| Re: How long after stopping Nexium does it take your stomach to return to normal?
Hi, certainly the bloating, gurgling etc is a side effect of nexium. That will right itself pretty quickly. But, as you discovered through experience, the acid rebound is a different matter altogether.
That takes longer to return to normal, as it is not simply a case of getting the drug out of your system.
I tried cold turkey and found it impossible. Then tried the 'step down' approach going from 40mg Omeprazole down to 20mg in one go, that was horrific, but I stuck with it. It took about 3 months of agony to even begin to normalise before I could handle reducing more.
I have since been weaning off slowly as couldn't take that degree of pain again. It is a slow process but for me it has been the difference between succeeding in getting off it or not. I was determined not to go from PPIs onto a different medication and maybe suffered more as a result but I didn't want to get off one drug only to find I was addicted to another.
I would not advise Betaine HCL if you are coming off PPIs and experiencing acid rebound, because you certainly do not want to add any more acid (HCL) to the mix.
You will need to introduce alkaline foods. I found DGL licorice to be helpful.
I don't know the SCD diet.
It is not recommended to go cold turkey, but I wish you luck and I am interested to hear your story as you go along.
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