acid reflux

[Lucy1000]

I know I've seen posts about acid reflux here before, but I'm not finding any success stories in the posts. I think that digestion is a problem for many thyroid patients. In my case, I'm never aware of reflux, but I become hoarse. A prescription for Nexium has been helpful, but I think not a real solution. Has anyone found success in dealing with acid reflux??

[Phronsias2]

Hi I had terrible acid reflux, This is a link to DGL power , really helped me.

amazon.co.uk/Vital-Nutrient...

All the best

Frank

[Lucy1000 in reply to Phronsias2]

thanks so much for your suggestion - I'll look into that!

[thyr01d]

Hi Lucy, I have digestive troubles like indigestion and acid reflux and have been much better since being correctly medicated and taking an enzyme tablet after meals that are difficult to digest. I'd be happy to look up the exact tablets and tell you if you like.

[Lucy1000 in reply to thyr01d]

Do you mean your thyroid is properly medicated? I think I'm okay there. I tried a digestive enzyme once and wasn't convinced it was helping - which one are you taking? I'd love to know which things seem to be helping other people. My doctors are very unimaginative in their approaches.

[thyr01d in reply to Lucy1000]

Hallo again, yes I mean my thyroid is properly medicated. The Consultant said that would improve digestion and assimilation, and it has improved but not resolved completely, probably because I can't take as much thyroid med as I need because of side effects. The digestive problem now only occurs after indigestible foods like beans and bananas, so if I start to have indigestion/acid reflux I take a tablet. If you'd like to know which digestive enzyme I take, because for me it definitely works, please pm me as I am not sure if we are supposed to name brands on here.

[Fruitandnutcase]

Yes, I completely altered my diet. I didn’t want to take PPIs. When you read the information leaflet that comes in the box it looks like they are intended for short term use but so many people end up taking them indefinitely. Although I understand that PPIs are necessary for some people and s9me people are not able to alter their diet as drastically as I did.

I’ve since learnt that PPIs are a contributory factor towards osteoporosis- no one told me that when I was given my first prescription for them.

So, out went all processed foods, I used to like the odd McDonalds on my way home from a very long coastal walk - no more. I cut out chocolate and fizzy drinks, things like biscuits and cakes - all of that would cause reflux. I don’t like yoghurt but if I did I would add that to my diet along with gut friendly bacteria containing foods.

You could raise the head of your bed, that helps too.

[Lucy1000 in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Thanks for your reply. What are you eating? Just fruit, veg and meat? No bread and pasta (I mean wheat is already out, but quinoa pasta and bread made with other flours is still on the menu.) I have raised the head of my bed, but it's going to take more...

[Fruitandnutcase]

I eat a gluten free low carb diet. Sometimes I’ll have the odd slice of GF bread and a small portion of GF pasta but I don’t eat all that much of either. Have a look at the DietDoctor.com site. I kick the day off with a two egg omelette with mushrooms or blueberries or spinach in it plus half a grapefruit chopped up together, a glass of water and a cup of weak decaf tea. Lunch could be a salad with cheese or chicken plus some almonds and sunflower and pumpkin seeds or a bowl of home made soup usually carrot and lentil or mushroom although I like Covent Garden soups if I can’t be bothered making my own. Dinner at night is often fish of some sort - roast salmon with garlic and Parmesan topping. I roast four pieces and save two for next day when I’ll have them with mushrooms and some GF pasta with cream to make a sauce, for puddings I have mixed berries with a tablespoon of cream.

Other than that I’ll have a plate of anything really, I divide my plate into 1/4 protein if some sort, 1/4 carbohydrates of some sort - potatoes, rice, pasta if I want it and 1/2 of the plate full of veg. Mostly veg grown above ground as they aren’t so starchy. I eat a lot of leafy green veg to help build up my bones. I try not to eat sugar other than what might be in fruit, I only eat two helpings of fruit - I eat more veg than fruit - a day and not things that are very sugary or starchy. I came about this diet when I developed steroid induced T2 diabetes and found a book written by an endocrinologist about how to reduce T2 by diet. It worked.

I never tested for coeliac before going GF, I did it because I had acquired yet another autoimmune condition and thought it was worth a try but looking at how I am now that I’m not eating loads of bread I think I was possibly gluten intolerant - I once ate French bread, pains au raisin and masses of other wheaty goodies all the way from Calais to the Mediterranean and when I got there I was so puffed up a friend I showed a photo to didn’t recognise me. It was horrible.

Since I went GF the puffiness in my face disappeared and my IBS has improved no end and things like reflux have gone. So I’m going to stick with it, I haven’t found it difficult or expensive to do. I don’t eat GF junk food either, junk food is junk food GF or not. 😊

[Lucy1000 in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Thanks so much. I think I need to pay more attention to my diet as you clearly have. I appreciate your detailed answer. I wish I found it easy to leave wheat behind completely, but it's hard not to cheat at family gatherings. Otherwise I'm fairly compliant, but do find it a struggle.

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to Lucy1000]

I know, sometimes it’s hard. There used to be a corner cafe near where my husband used to work and honestly I used to feel like snatching those big fluffy sultana scones off the nearest plate as I used to walk past. It’s can also be difficult to persuade family members that you really feel better without gluten in your diet. On the other hand you could ask your doctor to test you for gluten intolerance and if you were then you would have that to back you up when you said you couldn’t eat gluten. Good luck with it ☀️

[Edsonmontibeller in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Hey, I read your text, let me ask, did yo use steroids, which one? And did have somenthing else’s? If you can answer Im thanks

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to Edsonmontibeller]

Not sure what you mean but I did take steroids for three months when I was first diagnosed with inflammatory arthritis about six or seven years ago. I took a three month course that started dropping right away and after three months I had finished. I wouldn’t take them again though because they are bad for your bones - unfortunately I didn’t know that at the time though.

[Ellie-Louise]

I have managed to stop needing omeprazole by taking a probiotic that also contains a prebiotic twice daily. I have been on them for well over a year now, probably getting on for 2 the way time flies these days and the difference in my digestion and hiatus problem has been remarkable.

[Eton in reply to Ellie-Louise]

Ellie Louise can I ask what brand you use please.

[Ellie-Louise in reply to Eton]

Hi, this turned out to be the best one I had tried, I am on my 4th re-order because they suited me. I tried a different one at first but wasn’t keen, then saw these. They contain a prebiotic too, apparently prebiotics feed probiotics and make them work better.

smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/produ...

[Eton in reply to Ellie-Louise]

Thank you Ellie-Louise. I will try them.

[serenfach]

First, is it reflux for low stomach acid or high stomach acid? You can find out by mixing a teaspoon full of Bicarb in a quarter glass of water and drinking it. If you burp loud and long after a few seconds, you have high stomach acid, if you just do lots of little burps after a few seconds, your stomach acid is pretty normal, but if you dont burp or burp after a minute or two, you have low stomach acid. The GPs never think of low stomach acid, which is quite common in people with thyroid problems.

I correct my low stomach acid by having a pudding spoon of Apple vinegar, mixed with some honey and half a glass of warm water before a meal, and then do not get any heartburn.

[Lucy1000 in reply to serenfach]

Thank you serenfach - that is a very useful tool to understand what's going on. I'll give that a try.

[Lucy1000 in reply to serenfach]

hm - so I tried it and no burping at all. Having taken no Nexium for a couple of days - I have the familiar burn in my throat and beginning to become hoarse. I'll try the vinegar honey solution and see what happens...

[Batty1]

I suffer from terrible HB after thyroidectomy and when my digestive system is slow to digest you better bet heartburn will follow.

[Lucy1000 in reply to Batty1]

I hadn't really understood this before, but it makes a lot of sense. Thanks for your reply. I'm starting to understand what's going on a little better. So useful to have a community of people with the same issues!

[serenfach]

If you have low acid, you do not get the full benefit of the nutrients from your food, as they are not broken down properly in the stomach. You should check your vitimin levels as being low in these really does not help matters. Lots of info on this elsewhere on this brilliant site.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

LOW stomach acid is common hypothyroid symptom

Low stomach acid leads to low nutrient absorption and low vitamin levels as direct result

Low vitamin levels tend to lower TSH as conversion of Ft4 to ft3 gets worse

Thousands of posts on here about low stomach acid

healthunlocked.com/search/p...

Web links re low stomach acid and reflux and hypothyroidism

nutritionjersey.com/high-or...

articles.mercola.com/sites/...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

stopthethyroidmadness.com/s...

healthygut.com/articles/3-t...

naturalendocrinesolutions.c...

meraki-nutrition.co.uk/indi...

huffingtonpost.co.uk/laura-...

lispine.com/blog/10-telling...

Protect your teeth if using ACV with mother

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Ppi

Omeprazole will lower vitamin levels even further

gov.uk/drug-safety-update/p...

webmd.com/heartburn-gerd/ne...

pharmacytimes.com/publicati...

PPI and increased risk T2 diabetes

gut.bmj.com/content/early/2...

[Lucy1000]

thanks for the links - I need information!

[Hidden]

I thought I had solved mine by going GF and getting my meds sorted but mines back… coughing, hoarseness, post-nasal drip etc. all solved with a gaviscon advance!

[Lucy1000 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for your suggestion. So you believe you do have too much stomach acid rather than too little. The things I have been reading on this forum suggest that the problem is actually poor digestion because of too little stomach acid - hence the advice to take betaine with pepsid. That is what I am currently trying. I do not think it is helping my acid reflux whatsoever, but I have noticed better energy since I started taking it. I'm glad you found a solution for your issues. It is pretty annoying to be hoarse and constantly coughing.

[Hidden in reply to Lucy1000]

I have no idea but gaviscon works for me. I think mine is LPR?

[Lucy1000 in reply to Hidden]

Yes! Me too. It really gets in the way of my job. But since I work at a school and am off right now, I'm trying some other things. I really would prefer not to take Nexium or Pepcid or really any medication. But thanks for the suggestion of an option.

[Hidden in reply to Lucy1000]

I’m also back on a probiotic to see if that helps at all.

[Lucy1000 in reply to Hidden]

I am trying that too. Keep me posted!

[Kandahar in reply to Hidden]

I stopped Omeprazole because it stops your body manufacturing stomach acid. Because hypothyroidism often involves

low stomach acid, that’s not a good idea. Gaviscon just puts a calming layer on the top, I’m told, and that seemed to do it for me. Previously, the reflux had burnt my throat and now I often suffer a throat that tickles and makes me cough and sneeze. But no reflux.

[Lucy1000 in reply to Kandahar]

right - I'm glad it works for you - I'll have to look into that more. Thanks!

[humanbean]

Anyone taking NSAIDs (aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, and there may be others) on a regular basis will probably need to continue taking PPIs. I don't understand exactly what is going on, but NSAIDs can severely damage the stomach lining and taking PPIs prevents this.

I took ibuprofen in large amounts in my 20s and ended up with a duodenal ulcer.