My first post and just wondering if anyone here has reflux or heartburn with their asthma ? I am on Seretide 250 twice a day and after inhaling through a spacer, I rinse my mouth and swallow water to make sure I have no residue in my mouth or throat. It does not help because I always speak with a strained, croaky voice. On top of that I often have severe reflux that comes up into my throat. I don't know if the this is caused by the Seretide. I was diagnosed with a recorded oesophagus after undergoing an endoscopy and am now prescribed a PPI which reduces acid in the stomach but also has horrible side effects. So a bit of a vicious circle - is the Seretide causing the throat burn or is the reflux causing the throat burn. Does anyone else have this and have you found anything to counter the burny throat?
Written by
LemonMango
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Yes I get reflux. I take my Lanzoprozole about 2 hours before bed as it is often during the night when it strikes. I also have Gaviscon dual action on a when needed basis. No food for a couple of hours before bed. It works most of the time.
Yes. Lanzoprozole taken every night allows me to sleep through the night w/o waking up every 2 hrs. And, like Troilus says, no heavy/meaty meals right before sleep.
I was on Seretide, too, did not notice issues with it, but we all differ.
Yes I have reflux I take omperazol every day and gaviscon after meals if it’s bad. I sometimes drink milk if I get burning throat which sometimes helps. It is common to have asthma and acid reflux together one can trigger the other.
The asthma medications relax the airways but also relax the lower oesophagus sphincter muscle above the stomach resulting in acid reflux. The acid reflux often causes asthma symptoms or makes them worse.
I think you might need to take a higher dose ppi for a while to stop the release of acid in your stomach. Eventually you might then be able to gradually lower the dose. That’s what happened with me. After taking omeprazole for several years I tried not taking it for the year last year but the resulting problems were so bad that I started taking it again a month ago.
Have u too much acid or not enough? Research shows a big % are low on acid . Im trying betaine h c l to increase mine see if it helps. Older u get less u have???
A relaxed sphincter muscle allows stomach contents plus acid to rise up into the oesophagus - acid reflux, heartburn etc. PPIs - proton pump inhibitors stop the acid producing cells from releasing acid into the stomach - so at least any reflux does not contain acid providing the ppi is strong enough to stop the acid release. If the the ppi is taken over a longer period then the acid producing cells in the stomach get hyper large in an attempt to compensate for the ppi - so if you stop taking ppi then the stomach overproduces acid, which is extremely unpleasant and other measures need to be taken to reduce the acid production. I tried for a year to do without omeprazole but had such problems with acid reflux that I decided it wasn’t worth not using the ppi though I’d had some side effects from them previously and was concerned about recent research suggesting increased risk for heart attacks and dementia. I decided I’d rather feel better on a day to day basis, I’d rather have a heart attack than cancer and if the ppi was going to lead to dementia I’d probably already been affected by them. Currently I also take an enzyme pill in the hope that it aids digestion to compensate for the lack of stomach acid.
for many years my medication was upped and changed and Prednisolone given when my coughing and breathing deteriorated. I was also given a PPI. Not once did any of the doctors suggest that I needed to have a gastroscopy to find out any problems with the acid reflux until last October.
I find I have severe esophagitis, severe gastritis, a 7cm Hiatal Hernia and inflamed stomach. Since my PPI was increased and a H2 drug added my ‘asthma’ has been much better.
Having my second gastroscopy in two months in ten days time!!!
Very very interesting. Very similar situation to me. My history when I look back indicates for the most part the acid reflux triggers the asthma. Your case, like mine, illustrates the gastro specialists and pulmonary specialists don't work together and the two sciences are compartmentalised. In recent years it's slightly improved and they sort of begrudgingly admit a link between reflux and asthma but don't actively work together on research. There is a recent paper that is v interesting on this.
Yes I do. There have been quite a few threads on reflux and asthma so it might be worth looking them up. If you reflect back on your life do you think you may have had reflux for a long time. In my case yes. Quite often reflux and asthma seem to go together. There is a bit of a debate about what causes what. In my case I am pretty convinced the reflux tends to trigger the asthma and PPIs were significant in addressing the asthma. There is also some debate that some inhalers may relax the valve at the top of the stomach and make reflux worse. My consultant says he thinks not though. I've taken to using gaviscon advanced ( which they recommend I use anyway, as well as the PPI) before I use the inhaler which helps. It may coat the bottom of the oesophagus stopping the inhaler particles doing much to the valve ( my theory). Anyway quite a complex issue. Guess in summary you need to work out what is at the root of things.
I def agree that there is a link for me with my inhalers causing reflux. I have been aware of this for some time and now work my inhaled medication around my eating to reduce symptoms.
I have prescribed a PPI but try not to use it too much as it just adds to my list of meds if you know what I mean!
So glad to read your views though as I thought I was going mad! None of the medics or patient info seem mention this.They always assume that the asthma causes reflux not that maybe it’s the meds used to treat it!
In quite a lot of cases I think it's the reflux that causes the asthma. When you lie down at night the atomised acid is sent to your lungs when you breath. This is why asthma tends to be worse at night and you feel off in the morning. Once exacerbated its harder to get it nack on track. The two branches of science ( gastro and pulmonary) don't really work with each other. Been saying all this for many years. I do think our charities should be knocking heads together to get some joint research.
Hi LemonMango you shouldn't swallow the water after you've rinsed your mouth, you should spit it out. I've found that using a mouthwash after and cleaning my teeth that this helps. Wish you the best
I had a chronic sore throat about a year before I was diagnosed with asthma, but only had occasional signs of heart burn. During my first course of steroids, I had heartburn that could light up a small city and after the third course of steroids it 2 months it didn’t go away. GP/prescribed me esomeprazole and the heartburn went away but the sore throat came back. The respiratory consultant thought I had laryngeal reflux and has added in gaviscon advance, minimum at night before bed but as needed. I was also referred for a barium study, Oesphageal manometry and a 24 pH study. The barium shown some likely damage and hypo mobility to my lower eosphagus, I haven’t had the results back yet from the eosphageal manometry and 24 hr pH study. Since starting the gaviscon advance at night the sore throat has 95% disappeared, the last time I had it was after drinking alcohol (2 glasses of wine) and eating a meal out rather late at night. I am also losing weight as they suggested that would help, I have lost 10kg so far just another 15 to get into the healthy weight category.
The reflux is noticeably worse when my asthma is worse and I use the reviver inhaler more, I am not sure whether that is the inhaler or faster breathing and increased abdominal pressure encouraging everything back up. Also the last time my asthma worsened was after the work Christmas dinner where I had a raging sore throat in the morning and was coughing. This took a few weeks and a course of steroids after a full on asthma attack to stabilise.
You started with the sore throat and was then diagnosed with asthma? The sore throat is a strong sign of reflux. I suspect your root problem is reflux triggering asthma.
I was getting reflux and was prescribed lanzoprozole, it came on after my inhaler was changed from Fostair 100 to 200, and got worse when IBS turned up. My gastroenterologist suggested porridge and ground flax seeds on a regular basis for the IBS and it has also reduced the need for lanzoprozole, I've also gone back to Fostair 100 so near enough reflux free.
I have asthma and reflux. I have been on Seretide and omeprazole for about 20 years. I tried reducing the omeprazole dose, which I take in the morning but the cough broke through so back to 20 mg. I was on seretide 250 for many years but now find I can manage with 125, upping it if I have an infection. My voice is slightly hoarse despite rinsing, but I have tried other inhalers and the Seretide works best for me. I think it is trial and error, and the lesser of two evils. Good luck.
I believe that asthma can sometimes be caused or worsened by acid reflux. The air passages are closing in defence against the acid.
Keep on with your PPI drug, don't eat for about 3 or 4 hours before bedtime, have your bed head raised slightly if you can. extra pillows or something under the bed itself.
Gaviscon at bedtime will help to protect your throat from the acid.
Yes I have asthma and bronchiectasis and postnatal drip and get lots of gord, I have lansoprazole twice a day and acidex for it but it still happens I have to sleep half sitting up. I am waiting for gastroscopy.
I have acid reflux as well, I used to be on Seretide 250, after many years I’m off of it and on ciclesonide, taken the same way.
I’m under the respiratory consultant who said that the acid reflux could be caused by the medication and changed it. I take Lansoprazil 30mg x 3 daily. I also have a raised headboard (had to but an electric bed for other reasons but it works well for the reflux and asthma).
I’m seeing ENT in the week, it’s been a 15month wait and I’m hoping that they can help a bit more.
I get the hideous tongue, (always worried my breath smells) I frequently take oral thrush medication from over the counter , I also have upped my intake of natural yogurt in the hope that it helps.
If you eat a lot of bread , for me a sandwich a day is a sandwich too much, the bread will play havoc with reflux, even the healthiest of breads.
I hope you find something that settles you, I just keep looking and hoping whilst keeping away from edible triggers .
I’m sorry you’re struggling with reflux. It is quite common for asthmatics to be on meds for reflux. I’ve been an asthmatic for about 27 years now. I have severe asthma and have been on many different inhalers including Seretide. I’ve been on prednisone continuously for about 12 years but on and off them regularly before that. The higher the dose of pred the worse my heartburn and reflux became. The lower the dose the easier things became for me. Have you spoken to your doctor as it aggravates asthma and can be extremely painful. They should be able to give some advice and hopefully more relief. For me Seretide made no difference to my reflux but we all react differently to medication . Good luck .
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Asthma, GERD, confusion 
Asthma 
asthma 
asthma and the seaside
