Reflux and asthma

[Jo2006]

Hi everyone. I have been coughing to the point of retching. Been to see consultant who said it is silent reflux and that it is common with asthmatics. Has anyone experienced this. I have been put on omeprazole. Would be grateful for any advice.

[TuckBox2]

I suffered GORD as well as Asthma, I have been on Esomeprazole (Nexium) for many years I did get a lot of relief during flair ups or when I was losing my voice, by doubling up on Esomeprazole rather than doubling up on Symbicort

[Jo2006 in reply to TuckBox2]

Thanks for your quick reply. My asthma seems well controlled at the moment. The Dr says my cough is due to this gord. Did your tablets help with you cough.

[JPCoetzee]

Yes I get this. GORD/reflux can make asthma worse too.

[Hidden]

Yes, I get this every now and then. Last time was in December last year (which was really annoying given the close proximity of Christmas). I spent a week at the beginning on December wondering why my asthma seemed to be flaring even though my peakflow was fine. Then I realised there was a familiar pattern to the breathing problems: they were occurring about half an hour after I ate and drank something. That is typical of silent reflux for me.

I’m on consultant led care for various issues with my GI tract so the next thing to do was to contact my consultant - who was on holiday. His secretary made a note of the problem and I spent a week taking 10ml of Gaviscon Advance after every meal and before I went to bed before he contacted me. I don’t get on with Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs for short, which is what omeprazole is) so he instructed my GP to put me on Cimetidine for a month - which worked brilliantly. I’m now back on a normal diet.

There are various things you can do to help with reflux:

Avoid certain foods: anything fried, fatty or spicy won’t help. Tomatoes, onions, pineapple, mint, citrus fruits, caffeine (and sorry, that includes chocolate), red wine, can all cause problems, though this can vary from individual to individual. You’ll need to find out what triggers yours.

Don’t bend over or bend at the waist for a minimum of one hour after eating or drinking (that will place pressure on the Sphincter muscle at the top of your stomach which should keep your stomach’s contents where they should be). Don’t slouch or lie down or go to bed for a minimum of three hours after eating. Late night meals are not a good idea! You need to make sure any food/drink you have had has had a chance to exit your stomach before you lie down.

Raise the head end of your bed by about five inches. Gravity is a wonderful thing and raising the head end of your bed by five inches will help to keep your stomach’s contents in your stomach while you sleep. Don’t use pillows to try to achieve the same effect, you will slip off them during the night, and besides they will only raise the top part of your body resulting in you bending at about the point where your stomach is. You really don’t want to do that.

Sorry this is so long - but hopefully some of this will help.

Good luck:-).

[Jo2006 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you so much Maggie. I will implement some changes 🤞🤞