Fed up with acid reflux

[cheesy pete]

Hi,

Got put on meds for acid reflux 2 weeks ago and although I have good days, I'm having a bad one today especially this evening. It's not really bad but it's just a constant uncomfortable sensation going up and down the centre of my chest. Add to that a sore throat and dry mouth, i'm getting pretty fed up with this.

Is it normal for the meds not too work all the time?

It's getting me down. Don't feel like i can do anything i used to be able to:shrug:

[ladybird64]

Hi Pete

Sometimes these meds can take a couple weeks to really kick in properly so try not to get too stressed over it.

Also make sure you pay attention to what you're eating as I find that can make it worse, maybe write down when it gets very bad and see if there is a connection?

Give it another fortnight and if is still giving you grief, go back to your GP.

[joannap]

i have had this for 3 months lol - the tablets prescribed solved the acid but gave me terrible stomach cramps so i stopped taking them. since i have stopped focusing on it and worrying it about and keeping busy/going out a lot to take my mind off it it has dramatically improved so the more you focus on it - the worse it feels - so get back to being busy and try not to let it dominate your day x

[happyone]

What meds you on? I got put on Omeprazole, thank heavens! I was on 20mg and they worked fine but doc put me down to 10mg and they don't work all the time. Certain foods make it worse.....fatty foods, too much sugar and pastry.

Happyone
xx

[nomorepanic]

What sort of foods are you eating?

Do you drink alcohol and/or smoke?

[cheesy pete]

Been at a meeting today and had tomato in the sarnies at lunchtime which may have made it worse. Had pasta for tea which i thought would be ok. I've been off alcohol for quite a few months and i don't smoke. Tried to cut out coffee and tea as well. Must admit getting fed up of drinking water - any other beverage suggestions? Trying milk at the moment!

[sammi]

Hi I'm on 30mg lanzoprazole and most of the time my acid reflux is fine but some days it plays up. It can depend a lot on what you eat. Hope you feel better soon x

[ladybird64]

Been at a meeting today and had tomato in the sarnies at lunchtime which may have made it worse. Had pasta for tea which i thought would be ok. I've been off alcohol for quite a few months and i don't smoke. Tried to cut out coffee and tea as well. Must admit getting fed up of drinking water - any other beverage suggestions? Trying milk at the moment!

Hmmm. If the pasta had a tomato sauce with it..ouch!

Tomato based sauces used to really give me awful acid, same with bread.
I would avoid drinking a lot of milk as I seem to remember it can affect your meds and stop them from working as well.

Is there any partcilualr reason why you have given up tea and coffee?
I have found that the decaff coffee isn't so harsh on my tum (dunno why :shrug:) but I also drink diluting juices like Robinsons and the occasional fizzy drink just nothing with caffeine.

Hope your symptoms ease off soon :)

[nomorepanic]

Ok well I was going to say that alcohol and smoking will aggrevate it and so would caffeine so that is good you are not doing those things.

Milk always works wonders for me with indigestion and so does Alka Seltzer but I can't have that anymore.

[MrBlue]

Milk and yoghurt are the best cure for my heartburn, I suffer from it all the time too and try not to use medication like gaviscon or rennies becasue I don't want to depend on them, I have recently found that drinking a glass of water after a meal helps to wash down everything and sort of keep it there and stop acid splashing back into my esophogus, my nan who's a nurse suggested that and it works!

but yeah a pint of milk usually sorts me out and leaves a cool feeling every time it tries to give me pain.

[lecb]

Hi there,

I take omeprazole daily which usually does the trick.

Are you eating properly? Don't go for long periods without eating, it exacerbates the problem, and if it is really bad try a tablespoon of vinegar in some warm water. I thought it would never work, given that vinegar is acidic, but in fact sometimes you need MORE acid to help digest food. It worked wonders for me.

All the best,
Ellie x

[cheesy pete]

Thanks everyone for your help and advice - it is greatly appreciated :biggrin:.

I have been drinking a lot of water and find it really useful. As for milk, top tip! Almost always seem to work.

Thanks everyone.

[maybeoneday]

hi
my doctor put me on lanzoprozole but gave me bad dizzy spells and diorea, changed me now to another ppi but im scared to take it incase i feel dizzy again.

[cheesy pete]

Hi,

sorry to hear that but i would suggest trying it as different medicines affect different people in different ways and there's a high chance that it won't cause any dizzy spells. Got to be worth trying if it stops the acid reflux.

Best of luck. Let us konw how it goes.

[cheesy pete]

one other question to ask. when anyone else gets this problem, does it sometimes feel like a pulling sensation down the middle of your chest?

whilst the pain is not that bad and to be honest it is more of a discomfort, any strange twinges always make me think twice.

[Hazel B]

I know someone with this issue and the best thing they were advised to do is put bricks under the bed posts, so they sleep at an angle. Their worst pain was at night, and if your valve is struggling with reflux, gravity helps. They also stopped smoking, drinking and eating big meals after 6pm.

[cheesy pete]

Hi Hazel,

thanks for the tips. I've started on all of those and it does seem to be getting better. Maybe i'm just impatient but start to get fed up after a while :shrug:

[Hazel B]

Well, you're doing all you can by the sound of it, maybe the meds take a while to kick in.
I had a suspected acid problem for a while and my doc told me to stay off tea and coffee, spicy food, and fruits/fruit juice. After all my efforts, it turns out I have a gallstone and can't eat fat! How I miss coffee, but staying off that as I now have anxiety after all the health scans!

Hope it eases off soon.