Given meds for Reflux - Allergy and Side effect fear

[RyanM1994]

Hi All,

I have been unable to eat much for 48 hours now due to a constant burning in my throat and my stomach.
I went to the doctor yesterday and he said it will be due to my high anxiety levels and prescribed me some meds (Lansoprazole), which I haven't taken yet.

Last night I started to feel a bit better so ate something small for the first time, and I remained 'OK' for an hour or so afterwards.
This morning I've woke up with the burning and bloating sensation again (but not quite as bad as before) with lots of gas and am convinced I'm just going to be destroying my oesophagus and wont ever get better so am stuck in a bit of a bad place.

The chance of a serious allergy or side effect from it scares me
Specifically Anaphylaxis and subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus
The second one my doctor didn't even know about.

I've also just realised the dose he has given me is the one they give you for Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, now I've gone and looked at all of the symptoms and have worried myself even more.

Has anyone had experience taking Lansoprazole?
Can anyone give me some advice? I've had enough of being scared of everything but just can't bring myself to take it.

One thing after another at the moment

[BlueIris]

They're just reflux meds, they'll make you feel better, most of these side effects are so rare as to be nonexistent - witness the fact that your GP wasn't aware of one of them.

[ankietyjoe]

Personally I'm not a massive fan of reflux meds as they simply mask the symptom with brute force. There are also questions on their use long term.

When I had really bad reflux, I used apple cider vinegar to fix it, with some changes to my diet. This is a far more preferable solution for me as there are zero side effects.

[RyanM1994]

Hi Both,

I'll give the Apple Cider Vinegar a go this evening.

I just had a sudden urge to eat some breakfast in the past 10 minutes so have eaten and will see how that goes.

ankietyjoe, when you have episodes, how long do they last for? For me, 2-3 days constant reflux and burning seems pretty bad, right?

My doctor didn't seem too concerned and even considered just leaving it, but decided to prescribe me meds to 'break the cycle', but also said whether I take them or whether I take the full dose is up to me.
He also didn't seem concerned about Barrett's Oesophagus, which I'm also REALLY scared of


All because I had a REALLY greasy (BUT TASTY ) mean at the start of the week, and I'm guessing my HIGH anxiety levels have played a huge role in this

[RyanM1994]

I'd also like to state my girlfriends uncle passed away from Esophageal cancer just over a year ago that's where this fear stems from, watching him go through it really stuck in my mind

[RyanM1994]

OK so the burning hasn't been too bad this morning but still there, but still feel sick and have lots of gas.

This is going to sound really stupid, can your oesophagus burn to the point that you can't feel it anymore? LOL
forgive me for being stupid

[ankietyjoe]

I've had reflux for weeks on end in the past, and it's massively triggered by stress.

I would also recommend something called intermittent fasting, whereby you have your last meal around 8pm and then don't eat for at least 16 hours. Skip breakfast and have your first meal at lunchtime. It's uncomfortable for a day or two, but you get used to it pretty quickly. It gives your digestive system a break. Constant food grazing is not good for reflux. Also watch your fat intake and try and keep a note of what triggers it the most, then don't eat that.

It's well understood now that reflux is caused by too little stomach acid, not too much (plenty of information about it online) and ACV acts as a trigger for your stomach to close the valve that allows acid to regurgitate. Make sure you buy the good ACV with 'Mother' in it. I use the RAW brand from Ocado/Waitrose but it's available in other places too. Braggs is another good brand, but it's more expensive. Take it first thing in the morning and before you go to bed, and it should start working in a week or two.

Try not to focus on symptoms, especially the extreme ones you are worrying about now. The worst case scenario here is VERY rare, and reflux is fairly easily managed with diet monitoring and ACV.

[Fishmanpa]

My wife and I have been on a PPI (Pantoprazole) for years. I questioned my doctor about the long term negative effects and he shrugged it off as scare mongering and the studies have not been able to discern a definitive cause and effect issue (Mayo clinic). I've seen the HA pattern of someone getting a prescription, reading the side effects and scaring themselves into not taking it too many times to count (especially with psych meds). People get reflux anxiety or not, and thankfully there are meds to help. Side effects are extremely, extremely rare. It typically can a take a week or two until they really kick in so you have to be patient. That goes for a holistic approach as well. Regardless of a PPI, following a nutrition plan to reduce reflux is recommended. Look into the FODMAP diet, keep a food diary for a month or so and eliminate foods that aggravate you.

Positive thoughts

[ankietyjoe]

A Doctor cannot possibly shrug off the long term effects as scaremongering as the long term research data simply isn't there.

What he could have done is shrugged and said 'I have no idea, there is no data for me to form a professional opinion'.

There is plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest they're not a good idea for anything apart from symptom suppression.

[Fishmanpa]

A Doctor cannot possibly shrug off the long term effects as scaremongering as the long term research data simply isn't there.

What he could have done is shrugged and said 'I have no idea, there is no data for me to form a professional opinion'.

There is plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest they're not a good idea for anything apart from symptom suppression.

He did say at worst your B12 could be affected and remedied with a supplement. Some of those reports were saying they could cause kidney failure and dementia for goodness sakes. That's scare mongering. All I know is I'm thankful for them. For YEARS I suffered. When PPIs became OTC, I tried all of them and was still eating Tums like candy. Since being on Pantoprazole for the last 5+ years and following the FODMAP diet, I've barely had an issue and if I do, its because I ate something I shouldn't have. We keep a couple bottles of antacid for that purpose.

I'm on 8 prescriptions, 3 OTC meds and 4 supplements daily for my medical issues. they all have potential side effects. The benefits FAR outweigh the risks.

Positive thoughts