I have not posted here for sometime, reason being family commitments etc and my hubbies treatment for prostrate cancer, which I am pleased to say he has responded to well and is now on a monthly treatment for the time being.
My reflux issues however seem to go on about the same with the constant throat clearing (AGHHHH) !! feeling of phlegm needing clear throughout the day and later in the evening the need to belch and generally fed up with the whole thing.
I saw GP again recently and she suggested to try 40mg esomeprazole twice a day again, I wonder if I am not taking this at the right time though and also how long to see any effects from it. I also am tapering from steroids which is another issue to consider. Am down to 9mg and seems to be going well.
The only bonus is that when I lay down night time is not an issue for me.
I wondered about semithicone (wind relief) as I read somewhere this can help with gas and belching. ?
I also take gaviscon and find the duel action to be the most effective, although some people recommend the advance as best.
as always any experience or advice as to how long to take a higher dose of ppi 80mg when to take, ie can i take in single dose 20 mg say every 4 hours or so. and anything else which might help please ?
thanking as always for any replies.
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gillsky8
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With respect to esomeprazole, it is best taken 30 to 60 minutes before food, with a glass of water, ideally on an empty stomach (though this can be difficult if eating little and often). I have taken it this way for a few years, it takes months to get recovery and control, and better if you can treat the the cause of the reflux, if known (hernia, leaky lower oesophageal spinster, stress, certain foods or combination of all). You must of course, follow your clinicians advice. If you are having throat symptoms, then Gaviscon Advance is the definitely best and was highly recommended to me by ENT specialists. Best wishes.
thank you for your reply, can you tell me what dose you are on please, as my GP seems to feel I should be on as low as whatever can control symptoms, but this is hard to evaluate as my symptoms seem to change on a daily basis !! I have read somewhere to start on a high dose as much as 40mg. twice daily and then reduce ? , thank you again, I really appreciate your comments and help
I started on 40mg went up to 80 and now reducing slowly. All medication has side effects and so I guess best to only take what you need. But with PPIs need to reduce slowly as can get rebound reflux . Gp said to me, reduce by 20mg every 2 months, so it takes a while to reduce and you can monitor symptoms. As said , I am in the process of reducing , so i am keeping a symptom diary, noting what I think might have causes any exacerbation, and the date of symptoms as this is more accurate for me than memory alone.
Thank you that is very helpful . Sorry just one more question, do you take Gaviscon Advance (how much) ? after every meal and at bedtime. This seems to be the recommended treatment alongside Esomeprazole
I am the same as you with the throat clearing ,it really is up and down with me some days it doesn't seem to bad ,I too seem ok when sleeping at night ,I currently take 20mg Omeprazole in the mornings and gaviscon when the throat symptoms are bad,it's a strange condition as it is up and down , so it's hard to know what dosage to be on ,sometimes the food I shouldn't eat doesn't affect me and sometimes I will have something small and it can affect me alot ,I was told I had a hernia years ago with it playing up very rarely but since last year it is ongoing with good and bad days
Yes the throat clearing is a big issue for me and it is very annoying !! I have a 3cm sliding hernia which they say does not require surgery and when I had the endoscopy they said the reflux was minimal without any Barrett’s which was a relief. I just don’t know what to do from day to day and just want to be on a set schedule of medication rather than this mish mash of this and that. . Esomeprazole I have heard in high doses can cause a lot of other issues?
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