Acid Reflux

[HalfPint11]

Since Covid I am being treated for Acid Reflux. I have tried a spell without medication but needed to restart. The acid just effects my throat really badly and has increased my coughing significantly especially when eating. It isnt something I was bothered with before Covid. I know that I was on many strong drugs during my stay in ICU and my family were warned that there could be side effects but there were no alternatives to keep my alive. Some were also experimental because of course everyone is still learning about this illness. A year on I do feel reasonably healthy but I would prefer not to take acid reflux medication long term. Does anyone else have experience of this and have you found anything to help. My GP says certain foods may trigger it but it could of course be damage to my gut from all the drugs. Any advice greatly appreciated.

[Sepsur]

I go through phases and have been trying to do it meds free for 2 months - alas I have decided to retake omeprazole.

Apparently less coffee, alcohol, curry & fried food helps - cut down diary too - all this helps.

[Hidden]

Hi. I am on omeprazole since I had Covid in mid 2020. I tried to stop taking the tablets but had to go back on soon after. I had a consultation with an ENT consultant who advised to take caffiene, garlic, orange juice out of my diet, and also to take gaviscon at night. I have stopped drinking caffiene based drinks, cut down but not out orange juice, and reduced spices and garlic. I did take gaviscon for a couple of weeks but dont think it made much difference so have stopped taking.

[garycom]

I'm curious. Why do you assume that the reflux was caused by your meds and not a residual effect of Covid? I've been on omeprazole (and Gaviscon) for seven years - not because of covid - I'm just glad that they exist. Maybe Google esophageal reflux and Covid? The only thing to be careful about is that sometimes the magnesium in antacid drugs can interfere with other drugs.

[HalfPint11 in reply to garycom]

Hi. It could well be a residual effect of Covid. I appreciate that Covid , treatment and aftercare is still unknown territory so I'm just really researching all options. My thinking behind the meds was because I have had 2 family members suffering Gut problems in the past and after lots of research and tests at the time it was found that the antiobiotics given to them at the time for a different health condition (not covid) had caused damage to the gut. Ibuprofen is also known to damage the stomach if taken long term. This in turn has caused problems with acid reflux for them. So I was just curious what other covid sufferers had experienced.

Take care

[Myfanwy58]

I’d never experienced excess acid/gastric reflux in my life until a few short days prior to my hospital admission to ICU with C-19. During these 4 or 5 days I was blighted by it. Fast forward a couple of months, after being extubated and brought out of induced coma, I found that I’d been prescribed Omeprazole to help prevent acid reflux. I’m still taking it because whenever I stop, that darn acid makes itself known. I’ve even, under drs advice, needed to start on a regular night time dose of Gaviscon too. I too wonder why this problem started just a few short days prior to C-19 diagnosis and why it continues to this very day.