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Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Did Prilosec give my daughter Asthma, bronchitis and pnuemonia?

Our daughter has been on acid reflux meds since birth when she was diagnosed with GERD and pneumonia in the NICU in 2002.  We had tried taking her off the meds every couple of years and her acid reflux symptoms would return.  A couple years ago she developed illness induced Asthma.  She would get a cold and it would immediately go to her lungs.  She would end up with bronchitis or pneumonia and need a breathing treatment, course of prednisone and antibiobics.  They put her on a daily steroid inhaler and an albuteral inhaler for when she got sick.  Every year at her check up I would ask them if we could try to take her off the Prilosec but they told me it could make her Asthma worse if her GERD was uncontrolled. 

Olivia has been off Prilosec for months after my husband took her to a gastroenterologist.  Guess what happened.  Her GERD symptoms are gone.  She has had a couple colds and NONE HAVE RESULTED IN LUNG PROBLEMS.  So we stopped having her do her daily steroid inhaler. And she has been the healthiest she has been in her whole life!  I wish I could say I was surprised by all this.  I had read the same information from a couple of different sources that people who were taking Prilosec for long periods of time were more likely to get pneumonia.

Article from 2004!

Article from 2009

Prilosec has also been linked to increased fractures from long term use.  Article from 2010

Olivia broke her wrist when she was a toddler. 

Has anyone else had a similar experience with Prilose or any other drug?

4 comments:

kim said...

not with kids but dh takes it and seems fine=no problems from it.

Casdok said...

Great to hear Olivia is doing so well.

Floortime Lite Mama said...

My goodness - I really hope not
I am so sorry to hear about the asthma

Brenda Rothman (Mama Be Good) said...

I've heard about the increased risk for fractures. And dr's have told us to take it a 3-month course, then go off it, not to stay on it long-term. My son has had to take it in spurts b/c of his returning reflux, too. Like a seesaw. Hoping Olivia does well without it. Wouldn't that be great?