Hello Thanks for writing to us. PPI medication (eg omeprazole, lansoprazole) works by partially or wholly switching off the production of stomach acid, but that in turn does affect the way in which calcium is absorbed into the body, and this may, long term, affect bone strength and be an issue with potential osteoporosis. It is not a big issue compared to the problems you have been through, but it may mean that extra precautions to counteract this effect have to be taken. PPIs are safe and very commonly prescribed but the medical community are becoming aware of the long term effects - most people take them when their digestive systems have not been surgically shortened, so absorption of all sorts of minerals and vitamins may not be the issue for them as it is for us. It is not a bad thing to review any medication after a while - in consultation with your doctor. We get prescribed things because generally they will do us more good than harm, but reviewing things is a good idea in principle. If osteoporosis is a worry, you can ask for a bone density scan, and, if there is a problem, you may well be prescribed calcium supplements and/or vitamin D. Sometimes these might be given in a different form from the orthodox pills because of our difficulty in absorbing medication. The other thing to bear in mind is that reflux may not be acid - it might be bile, which comes from the liver / bile duct which may also have been altered in your surgery. Bile tastes even worse and is an alkali so PPIs will not counteract it, and neither will antacid medication. If you stop taking PPIs your body sometimes reacts with a bounce for a week or two and gives you reflux problems because of the effects of stopping the medication. When this happens you can try gaviscon, which is an alginate. It works differently, by creating a protective raft in your system for a few hours. I hope you are helped. Regards Dr. Tripat Mehta