Home | Sophie's Story | Read The Tales | Treatment Reviews | About IBS | Search | Contact

IBS Tales Home > Treatment Reviews > IBS Medications > Prevacid

Prevacid (lansoprazole) is a proton pump inhibitor, known as a PPI. Cells in the stomach lining contain so-called pumps which produce the acid needed for digestion. When this stomach acid backs up, or refluxes, we experience pain from acid reflux disease. What Prevacid does it to turn off some of the acid-producing pumps, therefore limiting the amount of acid which backs up into the esophagus.

Acid reflux disease itself can cause mild to severe symptoms, with the most common symptoms being recurring heartburn. Other symptoms include difficult in swallowing, a sour taste in the mouth, recurring coughing or hoarseness and belching or slight regurgitation of food. Prevacid treats the symptoms of heartburn associated with acid reflux disease. It may also help to heal any damage caused to the esophagus by acid reflux. Prevacid is taken in tablet form or in a powder form which is mixed with water.

Prevacid side effects

The most common side effects of Prevacid are constipation, diarrhea, headaches, nausea and stomach pain.

REVIEWS OF PREVACID

Review by Kayley

I've been living with IBS-A since I was a child. I've never felt like a normal person. If I'm not having diarrhea then I haven't had a BM in days, sometimes even weeks...and heartburn with stomach pain and reflux has always been a problem. I recall being on IBS drugs in high school, but not being able to take them in the morning as I was supposed to because even a sip of water would cause me heartburn. As I've gotten older I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and fibromyalgia, which have led me to put on weight and have caused even more problems, including some reflux.

I tried everything possible OTC and nothing really worked that well. Tums would help somewhat, but not for long, and they would constipate me. Other meds would help at bit but not totally. I had to take chemo for a bit to treat the MS and I was given Protonix, which worked like a miracle but was very expensive, so I kept trying other things like Pepcid etc and they didn't help completely. I still had to be so careful what I ate and when I ate it.

Then they released Prevacid OTC and my life changed. I take it daily, and I have been told that I can take two daily if needed, but one does the job unless I've forgotten to take it for a day or two. I eat what I want, when I want to. I have zero fear of heartburn any more. Should I happen to forget to take it, I'm still usually covered the next day unless I eat something really untoward, and even then I take a pill and less than an hour later I'm feeling better.

I don't think any OTC medicine has changed my life like Prevacid. My husband loves it too. He also has GERD problems and will wake up at night gasping and choking on reflux. I grab him a pill while he's in the restroom and he's back to bed comfortably. If only I could get him to take it daily! I don't even mess with other products anymore, Prevacid is amazing! We buy it in the largest size available at the bulk discount store so we're never out of it. I carry it in my purse, right next to my other IBS meds, just where it should be.

Review by Harmony

I was diagnosed with IBS last year (at 23 years old) but before that I had gallbladder removal which led the surgeon to prescribe Prevacid. It took a few days for it to start working and I didn't have any side effects at first. When it did start working it was amazing but I developed this insane bloating that turned out worse then the occasional bloating with my IBS.

My prescription ran out and a week after I stopped taking it I woke up in the middle of the night with the worst heartburn of my life! It would happen every time I ate regardless of what it was and it turned horrendous at night! It was 10 times worse than it was before I had taken Prevacid. I tried everything to relieve the symptoms, but about a week after it started, when I finally had had enough and decided to call the doc, it disappeared. Since then I have read a couple of things talking about heartburn after stopping Prevacid. All in all though this medication is a lifesaver! Nothing else I have tried worked as well as this!

Review by Joyce

I was diagnosed with IBS when I was 11, I am 31 now. I have taken Mylanta, Rolaids, Zantac, Pepcid and everything else imaginable. I now take Prevacid twice a day. Prevacid has been a wonder drug. When I wasn't on heartburn medication, I would wake up with heartburn and go to bed with heartburn. My heartburn was so bad that I would get nauseated and would eventually vomit at times. With Prevacid I am heartburn-free. It is expensive, but it is worth every penny.

Review by Sandie

I have IBS-C and heartburn. I have been taking Prevacid with Zelnorm since having my gallbladder removed a month ago. I tried to stop taking the Prevacid as it was too expensive to take along with the even more expensive Zelnorm (after insurance it was costing me $110 a month for both). But I am finding that the Zelnorm helps with the IBS-C, but not the heartburn, so I went back on the Prevacid last week and feel so much better.

I think once I get my diet going on a regular basis and do not cheat, no trigger foods, I will eventually be able to go off the Prevacid. But, yes, it is very expensive. My husband also takes Prevacid (he swears by it) as well as other meds for a heart condition and our pharmacy bill per month is astronomical and we are only in our early 40's.

Review by Chip

Prevacid, when taken one hour before dinner, really helps a lot since most of our diet consists of acid-causing foods. Also, night-time is when our stomachs produce acid. Prevacid lessened the gassy feeling in me. It also reduced the pain in the middle part of the abdomen. The only problem is that it's too expensive.

Do you suffer from IBS? Have you tried Prevacid? Please contact Sophie to send in your review.

GO TO TOP