need an antacid (but maybe a lower dose, because you need some stomach acid to digest your food and absorb vitamins).