Heartburn

[Cobnut]

As the eating season is nearly with us again, I'd like to know if other prednisolone and Metformin takers experience heartburn. I am down to 7mg pred and just one Metformin a day but the heartburn has been with me for one week now. My GP says stop taking the Metformin but the hospital doctor says no. I am also discovering that my body screams no if I try to reduce the pred. So it's no Christmas goodies for me but just a bottle of gaviscon. I already take omeprozol. Happy Christmas everyone

[Hidden]

I have taken metformin for 18 years. Was on PPI for most of that time. Occasionally get tummy problems but usually on back of having more carbs than I should. Any white bread gives me indigestion within 30mins...things like skin on cucumber almost instantly cause heartburn. Trying to stop to non ppi so been more careful with the foods I eat.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

My hubby took Metformin, not the nicest of drugs I believe, and also Omeprazole and gallons of Gaviscon over the years. He found that spicy foods, carbs and if he looked at a fried egg it flared up. Stress didn’t help either! Christmas is not a good time for some. Have you started early if it’s only just come on? Or are you stressed - yes I know silly question - sorry!

Think if you can - stick to small meals, not easy with Christmas lunch I know! And leave the Pred dose as it is until after the festivities.

[SheffieldJane]

I am on 7 mgs of Pred too and just take it on a lined stomach with Greek Yoghurt and a little honey. I am guessing that Metformin is the culprit. Is this a drug for type two diabetis.? I have recently been told that I should discuss medication for type two ( steroid induced) diabetis. I am planning to be far, far stricter with my diet instead and see if I can lower it naturally.

Would the hospital not accept you trying that too?

I don’t like typical Christmas food like mince pies and Christmas pudding or turkey. Perversely when told to feast I don’t want to.

[polymy]

Hi there,

I have had terrible heartburn even on ranitidine and enteric coated pred. Had to go to the doctor and now take lansoprazole and a ranitidine in the evening if necessary. I am on 3-5mg pred. Tummy is fine now. Doctor sent me for an abdominal ultra sound scan which showed nothing. You really need to go back to your doctor. It’s an awful problem.

[jinasc]

Well try this for the problem of Acid Reflux (commonly known as Heartburn).

1 lemon, organic and if not organic un-waxed.

Microwave for 1 minute (more juice) squeeze lemon

Divide into three and add water (not to much) and drink three times per day.

It is published in the Tips & Tricks section contained in the Booklet 'Living with PMR&GCA'

MrsO told me about it and then PMRpro told me how it works, but I have forgotten (put that down to being an ancient brit).

I then stopped all PPI's, (all of which have side effects. I don't know a drug which comes without them either.

In the list for Omeprazole is one of aches and pains and that is a side effect we do not want to encounter.

another is: the bone fractures warning:

People who take several doses of a proton pump inhibitor drug, such as omeprazole, every day for a year or longer may have an increased risk of bone fractures.

When I did have a problem I then asked for Zantac the oldest and its side effects do not include the Bone warning.

Sorry this is so long, but if it helps someone....................

[BonnyQuine]

Hello Cobnut

As you can see from the variety of replies so far, there is a huge variation in symptoms and solutions. Take your pick!

Me - GCA Nov 2016. Started pred 40mg; now down to 8.5mg. I've had a wide variety of pred side effects, including almost instantaneous, sky-high blood sugar (BS) - steroid-induced diabetes. Uncoated prednisolone gave me pretty bad heartburn, but I find enteric-coated pred ok in that respect. If pred hasn't given you heartburn up to now, I wonder why it would start now, but enteric-coated does make a big difference (except for one particular brand to which I react badly). Always worth trying a different brand, if yr pharmacist will cooperate. I find quite a few other tablets heartburn-provoking too. Adcal was bad, and I don't take it any more, but include a lot of calcium in my diet, and take another brand of vitamin D3, accompanied by vit K2, and these go down ok. I've given up on other vitamin supplements, as I find many of them hard on the stomach. Most food is fine but I avoid carbs, mostly for the diabetes but also because they tend to have a bloating effect, I find.

For the diabetes I started on Metformin, with Repaglinide + Alogliptin. Metformin was best for BS control, but always did cause heartburn. I took it for some months, but the effects on my stomach got worse and worse until I was in constant agony fr abdominal pain. It took that long for anyone to realise that Metformin was the cause. When I stopped it, it was replaced by Dapagliflozin, which works in a different way, and isn't quite as effective for BS control, but certainly helps. So now my diabetes tabs are Repaglinide, with Alogliptin and Dapagliflozin. My stomach tolerates these well. This is in addition to a minimum-carb diet, I may add.

At the beginning, I was also on Omeprazole, and it wasn't all that effective. Once I'd stopped Metformin and changed to enteric-coated prednisolone, I was able to stop Omeprazole (hooray!). On the few occasions that I do get heartburn now, I'll have a spoon or two of Gaviscon or the occasional Zantac (ranitidine), but I don't need that often.

Haven't tried jnasc's lemon juice - too knackered to search for appropriate lemons . . . .

Hope this helps, and doesn't just add to the confusion. Good luck, and Happy Christmas to you too.