Pantoprazole and Dizziness: What Users Say

• Anonymous
• April 26, 2021

For GERD "I got acid reflux and the doctor prescribed pantoprazole. The side effects are brain fog, ringing in my ear, weakness, depression, and anxiety. The dizziness was so horrible until I passed out, and my husband found me on the kitchen floor, which is very terrifying. Then, they prescribed Ativan, Sertraline Hydrochloride, and I was told to seek help from mental health. I am a health care worker for over more than 10 years, and I can say I am a very healthy individual until I had the GERD issue. The Pantoprazole is just so awful, why are they even out in the market?? I just stopped taking all the medications and do some juicing and a good diet. I am at home now for medical EI. Let's see how it goes. Hopes everything goes well, and please say a prayer for me to get better!!!"

• Jam...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 12, 2021

For GERD "I've been on Pantoprazole for 5 days. It got rid of my GERD. However, the side effects are bad. I am dizzy and light-headed. I have a poor appetite, anxiety, and brain fog. Water tastes bad. I am bloated, weak, and tired. I don't plan to continue taking the drug."

• Sun...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 22, 2021

For GERD "I was put on pantoprazole almost 2 months now. I first started and it seemed to be working. I just received my COVID vaccine and thought I was having a bad reaction from the injection. I just out of the blue googled the side effects from pantoprazole and I have almost all of them. Crazy - I've been wondering why I'm so dizzy all the time with nausea, diarrhea, intense anxiety and more acid waking me up, gas, and burping. I'm done!! Tired of trying meds that don't seem to work."

• Sto...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 16, 2021

For GERD "I was prescribed PANTOPRAZOLE (Protonix) by an Emergency Doctor. She said it was safe to take it. Day 1 gave me stomach pain, but it went away. DAY 2 I was fine, DAY 3 I was fine, until DAY 4. I started feeling dizzy. I immediately suspended the pill. I have felt the anxiety that everyone is referring to. Also, it gives you brain fog. I would highly recommend to first do some research before you take this pill. I was taking Nexium before with no side effects, however, it works slowly. I should have stuck to it instead of switching to this horrendous pill. As of now, I will be waiting to wipe it off my system. Think again if you need to take this pill, there are other pills that can be less harmful."

• Bee...
• November 22, 2020

For Gastritis/Duodenitis "I went to the doctor with bloating issues, and I have had acid reflux plenty over the years, but I guess it finally caused me more problems because the doctor told me I had gastritis with a possible peptic ulcer. She prescribed Pantoprazole for 8 weeks. Well, it started to help with the bloating within the first week, but I had some strange things going on. I was dizzy as heck for the first week, and then I started to get abdominal pains around my ribs and lower back. My leg muscles were sore sometimes for brief periods, and I also felt like there was a lump in my throat. I do have terrible anxiety and panic attacks, so I tend to make things worse by worrying all the time, thinking I'm dying from unknown issues, which is terrible. I have read a lot of these reviews and see some similarities in my experiences with this drug. I have 21 more pills to take and can't wait to get off of these. Funny thing is I NEVER had these problems until I started taking this drug!"

• Eli...
• July 10, 2016

Pantoprazole for Erosive Esophagitis "I just started Protonix 6 days ago. I feel beat up. Does the Propofol used to do the procedure hang on for this many days? If it doesn't, then the Protonix is causing several symptoms. Lethargy, Dizziness, Dry mouth. And last and worst is constant ringing in my ears. It's getting very annoying. Has anyone else experienced this crazy ear side effect?"

• Lat...
• July 4, 2021

For GERD "I have been taking this medication for 3 days. Day 1: severe headache all day. Day 2: anxiety peaked through the roof from a funny feeling, and now Day 3 I am dizzy and feeling sick to my stomach, and of course, anxiety through the roof again because of the weird feeling I have. I did notice stomach pain decreased with eating oatmeal. I think this will be my last day taking medicine. Through this all, I’m still bloated and constantly burping as I was doing prior to taking the meds."

• MDa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 20, 2019

For GERD "Got prescribed this pantoprazole a month after getting treated for H. pylori. Did nothing at all to control the acid and was still taking Tums to stop the pain. A week after I started taking the drug, I had extreme nausea lasting a day and a half. I felt dizzy and weak. Couldn't eat anything apart from plain crackers and could only stomach water. Nausea only eased when I stopped taking the drug. Be wary of taking this drug, I wish I never took it at all."

• Anu...
• October 2, 2020

For GERD "Took this stuff for 4 months on my GI's advice. I absolutely felt pathetic while I was on it (stomach cramps, constipation, dizziness, headaches, and more). Finally, the day arrived when the GI said to stop doing it (cold turkey), oh boy! It made my life miserable from that day. My B12 went super low (close to 100), I developed gastritis, and my GI wanted me to do Prilosec now. What an idiot! Started Pepcid now to manage the acid rebound from my initial dosage of 4 months. Never ever going back on this rubbish again."

• Anonymous
• April 15, 2009

Pantoprazole for GERD "I had the worst side effects with Protonix. I took it for 15 days and experienced increased anxiety and heart palpitations. I also had dizziness, nausea, and insomnia. Going off of it took 6 days to feel somewhat normal."

• Wal...
• August 8, 2021

For GERD "I developed GERD and was prescribed Pantoprazole. It seemed to help quickly. A month ago, my stomach pain became unbearable, and I started sleeping almost all day and night, which is very unusual for me. Then I started with diarrhea and nausea and could not eat or drink anything. The thought of food or even water made me nauseous. After two weeks, I went to the ER. I could barely walk and had lost 15 pounds. I was dehydrated and received an IV for fluids. They could find nothing such as a bacterial or parasitic issue for my distress. I was told to go home and continue the Pantoprazole. After six more days of dizziness, diarrhea, nausea, sleeping all day, I thought of the medicine as the one thing different in my life. I stopped it three days ago and finally was able to start eating and drinking liquids again. This drug should NOT be on the market. I wish I had researched the side effects earlier."

• Tru...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 28, 2019

For Erosive Esophagitis "First day on pantoprazole 40 mg. I had an excessively achy back, legs, and feet. I chalked it up to not working for a few days and then being back on my feet. Day 2, 3, 4 started getting sciatica-like aching in the lumbar area, hips, and behind my butt. My joints ached and muscles felt spasmy. Every place that I may have arthritis in ached horribly. Felt weak and dizzy. Every weight-bearing joint from the waist down ached like never before."

• Hll...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 11, 2021

Pantoprazole for GERD "I started taking Protonix a few months ago. I’m 19 and have never had any prior health issues besides bad acid reflux. I was taking Protonix for about a week and started to notice awful headaches. By week two, I was having awful dizzy spells, and I avoided going to class because I thought I was going to pass out. I thought all of these side effects were related to when I had COVID a month prior, so I overlooked it. After taking this medicine for a month, I went to the ER twice because I felt like my heart was skipping beats, I was nauseous, couldn’t catch my breath, tingling in my hands and feet, and my dizzy spells were unbearable. The doctors summed it up to panic attacks, which I knew was wrong because I’m not an anxious person. I researched Protonix online and realized a lot of other people had the same side effects. DO NOT take this medicine!!! It made me feel like I was going crazy, and for a whole month, I couldn’t do anything because of dizzy spells!"

• Anonymous
• April 17, 2019

For GERD "I was prescribed this medication like 4 years ago, and ever since taking it, I had complained about always feeling dizzy. I’ve even gone to the ER about this! Countless blood tests found nothing wrong. I felt hopeless and weak and almost like I couldn’t do life. There were about 7 months of NON-STOP migraines, like I couldn’t shake them or get rid of them. It wasn’t until I went to my doctor begging for more answers that she told me it was side effects of the medication. I’ve been off it a week and a half, and symptoms have subsided. Unbelievably, I mean I still have the heartburn attacks, but I got to find relief soon."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 4, 2024

For GERD "Pantoprazole is working as it needs to, but I am constantly hungry and thirsty, but have absolutely no appetite. I am always dizzy, cold sweating, lightheaded, and lots of brain fog. Yes, this medication helps, but I’d rather be able to eat and have my nutrition back rather than feel like this. I was put on this when I got misdiagnosed with a UTI, and it’s not worth it, in my opinion."

• Tra...
• October 7, 2016

Pantoprazole for Erosive Esophagitis "This is literally my second day on Protonix, and I am very happy. I will say I have experienced dizziness for about the first 2 to 3 minutes upon taking. I can deal with that; I am not experiencing acid reflux! I have literally taken Prilosec for six years. I had the gastric sleeve, which brings upon extreme heartburn."

• had...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 1, 2019

For GERD "I also took pantoprazole for GERD, it caused me dizziness, fatigue, and when I was told to take it twice a day, I started getting a burning rash all over my body. It's been a week and I am still having side effects from not taking this anymore."

• Fay...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 26, 2020

For Gastritis/Duodenitis "Lots of negative experiences on here, but these drugs clearly work well for some people. Unfortunately, I don’t get on with any of the PPIs, and this pantoprazole one was the doctor’s last try. I get joint pain, fatigue, dizziness, and low mood with PPIs, but this one gives me abdominal cramps too. It does the job on the stomach issues but isn’t worth putting up with the side effects, so it’s back to the H2 blockers for me. A word of caution-take note of the warning on the drug info regarding B12 and magnesium malabsorption. I supplemented with these and felt better for doing so."

• Lah...
• June 15, 2019

For Gastritis/Duodenitis "I was put on pantoprazole for stomach irritations caused by NSAIDs. Has anyone experienced itching or rashes with pantoprazole? I have taken it for 10 days and had only mild headaches and unpleasant dizziness. But yesterday I developed some itchy, blotchy-looking rash areas. They itch like crazy. I have every cream under the yellow sun in my closet, and nothing has turned off this infernal itch."

• Mel...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 18, 2019

For Stomach Ulcer "I started taking pantoprazole about 3 weeks ago. Saturday morning, my head woke me up throbbing, not being able to get out of bed like serious migraine. I never experienced pain like this in my life. Sunday and Monday, I was okay, dizzy, but my head seemed okay. Tuesday came around, and that awful headache was back, it turns out 10 percent of people get migraines from this. I have to say it did help my ulcer, but I definitely will never forget that headache pain. Now, I have to be on muscle relaxers and anticonvulsants until this drug leaves my system to deal with the headaches - just an FYI."

• Mis...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 18, 2021

For Gastritis/Duodenitis "The first two days, I was okay. After that, the moment I took the pill, I started shaking, throwing up, became extremely dizzy, and it came to the point I passed out in my fiancé's arms. It was the worst experience I’ve ever dealt with with any medication ever. I do not recommend this, and I wouldn’t wish side effects like this on my worst enemy."

• Sta...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 4, 2022

For GERD "I got put on 20 mg twice a day for gastritis, which I don’t believe I had, no heartburn, just a slight pain after eating. Was on them for 4 months until I took myself off them 2 weeks ago. Had very slight anxiety beforehand, but wow! Started having really bad heart palpitations, severe panic attacks, pains in left arm, pains in left calf, left shoulder blade, really bad shooting chest pains, jaw pain (been to A&E loads of times thinking I was having a heart attack). They did ECG bloods, and everything is perfect. Feeling not myself, keep having dizzy spells if I’ve been standing up too long, got really bad health anxiety all because of this medication! Why the hell are doctors giving this with such bad effects on people! After being off them 2 weeks, I am still having the chest pains and jaw pain. Anxiety feels like it’s getting a lot better. So glad I came across this page, it makes me feel a lot better. Wondering now how long I’ll still have the effects of this medication?"

• Zak...
• April 10, 2022

For Gastritis/Duodenitis "I was prescribed pantoprazole for gastritis and took it for 10 days, which was horrible. I get heart palpitations, chest pain, kidney pain, both ribs ache, I feel numbness and tingling in one arm, I feel dizzy, tight throat, tight head, and ringing in my ears. I feel weak and feel faint. Anxiety on the roof, my heart feels weak and nervous. Horrible drug."

• Alm...
• March 29, 2022

For GERD "I think doctors have to screen their patients better before giving them pantoprazole or any other of the PPI inhibitors. The first time I took pantoprazole, I felt terrible with feeling out of it, dizzy, and chest pains, and a general feeling like I was going to die. Went off it right away, another year went by, and the doctor said to go back on it as my GERD was acting up. So I tried it again and had the same symptoms, and I told my doctor, and then he prescribed Dexilant, and again, I had terrible severe reactions to it, like I could not breathe and feeling dizzy and high anxiety. Went to the hospital, and the doctor there said maybe I am allergic to magnesium and said to take pantoprazole NA with sodium instead of magnesium in it. Well, I took one of those the next day, and they are time-released, and every 20 minutes or so, I would get a terrible metal/chemical taste in my mouth, and then dizzy and left arm feeling funny and more anxiety and headache and pains in my stomach, and that kept building and getting worse."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 1, 2020

For Peptic Ulcer "Had terrible heartburn/nausea that was just making it hard to eat things like a sandwich, and it made it hard to get through work because of the pain. Doctor said I probably had an ulcer. Took pantoprazole and it worked like a miracle, only had a lot of seasickness like I felt dizzy, like I was on a boat. Then I went from 2x a day to 1x for like 2 weeks, and I started feeling bad again, so I stopped. Immediately after I stopped, I started getting terrible stomach/chest pains, and now my acid is just abysmal. I think taking it actually left me worse off than when I started. I've never had acid regurgitation before, but now I started having it, and I feel so weak :("