After suddenly experiencing heartburn symptoms after a round of antibiotics, talking with other sufferers, and doing some bro science research, it seems like there are two classes of people who are prescribed PPIs that may not need them.
Some people have a mechanical fault with their sphincter that can be addressed with stretches and breathing exercises. This didn't help me at all, but it fixed my brother in law after years of simply managing his condition with medication.
Then there are others who are suffering from some sort of bacterial growth: often H Pylori. I've tested negative for this, but it can be tricky. It sounds odd, but I've found considerable relief by juicing and drinking a quarter of a red cabbage a day. It really seems to be fighting back whatever's living down there. I'm just doing that until I can get more testing done.
There are probably plenty of situations where this medicine is the lesser evil, but I found these avenues worth exploring instead of defaulting to "take prilosec for the rest of your life and don't eat pizza at midnight lol"
