I recently went on holiday where there was little to accommodate my Hashimotos-driven gluten-free diet. I ended up with really bad heartburn for approx 4 weeks which I’m struggling to overcome. In addition, my quality of life is being severely affected by being very ‘gassy’ for much of the time - just awful. I’ve started a course of probiotics to see if that helps and have been given a prescription for Omreprazole which I’m reluctant to take as I’ve read it can limit absorption of thyroxine.
Is/has anyone else had similar issues and/or found an effective remedy? Thanks in advance.
PS: thanks to everyone who’s responded to my post. I’ve found every one of your suggestions / observations incredibly helpful. The ‘burp test’ indicates that I have low stomach acid which could well explain much of my recent dilemma. I understand I didn’t help myself on my recent trip and will approach such matters differently in future. SIBO is definitely an area I’ll be looking into further, and when I get a call back from the clinical assistant (I don’t merit the attentions of a GP) to check how I’m getting on with Omreprazole, I’ll be certainly have new questions to raise! Thanks again and very best wishes
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Murphea
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Thanks so much for your response. I didn’t stray from gluten-free foods but, despite my advance research suggesting the opposite, the absence of g-f options during hotel stays whilst touring for a week was difficult (eg melon for breakfast every day - there was no other option for me!), hence my resultant heartburn. I agree people are generally great about it but peculiarly the area we were in was an exception to that. Can’t really understand why I reacted so badly this time but thanks for confirming my suspicions re Omreprazole.
I had exactly the same experience as i had to eat lots of fruit and tomatoes...got gastritis really badly and ended up on a drip in hospital. I was wondering if there is a website that promotes gf friendly venues? There must be some about but finding them is the problem.
In South Africa I was affected by the mineral content of the water. Had to drink bottled while I was there after terrible gut issues. Might be an idea to try a good probiotic?
When we go to hotels where I’m not sure if they will have gluten free options I carry a box of Schar GF crackers which were ok for breakfast instead of toast, if you’re abroad - or even in the U.K.- you can usually get things like eggs to boil for yourself plus things like yoghurt and cheese and ham and fruit sometimes fresh and sometimes stewed.
Good idea to take a course of probiotics. I also would avoid the omeprazole if possible. PPIs aren’t good for your bones and also I’ve found doctors automatically assume you get heartburn because of too much acid when it could be that you don’t have enough.
I was on omeprazole for 20 years! Evil stuff!!! It was hell to get off it but I managed it very gradually. I now just use gaviscon which I take before bedtime if needed. It seems to work much better than Rennie, for me anyway.
I am prescribed gaviscon advance which I get on prescription but I only use it when needed rather than be dependant on it but I take one omeprazole first thing in the morning, I would like to wean myself off of it now, so I’m going to give it a go. However I may need to use the gaviscon more regularly if I stop omeprazole altogether, so I was just wondering if catlover3 only took it at bedtime. I don’t get heartburn or any type of indigestion, my problem was a constant sore throat which I was told was acid reflux.
I used to get Gaviscon on prescription, the double action large bottles but a couple of years ago the doctors surgery refused to let me have it on prescription, which area are you in if you don't mind saying.
I’m in Lancashire. I was given an alternative a few years back , probably because of costs, and my ent contacted my GPs to insist that I had GA because the other stuff wasn’t doing the job and my sore throat came back. I take pre and probiotics now and that has helped, so I would like to try reducing/stopping the meds if possible.
Unfortunately, Doctors don't have to prescribe OTC products, some have carried on, but others are not, probably some kind of money incentive. I'm in Bedfordshire and find the best places to buy it, is either LLoyds chemists or the large Sainsbury stores, they are both cheaper than others and sell the large bottles.
If it's not an OTC, go back to the GP and ask why they have taken it off prescription, it may just have been an error when they were updating prescriptions.
Hi. I only need it at bedtime really. I was on omeprazole 20mg once a day and then managed to get down to 10mg and after a few stops and starts managed to get off the darn stuff. I take 2 gaviscon chewable tablets at bedtime and it seems to stop the acid reflux. I tried raising the head of the bed but couldn't get comfortable and kept waking up. The best thing for me is to not eat anything after 6pm, if I stick to that, I don't even need the gaviscon.
heartburn might actually be low stomach acid . Try a tiny drop of apple cider vinegar (with mother is the best stuff) in a glass of water. I also find the amino acid supplement L-Glutamine taken before breakfast and at bedtime is a real digestion settler, it restores the mucus in the gut. Swear by it. Hope you feel better soon 🦋💚🦋
I hate the taste of apple cider vinegar, but I discovered you can buy gummies which are much more acceptable and have certainly helped my heartburn. I have one a day now.
thanks very much for sharing your thoughts, I have indeed read about SIBO, it rings several bells and that’s was prompted me to try probiotics. Best wishes
The gluten free bread has a long shelf life ..I usually pack a loaf which will last a week to use at breakfast or make sandwiches. Also I try to research places to eat which are gluten free and local supermarkets which have gluten free products. Sometimes I just make a simple breakfast in my room. Bread cheese, some fruit etc. Its a bit of a challenge !
I find lunch / breakfast harder than dinner, but it definitely a) is a challenge and b) does train you to eat more healthily as a consequence - no fast food.
molkosan is very good for helping overcome IBS type symptoms alongside your probiotic. A lot of people really like Silica too. Peppermint capsules are my lifesaver when I can feel heartburn coming. They’re just pure peppermint oil.
Hi JaneRoar, I love your name! please can you tell me ore about Silica? I've always been drawn to it since having a dream, a beautiful dream of being within the most wonderful clean and light cave, absolutely enormous and sparkling with white crystals (it was in Sydney). I had the sense of Silica Marina and was tempted with the homeopathic remedy but perhaps it's simple Silica I need?
I am taking a prebiotic called Megaspore and my digestive issues that I’ve suffered with for years are a lot better. I noticed the results in a couple of days.
I did the SIBO diet 3 years ago which helped for a few months but SIBO comes back and many people with digestive issues have it, megaspore has a bacteria in it that acts similar to an antibiotic and kills the bacteria that’s making your digestion bad.
A fruit like melon for breakfast with SIBO will make you very unwell, maybe next time you could eat the protein they have.
Hi Murphea, sorry to hear about your gastric problems. Omeprazole seems to be vilified on this forum but it works and alleviates symptoms whether short or long term.
It is recommended to take it at least 4 hours away from Levothyroxine, I had to take it recently due to steroids so woke at 04:00 to take Levothyroxine and then took the Omeprazole at 08:00 half an hour before breakfast, alternately take your Levothyroxine before bed.
People who want to ween themselves off it should take it alternate days for 2 to 3 weeks before reducing to every 3 or 4 days before finally stopping as the body will produce excess acid when stopping suddenly. I have been on and off Omeprazole for years and when I used to go cold turkey suffered from excess acid but came across the reason why when on an online talk with a Gastroenterologist from the Nuffield hospital in Ca,bridge, a GP asked the question about rebound when stopping as she didn't know the answer and several patients had reported a return of worsening symptoms.
As for bone thinning being a male not too sure about that but I thought you could be screened for that and take supplements to counteract it if long therm use of certain medications.
thank you. My main reason for being wary of omreprazole was that I’d rather try to stop the heartburn by understanding the cause, and thereby resolve the other gastric issues, rather than treat it and allow my system to depend on them. I’m on a learning curve but all the advice and ideas I’ve gained from this loop has been extremely helpful and reassuring.
thyreoidea - hate to say it but men can get osteoporosis too. I know of several without even having to think too hard. Unfortunately until I broke my wrist a couple of years ago I didn’t know the contributing factors - PPIs - taking them, steroids - taking them too, having an overactive thyroid - I have Graves’ disease (in remission since 2013) rheumatoid arthritis - got that too - hence the steroids, family history - got it too only none of the consultants I saw for the above ever thought to mention the link between each condition and osteoporosis.
So unfortunately by the time I found out for myself preventative action wasn’t an option. There are other contributory factors as well as the above - smoking, being coeliac, hyperparathyroidism to name but a few. You can be screened and take meds to counteract bone damage but osteoporosis drugs are unpleasant and have some horrible side effects.
I was prescribed omeprazole without any tests to see the reason for my reflux. When I read the patient information leaflet I was surprised to see that it was only intended for short term use. I’ve since realised that it is used in the long term because doctors feel it will do less harm than reflux.
In the end I altered my diet and got rid of everything that caused reflux - things like Diet Coke, chocolate, junk food and once my diet was better - then it was ‘goodbye omeprazole’. I was prescribed it again recently along with Naproxen - as a ‘tummy protector’ well my pulse shot up and I had the diarrhoea to end all diarrhoea. The doc said to stop the naproxen and double the omeprazole which I did but that didn’t help at all and it wasn’t until I stopped the omeprazole that my system got back to normal. I’ve don’t the burp test several times over the years and I guess I don’t have enough stomach acid so killing off what I have with a PPI wasn’t helping me.
🤣 sorry about the lecture but it’s a subject close to my heart and I greatly resent that I was treated by so many consultants who neglected to tell me about the link between the conditions (or even ask if I had a family history of osteoporosis) they were treating and my bones starting to crumble.
Not to worry, we all have our own experiences. I too have wondered about bone density too as I fell back in the garden wrestling with a bramble a few years ago and fractured my wrist which seemed a bit OTT at the time as I had 3 different diagnosis from different consultants ranging from detatched ligament on thumb, fractured radius to arthritis. Maybe it could have been thinning bones that led to the fracture, hopefully not. I can see why doctors prefer thinning bones to the worse outcome from long term acid reflux.
you are welcome. I have amended my post to include other information. Also I have a no added sugar Activia pro biotic yogurt every day which I think helps but cannot be 100% sure it is that which is doing to trick. You could ask your GP for a stool test to see if you are suffering from the effects of Heliobacter pylori which is a bacteria which can cause all manner of gastric problems, you have to stop Omeprazole for the test to be effective I believe but they will tell you that when asking you to provide a sample.
I find going on holiday very challenging in terms of food. I sympathise with you. Hypothyroidism makes us so much more vulnerable to gut imbalances, whatever diet we follow. With your gassiness symptoms, if you haven’t been assessed for SIBO, I’d recommend getting referred to gastroenterology for a hydrogen breath test, and a methane breath test. The NHS do these, or you can get them done privately. You could also be assessed for yeast overgrowth. After I was tested, a course of antibiotics improved my gut massively. If you have high levels of methane, it can be overgrowth of archaea, which are a bit more difficult to treat, but can be reduced with the right combination of antibiotics. I hope things improve for you soon.
Yes, the course of antibiotics was effective, and it also cured my rosacea - I guess the SIBO and rosacea were connected. That was 5 years ago, and if I watch my diet, I don’t suffer from much gas, and still don’t have rosacea. However I was disappointed they weren’t interested in finding out the causes (which I think was probably hypothyroidism and being on too low a replacement dose for years), or in a follow up, as I think it’s quite common for it to re-occur. The gastroenterologist just said to have another course of antibiotics if I had further problems.
I had dreadful indigestion and reflux when I was taking the Wockhart brand of levothyroxine. It went on for more than a year and I ended up on Lomeprazole which had awful side effects as I wasn’t digesting food properly. I changed levothyroxine brand and the indigestion and reflux cleared up in a week. I stopped the Lomeprazole and took a couple of Yakult drinks a day and everything was back to normal after a couple of weeks.
I have the same issue with gluten and I have tried omeprazole as it was prescribed but it doesn’t work for me so I went to a gastroenterologist and he recommended Fomotadine and it works. The advantage of it is that it is not in the same class of drugs as omeprazole, does not have to be taken consecutively like omeprazole yet no long term negative effects and you can take as needed. Hope this helps.
Omreprazole suppresses acid. You don't need nor want to suppress it as suppressing acid leads to a host of gastro issues. Apple Cider Vinegar is best for this as it adds more acid.
I had ibs from my late teens till about 2 year ago since taking levothyroxine. The doctors always gave me lansoprasole and I always used to tell them it made it worse but they said I need it to lower stomach acid . It wasnt until I had an endoscopy and the realised there was no signs of damage or high acid that I got blood tests and revealed hypothyroidism. It was then the gp said I must have low stomach acid and I was right that the medication was lowering acid even more. I dont have any ibs now whatsoever. Hope you find your cure. I would definitely question the omrezapole.
I just wanted to jump on here, several months on, to thank everyone for their advice and suggestions, all of which were really helpful. I met someone who’d had the same experiences as I had. She’d been treated by a consultant who told her that, if she gave up wine and chocolate for 12 weeks, he could guarantee she’d feel better. It had worked for her. I haven’t weaned myself off wine (I am, by any measure, a very moderate drinker) but haven't had any chocolate for months now and, having also weaned myself off Omreprazole, I’m really much better. Hope this idea helps someone else. Best wishes xx
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Omeprazole and digestive enzymes
