I’m hoping this forum can help with reflux and thyroid. I’ve suffered for a long time with reflux. I’ve tried the usual ie Gaviscon and Lanzaprozole but believe both don’t work well with Levothyroxine. I sleep elevated I don’t eat after a certain time and I avoid obvious foods ie onions etc. However I’m being woken up each night and am wheezy. Dr gave me treatment for wheeze but I believe ALL these medications don’t react well with Levo?? I’ve been using a device to strengthen the vagus nerves (Iquora) and that’s really helped. I have a hiatus hernia which Dr says today there is no other treatment for! What and how do other hypo sufferers fair with this condition. I’m on Levo. Used to be 100. Down to 75 but managed to get Dr to re prescribe alternate days! Hurray
Thanks
Written by
Macca1
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Hope this makes sense I’ve now got pills for 75/100 alternate days 👍 so will see how that makes me feel as many thyroid symptoms returned ie thinning hair; tiredness; restless legs; and massive brain fog!!! And more reflux too!
I changed to a totally plant based diet with my meals at least, took tomatoes out of my diet, too Gaviscon advance at night (as recommended by ENT). I did this for 6 months and it worked.
Firstly it is likely you have low stomach acid rather than high, so antacids are doing more harm than good. Do the 'burp test' to check. Low stomach acid means the sphincter at the top of the stomach doesn't close tightly and stomch contents can rise up. During pregnancy I suffered badly from reflux and chugged gaviscon all the time (big mistake in hindsight). I'd suffered mild reflux and heartburn before this. Fast forward a few years and I develop a constant sore throat and chronic cough. No obvious feelings of acid reflux, and took me years to realise it was silent reflux. So, armed with this I used this book (see below) to eliminate foods and help heal my gut. I've eliminated dairy completely and virtually all onions. I swear by bone broth (I do make my own chicken broth, but also buy bone broth powder, organic, no added salt). I add turmeric to just about anything, and take fish oil tablets to reduce inflammation. I also did the 'burp test' which confirmed I had low stomach acid so I started taking betaine hydrochloride tablets with my main meal. Increasing stomach acid is key to prevent reflux - acid helps the sphincter at the top of the stomach to close more tightly, makes food digest and leave the stomach faster, and kills off potentially harmful bacteria. I also take probiotics to increase the good ones. After a few weeks of betaine hydrochloride I no longer needed to take them, it seemed to kick start my acid production. I know this is a lot to take in, but hope it helps! amazon.co.uk/Complete-Acid-...
Very interesting. Thanks. I’m of the same mind as you. Seems to me Drs have no idea what Levo tolerates and what it doesn’t! Asthma meds Acid reflux meds and others are likely to exacerbate problems I believe! Been prescribed Famotidone but made mistake of reading side effects! 😱. Haven’t eliminated dairy …. Might find that hard but if it works then will defo give it a go! Will also look at book. Many thanks
Dairy seems like a big deal to give up, but plenty of alternatives out there now (some better than others!). The biggest issue is going out for dinner - no dairy free desserts . I found it reduced mucus production a lot. Dr's just fire fight and treat the obvious symptoms, rather than looking for the root cause.
Join the club!! I’m currently going through something very similar. I’m not on any medication to reduce levels of acid after they discovered (through 24ph monitoring) that I did not have raised acid levels. I do take Gaviscon at night though. At the moment they’re saying I have a very sensitive GI tract. Things were actually improving to the extent that I thought it was all down to menopause (it’s been happening, on and off, for years) and things were finally settling - I’ve been post menopausal for about 7/8 years now. Then two weeks ago after months of being able to eat some (though by no means all) things I haven’t been able to have for years, I had a massive flare of symptoms two weeks ago brought on by a meal that I’ve had many times without any issues for a year or two.
Like you I’ve got the head of my bed raised even though I know it’s going to cause pain issues, partly because I’m hypermobile so lying at an angle like that will result in hip and shoulder pain. Unlike you they haven’t found any sign of a hiatus hernia (though that doesn’t mean there isn’t one); also unlike you I’m not yet on any medication for hypothyroidism having only recently been found to probably have subclinical hypothyroidism. As a result I’m not on levo at the moment, though if things continue to deteriorate I may well do so, so this difficulty is something I’m having to consider. . I’m also asthmatic, so it’s very difficult to differentiate between breathing issues caused by reflux and breathing issues caused by asthma. At the moment, going by my responses to medication for both, I would guess that the two conditions are very happily aggravating each other. I’m currently upping my Gaviscon intake to after some meals as well as at night to help cope with it. Not sure if you can do that; it all depends on whether you can use the two different meds provided there is a gap of two hours plus between them.
I’m assuming you’ve tried lying on your left side at night (I usually find that helps).
ESSENTIAL to get FULL thyroid and vitamin testing 6-8 weeks after your increase in dose
Acid reflux is hypothyroid symptom. Did this start, or get worse after dose Levo was reduced from 100mcg
What were test results on 100mcg that caused GP to reduce dose.
NEVER agree to dose reduction based just on TSH
Which brand levothyroxine are you taking
Do you always get same brand at each prescription
Asthma inhaler may be lowering TSH …..so you must test Ft4 and Ft3 and test vitamin levels at least annually
Recommended that all thyroid blood tests early morning, ideally just before 9am, only drink water between waking and test and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test
This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)
Testing options and includes money off codes for private testing
Hi, I’ve got a hiatus hernia & silent reflux caused by a bent spine, scoliosis. I didn’t know that this was the likely cause for years & tried every exclusion diet & supplement to try to help including going T3 only.
I’ve now discovered that it’s a spinal deformity causing the problem so I’m using Famotadine from the GP. It can be bought from online chemist to try but costs over £30! I now have a prescription. It doesn’t work like Gaviscon etc so it doesn’t cause such a problem taking other meds. It also works for only 12 hours so I take it late in the evening leaving my digestion hopefully less affected during the day.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
. I found it reduced mucus production a lot. Dr's just fire fight and treat the obvious symptoms, rather than looking for the root cause.
selenium- where do we stand?
Another puzzle - Addison’s?
Finding it impossible to recover 1.5 years on 
Advice needed - before I lose the plot!
Levothyroxine V Progesterone/Estrogen dominance?
