Acid Reflux - what else can I do?

[Devlin26]

Hi Guys,

This is my first post on here, I am male, 54 non smoker and have been on Lansoprazole 30mg for over 10 years with the odd bout of indigestion but always fine afterwards and normally able to eat and drink what I like as long as I'm careful the next day.

6 weeks ago we had a Chinese take away, a couple of glasses of red wine, crisps, and chocolate and ever since I have been getting Reflux that is burning up to my sternum every night. I have quit the alcohol, raised the bed 7", small, blander meals, taking Gaviscon advance last thing before bed and being careful not to bend over.

The Doctor prescribed the Gaviscon and upped the Lansoprazole to twice a day making 60mg and have just had bloods done in readiness to see gastro for endoscopy.

I am being so careful I don't know what else I can do?

I have now gone down to 30mg again as it did not make any difference.

Any advice or thoughts are welcome as I was hoping to get this sorted myself without having to have the camera.

Thanks

Dev

[grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr]

Sorry to hear this - however, I have been suffering with this for over 20 years. I have bad flare ups and then it dies down again. Gastroscopies are always normal. I have been seeing a naturopath who is trying to get my gut into a healthier state - but in all honesty - nothing really seems to help. I have been taking PPIs for 20 years and the naturopath is trying to wean me off them. There is an operation - Nissan Fundoplication - but this is a very last resort for me because from what I have read from patient experiences - it's isn't always successful and is irreversible. I just don't think there has been enough research on reflux. It's extremely common and most doctors just throw tablets your way and show you the door! Sorry I can't be helpful - but you are certainly not alone. Raising the bed head has helped me, don't lie down for 3 hours after eating, chew your food thoroughly and don't drink half an hour or half an hour after a meal (to let the acid do its work). Cut out any foods that upset you and eat smaller meals more often than large meals in one sitting. Good luck!

[Devlin26 in reply to grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr]

Cheers Grrrrrrrrr, i'll certainly stop having my cup of tea straight after every meal, thank you

[Hidden in reply to Devlin26]

Decaffeinated tea and coffee also supposed to be better.

[Canta in reply to Devlin26]

I like a cup of tea after meals but it can cause problems, especially if the meal is on the large side. Hope you find some relief.

[Devlin26 in reply to Canta]

Thanks Canta, can you elaborate on that please

[Canta in reply to Devlin26]

I've sometimes experienced quite a bit of discomfort if I drink a cup of tea after anything other than a small meal in the evening. I have heard that liquid dilutes stomach acid making food harder to digest but I think it might also be that the stomach is too full. Just a thought, if you have kept any of the patient info sheets from your lansoprazole then check to see if any of the ingredients have changed recently.

[Devlin26 in reply to Canta]

Thank you, unfortunately I have no info sheets, I throw them away as they clog the box up. Been swapped to omeprazole 20mg twice a day instead of 30 mg lansoprazole but I cannot tell any difference.

[Jumpey]

You could follow an alkaline diet as outlined by Dr.Jamie Koufman in her book Acid Reflux Diet. Good luck.x

[ParkSchool5]

Hi, sorry to hear about all your horrible symptoms. I have been on PPI's and every other acid reflux preparation you can think of over the last seven years. I just about manage, but can't drink alcohol or fizzy drinks, only water or tea, small meals and have to sleep sitting upright, otherwise I wake with a burnt, red throat as the acid rises so far. I do still have flare ups, which sounds like you are experiencing. My symptoms were made much worse by my last Endoscopy in 2019. You could request a Barium swallow which is less invasive. Best of luck.

[Buddy21]

hi, I have a hiatus hernia and have suffered with indigestion and heartburn for years and taking 30mg lansoprazole. Suddenly last year my acid reflux got considerably worse, with abdominal and chest pain. Doctors doubled my medication and adding h2 blockers only made my symptoms worse. I would encourage you to research into low stomach acid, particularly articles and videos from dr berg. I have been following this now for 4 months, I weaned myself slowly off medication and follow a strict diet with certain supplements. It’s not for everybody but definitely worth looking into as doctors rarely mention low stomach acid even though the symptoms are the same. It’s no quick fix and it can take time to see what suits as each person has different triggers,, but I certainly do feel a lot better than I did. I have had 3 endoscopy’s over the years and although they aren’t very nice, they do only take 10 minutes.

Good luck x

[Devlin26 in reply to Buddy21]

Thanks Buddy, i'll look into that, x

[Devlin26]

Thanks for all the advice, I really appreciate it. I will add some of the help as above and have just ordered some Silicolgel off Amazon and am going to try that also. Does anyone have any experience with Silicolgel?

Cheers

Dev

[SurfingSteve]

I have had acid reflux, recently diagnosed as GERD/GORD with an inflamed esophagus. I was on Esomprazole ( a similar PPI to yours) on and off for a couple of years. I finally realised that the worst triggers for me were the same things you mentioned, so chocolate, crisps and alcohol being the absolute worst. I found even a half a glass would set me off. However i have had significant relief, to the extent i've not had a PPI or Gaviscon now for a few weeks. What seems to have worked for me is quitting alcohol completely, along with chocolate and crisps. Then i have also significantly reduced anything sugary or highly processed like pizza base. Finally with my dieticians advice, i don't eat anything within 3 hours of going to bed other than a cup of ginger and lemongrass tea. This has made a huge difference and i now don't even need to sleep on an inclined bed. I'm not suggesting that what worked for me will work for everyone, but since the results were so positive for me, i think it's worth a try and it's something easy you can do at home and without altering your medication or introducing anything new. I wouldn't quit the PPI's though without dr's advice especially if you've been on a high dose for a long time. They made a huge difference for me in the short term. If you decide to at some point, you'll need to taper off them to avoid rebound reflux. Also, the advantage of the endoscopy is that it can detect inflammation and/or damage to the esophagus. This can be very helpful, and the endoscopy procedure is very easy to undergo so nothing to be concerned with there. Good luck with it.

[Devlin26 in reply to SurfingSteve]

Many thanks Steve, for your reply. I have just got back from having a cancellation Endoscopy with only 24 hours notice. This was great as I haven't had time to worry about it. There were no nasties apart from a sliding hiatus hernia and a couple polyps that she was not concerned about. She took biopsies for H pylori and has changed my 30mg Lansoprazole to 2 x 20mg omeprazole as I may have got too used to the Lansoprazole. See how that goes.

Cheers

Dev

[Hidden in reply to SurfingSteve]

Chocolate apparently relaxes the sphincter at the top of the stomach making it easier for reflux to happen, rather than being a trigger. Peppermint too.

[westcountry]

It sounds like all the things you ate in one evening may have given you gastritis possibly? Maybe it was an overload for your body? I have been battling with this for over a year after getting Covid...which made my symptoms dire. I've cut out the usual things...chocolate, alcohol, tomatoes, onions, garlic etc....and took Gaviscon Advance as side effects from PPIs. However recently had food testing and found out exactly what I am sensitive to. It was also suggested that I took Slippery Elm...all of this has really helped so I can even now have a glass of wine occasionally. I hardly take Gaviscon at present. Worth a try.

[Devlin26 in reply to westcountry]

Many thanks, I'll look in to that, cheers

[geordie_69]

Lots of good advice here.For me, I'd have to re establish management of my eating.

Finish eating 4 or 5pm. That is not eating anything after 4pm initially, and then after 4 weeks if settling to 5pm, but be strict.

Eat nothing spicy or acid after 1pm.

No fizzy drinks at all, no alcohol for 4 weeks and thereafter not after 5pm.

You have to help your stomach oesophagus and valve recover.

Plenty of still tap water - less bacteria than bottled.

Forget gaviscon tablets for me tablets work on sto.ach but do not help oesophagus.

Liquid gaviscon or preferably peptic peppermint liquid diluted by half. So split bottle contents in half, top up with tap water and shake well. ( Shake bottle but you can shake too if you wish)

Take 4 spoons before bed after brushing. Or 5 spoons. (remember the acid will soften your teeth.)

Keep water by your bed and bottle of peptic liquid. Any sign, feelings of discomfort feel comfortable to drink some water, wash away the acid from oesophagus and throat and liquid to re-line throat and oesophagus for protection. The aim is to give your body min 4 weeks to heal then move to ongoing care.

Best wishes.

[Devlin26 in reply to geordie_69]

Many thanks, Geordie, great advice. i'm trying my best to eat as early as poss and always drink lots of water.

Cheers

Dev

[Opelcorsa]

Look up strengthing exercises on youtube