Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 12

Thread: Pretty sure I've got a stomach ulcer again

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Posts
    109

    Pretty sure I've got a stomach ulcer again

    Forgive the long winded post, just wanted to get some views and talk about it, really. This place has been a tremendous help for me over the last few years. I can't thank everyone enough.

    Back in 2018 I suffered badly for a few months. After some nasty food poisoning, I ended up with an ulcer. I never had the camera down my throat but it was pretty obvious to my doctors as I had all the symptoms.

    Here I am again in 2020 with exactly the same symptoms. On Monday I was under some intense stress and felt incredibly depressed. Probably the lowest I've ever felt. I started feeling nauseous that day and the next day the familiar burning pain began. It really sucks. It's a burning pain that comes and goes after I eat (usually). The pain is mid-left abdomen and it kind of feels heavy there. I have been finding it hard to sleep with it. Incredibly gassy as well!

    In 2018 I was prescribed Lansoprazole and that kind of made things worse because I felt really jittery and weird. Spaced out and just really weird. After speaking with a doctor over the phone (I called 111) about it today, they recommended I try Omeprazole - but my anxiety has gotten the better of me. Just the name had me reeling, I really didn't want to face those side-effects again. So I spoke to the pharmacists and they recommended Ranitidine.

    I thought I had finally found something that could help, but have quickly stumbled upon two oddities. Firstly the NHS website claims you can't even get your hands on the stuff currently, due to a recall. So the fact I ended up with it is a tad worrying. Secondly the leaflet says I should consult a doctor if I have had an ulcer before, before taking it. I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place here.

    Does anybody have any general advice regarding these ulcers? The last one I had really made my life miserable. It put a huge blemish on my entire year. I don't want to have to suffer that way again. I'm trying to stay cheerful this time around.

    Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Posts
    1,731

    Re: Pretty sure I've got a stomach ulcer again

    Hi, Ranitidine/Zantac (which is an H2 receptor blocker) is off the market at present because a filler in it is thought to be cancerous. This applies to the liquid form as well. There are other H2 antagonists available on the market, Famoditine, Nizatidine and Cimetidine but you will most likely need a Drs prescription for these.

    I like the H2 antagonists as they really suit my body whereas the PPI's cause me weird symptoms too. When I have a stomach flare I take Ranitidine but have just been taking Gaviscon dual action at present. I must ask my Dr about the others.

    BTW were you tested for H-Pylori when you were diagnosed with the ulcer? They would have taken random biopsies when they did the endoscopy.
    Many ulcers are cause by this bacterium and there is effective treatment for it. You can have H-Pylori without having an ulcer but its can cause stomach issues in some people.

    Hope this helps

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Posts
    109

    Re: Pretty sure I've got a stomach ulcer again

    Quote Originally Posted by WiseMonkey View Post
    Hi, Ranitidine/Zantac (which is an H2 receptor blocker) is off the market at present because a filler in it is thought to be cancerous. This applies to the liquid form as well. There are other H2 antagonists available on the market, Famoditine, Nizatidine and Cimetidine but you will most likely need a Drs prescription for these.

    I like the H2 antagonists as they really suit my body whereas the PPI's cause me weird symptoms too. When I have a stomach flare I take Ranitidine but have just been taking Gaviscon dual action at present. I must ask my Dr about the others.

    BTW were you tested for H-Pylori when you were diagnosed with the ulcer? They would have taken random biopsies when they did the endoscopy.
    Many ulcers are cause by this bacterium and there is effective treatment for it. You can have H-Pylori without having an ulcer but its can cause stomach issues in some people.

    Hope this helps
    Hi WiseMonkey, thanks for your reply.

    I'm surprised I managed to get my hands on some Ranitidine in that case! I won't touch it for now. I'm waiting to see if I can see my doctor today.

    I wasn't given an endoscopy at the time as I was under a lot of stress, my doctor thought the procedure would just add more trauma to things. They determined it was an ulcer because I had a bleed after they prescribed me some anti-depressants (my brain-gut relationship was in a complete state, I was a trainwreck). So I've never been tested for H-Pylori. Somebody mentioned the same thing to me back in 2018 and I wondered if I had picked it up back then. Aside from the stress I've been under this has been pretty out of the blue. I'll have to speak to my doctor about it.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Posts
    109

    Re: Pretty sure I've got a stomach ulcer again

    I saw my doctor today

    Have been prescribed Ranitidine and he said it's only a few manufacturers that had the product pulled, and it wouldn't be on the shelves if it wasn't safe.

    Now I just have to get over my fears and take it.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Posts
    1,731

    Re: Pretty sure I've got a stomach ulcer again

    Quote Originally Posted by kalny View Post
    I saw my doctor today

    Have been prescribed Ranitidine and he said it's only a few manufacturers that had the product pulled, and it wouldn't be on the shelves if it wasn't safe.

    Now I just have to get over my fears and take it.
    You will be fine, it's not even definitely proven that the filler is defective and it's minuscule amounts anyway! Did you ask about the other H2 antagonists, just wondering?

    Let's know how you get on with the Ranitidine, the reason it works so well for some people is because it has an antihistamine effect. I've still got some of my old stock left and some liquid Ranitidine, which I will take if I need it

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Posts
    109

    Re: Pretty sure I've got a stomach ulcer again

    Quote Originally Posted by WiseMonkey View Post
    You will be fine, it's not even definitely proven that the filler is defective and it's minuscule amounts anyway! Did you ask about the other H2 antagonists, just wondering?

    Let's know how you get on with the Ranitidine, the reason it works so well for some people is because it has an antihistamine effect. I've still got some of my old stock left and some liquid Ranitidine, which I will take if I need it
    I've taken some this morning and it seems to have had an almost immediate effect on the acidity of my stomach, which is a good thing! I have a lot of catarrh now which is annoying - not sure if that's a side effect or if I'm just bound to suffer with something else as well!

    I didn't ask about any of the others, I think I've been so desperate to sort it out I just wanted to take what I had to hand :P

    EDIT:

    Going OK so far.

    I've had some stomach pain start up again today but it's more of an ache than burning now. I suspect it's the meds. I will keep on them, though and see how I go.

    EDIT:

    Day 2 on the Ranitidine. I've noticed some annoying muscle aches and I feel quite tired and a bit dizzy. It definitely has neutralised the stomach acid, though without a doubt. I find I am more bothered now by this dizzy, drowsiness than the stomach woes that have bothered me for the last week.
    Last edited by kalny; 23-02-20 at 12:10.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Posts
    109

    Re: Pretty sure I've got a stomach ulcer again

    I've been having a rough time with this. It's like a double edged sword with the Ranitidine. It takes the acid away, but makes me feel awful and depressed.

    I took some last night before bed and had a horrible time getting to sleep. The anxiety of taking the tablets does not help. After taking the tablet I began shaking uncontrollably and feeling unwell. I had some acid reflux. Eventually I calmed a bit and fell asleep. Woke up this morning with a terrible gnawing sensation in my stomach. I tend to wake up hungry in the mornings but this is really unpleasant. I'm hoping I can make it through my work day, I'm dreading being at the office. I feel so helpless with this.

    If anyone has any tips I can employ to fight the sadness, that would be great!
    Last edited by kalny; 24-02-20 at 10:10.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Posts
    109

    Re: Pretty sure I've got a stomach ulcer again

    An update for anyone who wants to know,

    I spoke with my doctor last night and he told me to stop taking Ranitidine if it is making me feel that way. Important part - He said my sample came back clear; it is not H Pylori. Most likely stress, he said. Therefore relaxing is going to be a huge part of the recovery process. If the meds are stressing me out, there's no point.

    He said I can try Nexium if I need to. I managed to survive last night just by eating more and having a few Rennies when I climbed into bed.

    Today I'm going to go and buy some Gavison and see if I can manage by eating a bit more, trying to relax and taking the Gavison at night and when I feel things flaring up. I will say, my symptoms seem to have decreased in intensity over the last two days. I hope I'm on the right road.

  9. #9

    Re: Pretty sure I've got a stomach ulcer again

    Hi. How is your stomach now? I seem to have the same problem tonight and came across your thread. Would be very useful to hear how you have got on

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Posts
    109

    Re: Pretty sure I've got a stomach ulcer again

    Quote Originally Posted by dizzy1 View Post
    Hi. How is your stomach now? I seem to have the same problem tonight and came across your thread. Would be very useful to hear how you have got on
    Hi Dizzy.

    I developed an ulcer on my birthday this year - the 19th of Feb. I was having a horrendous time at work and was stressed beyond belief. My doctor thinks it was stress.

    I had to suffer with it for 8 days. I kept an eye on it this time. It took me 8 days to get better. It was very rocky at the start and then gradually got better as I treated it. I've learned this time around that treating it is key. Just hoping it will go away will not work. People say stress can cause ulcers which I believe now, but alleviating that stress won't make it go away. Stress makes it worse; if you have an ulcer, that is a very real, physical issue that requires physical action to fix. I took Ranitidine initially which made me very depressed. Then I got prescribed Omeprazole but didn't end up taking it as I was able to manage my symptoms with Rennies by that point. As depressed and awful as the Ranitidine made me feel, for the few days I took it, it allowed my stomach to heal.

    I found it was much worse in the evenings. Eating little and often was key as that kept the burning and the nausea at bay. As soon as I felt nausea I would eat. I would eat plain yoghurts, and things with a lot of protein. Meaty fridge snacks were great for it, like cold sausages, scotch eggs and pork pies. I discovered green tea this time around as well, which really helped.

    It seemed to feel like it would last forever when I was going through it. It won't. You just have to take some action to get yourself back to normal. I hope this helps you, Dizzy.

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. stomach ulcer
    By cez in forum IBS, IBD, Bowel, Stomach problems
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 15-03-18, 00:55
  2. Stomach ulcer ?
    By k9love in forum Health Anxiety
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 15-06-17, 20:40
  3. Is this a stomach ulcer?
    By jennielouises in forum IBS, IBD, Bowel, Stomach problems
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 21-03-15, 19:04
  4. Stomach ulcer or stomach cancer?
    By ylva in forum Symptoms
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 13-11-14, 14:00
  5. Stomach ulcer
    By duke246810 in forum Health Anxiety
    Replies: 16
    Last Post: 05-07-11, 18:36

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •