Acid Reflux Remedies

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Anyone ever have acid reflux? I’ve tried everything from not drinking liquids with meals, sleeping with my head elevated, taking antacids and drinking apple cider vinegar and still the reflux remains.

I’m curious if anyone has found something to relieve it.
 
This can be a very serious problem…best to get it checked out by a doctor. Chronic esophageal damage by refluxing gastric acid can cause a host of problems; bronchitis, esophageal scarring and stricture and something I’ve experinced in the past, esophageal spasms. The one’s I’ve had lasted anywhere from 1-5 hours, and are by far the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced.

I’m on prescription Omeprazole, and that seems to work fine. You might want to try an OTC acid blocker for a couple of weeks and see if it works. A couple words of advice; take it about 15-30 before you eat, it seems to work better that way and don’t eat at least 3-4 hours or longer before bedtime if you can manage.

Antacids can sometimes have a rebound effect; they neutralize the acid, but the stomach can respond by actually producing more acid a couple hours later.

Elevating the head of the bed 2-4" is a good idea even if you don’t see or feel immediate results. I was a bit over weight and had a significant improvement when I lost about 15 lbs. as well.
 
Get tested for H-Palori!!!

I was treated for it about 6 years ago. I have no more stomach or reflux problems since I completed the medication. It is a simple test your dr can do and the medication is just an oral pill, I forget for how long, seems like it was 3 weeks.
 
Newbie2 said:
This can be a very serious problem…best to get it checked out by a doctor. Chronic esophageal damage by refluxing gastric acid can cause a host of problems; bronchitis, esophageal scarring and stricture and something I’ve experinced in the past, esophageal spasms. The one’s I’ve had lasted anywhere from 1-5 hours, and are by far the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced.

I’m on prescription Omeprazole, and that seems to work fine. You might want to try an OTC acid blocker for a couple of weeks and see if it works. A couple words of advice; take it about 15-30 before you eat, it seems to work better that way and don’t eat at least 3-4 hours or longer before bedtime if you can manage.

Antacids can sometimes have a rebound effect; they neutralize the acid, but the stomach can respond by actually producing more acid a couple hours later.

Elevating the head of the bed 2-4" is a good idea even if you don’t see or feel immediate results. I was a bit over weight and had a significant improvement when I lost about 15 lbs. as well.
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Yeah, Omeprazole is the one I’m taking. I feel it getting worse when I drink water. I’ve seen more than one doctor and they say it’s just reflux. I heard acid reflux meds could cause weight gain because of the stomach not digesting the food properly. It’s kind of ironic that the meds that are supposed to help might be making things worse.

I’m also wondering if the omeprazole could be producing that rebound effect. I hear that’s why apple cider vinegar is recommended…because it prevents the stomach from producing more acid. I don’t know, last time I tried it…I took a tablespoon straight and it burned my throat! LOL, I didn’t know you had to dilute that stuff first.
 
JustAnotherThou said:
Get tested for H-Palori!!!

I was treated for it about 6 years ago. I have no more stomach or reflux problems since I completed the medication. It is a simple test your dr can do and the medication is just an oral pill, I forget for how long, seems like it was 3 weeks.
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Hmm, H-Pylori…never heard of that before. What kind of doctor can perform the test, the primary doctor or a specialist? If the primary doctor can do it, I may even make a visit today. 😃
 
JPUSC said:
Hmm, H-Pylori…never heard of that before. What kind of doctor can perform the test, the primary doctor or a specialist? If the primary doctor can do it, I may even make a visit today. 😃
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My primary did. I would guess you can ask when you schedule an appointment. Usually it is not the Dr that does the test it is a central lab, they just do what the Dr orders. There is a lot more info online about it now than when I had it, it can explain what it is a lot better. Just print some of it off and take it to your Dr incase they are not schooled in it.

Honestly, I had daily stomach problems for YEARS, so bad that I would miss work at times. Since I took the med for H-Pylori I have not had one stomach ache, unless it was from eating too much!!! 👍
 
JustAnotherThou said:
My primary did. I would guess you can ask when you schedule an appointment. Usually it is not the Dr that does the test it is a central lab, they just do what the Dr orders. There is a lot more info online about it now than when I had it, it can explain what it is a lot better. Just print some of it off and take it to your Dr incase they are not schooled in it.

Honestly, I had daily stomach problems for YEARS, so bad that I would miss work at times. Since I took the med for H-Pylori I have not had one stomach ache, unless it was from eating too much!!! 👍
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This is very, very interesting. I’m reading through some of the symptoms and it includes constant burping and a bloated feeling. I do feel bloated for around 4 hours or more after eating or drinking, even if it wasn’t even a huge amount of food. I haven’t really had stomach aches though. I do have a silent reflux that has lasted for almost 7 months now.

I am extremely happy to learn of this. Thanks a lot JustAnotherThou!! 😃
 
There’s some controversy about the role of Helicobacter pylori in gastric reflux issues, and the gold standard for diagnostics is finding the organisms through an endoscopic biopsy. Most times Amoxicillin + PeptoBismol seems to be an effective combination, sometimes other antibiotics are used as well in addition or in substitution for Amoxicillin.

Omeprazole does not have a rebound effect. Without getting too technical, it is a proton pump inhibitor, which decreases the stomach’s production of acid vs. antacids, which merely neutralize the acid. Other medications such as H2 blockers, like Zantac, inhibit acid secretion by a different mechanism. Proton pump inhibitors are the most effective at decreasing acid production, on the whole. Some medications also have positive effects on the upper esophageal sphinctor muscle, to help keep it “closed down” and lessen reflux.

Some doctors might do a trial of Amoxi and Pepto and if the symptoms clear, presume H. pylori as a factor. Best overall is an upper GI study; that way they can see if there are any ulcerations and/or anatomical deviations in the esophagus, such as Zenker’s diverticula.
 
I have gotten a lot of help for a variety of health concerns from Mercola.com. (Usually you can just google the problem name and “mercola” and find a good article.) I prefer to find natural, whole-health treatments rather than start on pharmeceuticals and the have to deal with their side effects. I’ll use pharmeceuticals someday when alternatives don’t work - but I have yet to ever need one.

I have learned that alternative natural treatments are highly effective on chronic problems, and I have heard that acid reflux is one that is effectively treated naturally. So I looked up what Dr. Mercola had to say (there are several articles) and thought the one I linked here look good. His is the number one alternative health website on the web, and its a good place to start if natural is what you are looking for.

articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/25/News-Flash-Acid-Reflux-Caused-by-Too-Little-Acid-Not-Too-Much.aspx

(Scroll down to see the video of Mercola speaking on the topic and then the text, which basically says the same thing as the video. The linked related articles at the bottom are interesting too.)
 
I had severe acid reflux since my late teens. When I say severe, I mean that I was taking the maximum dose of Tagamet combined with the maximum dose of Prilosec yet I still needed to take about 100 Maalox tablets each day. Still with all this, repeated endoscopes showed the erosions in my esophagus were getting worse. I had a test where a tube with a couple of sensors to detect acid levels was inserted up my nose and down my esophagus and into my stomach and esophagus to record pH levels over a 24 hour period. It recorded over 300 separate episodes of acid reflux! And that was WITH my acid reduction medicine.

It got to the point where my doctor felt that my esophageal erosions would eventully completely penetrate my esopagus spilling food and stomach contents, including acid, onto neighboring oragans like my splee, liver, etc. This is a life threatening situation.

At that point, I had no choice. In the summer of 2001 I had a surgical procedure called a fundoplication. Here is a link on WebMD.com that describes the procedure. Fundoplication Procedure. Essentially, the top of the stomach is folded up and wrapped around the lower esophagus. This turns the upper stomach into a new sphincter and stops acid reflux.

There are two principal side effects from this procedure. First, I can no longer throw up. While I do heave, the forceful stomach contractions part of the vomit reflex clamp the esophagus shut preventing stomach contents from coming up. Second, it is very difficult if not impossible to burp. This means that the air you swallow while eating is expelled another way. 😊

My surgery was done laprocopically. It was only after waking up from the surgey that I realized how much pain I had been in my entire life. No more heartburn, no more pain and no more drugs.

I went home after three days in the hospital. I was off work for about a week. I was on a liquid diet for about a month then proressed through soft foods, meats, ruffage and so on for the next month. After two months I was easting fairly normally.

After 8 years, I am still heartburn and pain free.

While nothing that I have said here about my experience should be inyterpreted as offering medical advice, perhaps you should consider talking to your doctor to learn more the fundoplication procedure and if you are a cadidate for it.
 
JPUSC said:
Anyone ever have acid reflux? I’ve tried everything from not drinking liquids with meals, sleeping with my head elevated, taking antacids and drinking apple cider vinegar and still the reflux remains.

I’m curious if anyone has found something to relieve it.
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JP! I know that you can eat some crackers, like Christie Premium plus…and other crackers too. I heard that will do wonder, because cracker is base, and can neutralize acid, the acid and base in your body must be balanced, and if you always have excess acid, you should eat some crackers as snack. I mean since you have already seen a doctor, and been told it’s just acid reflux. else you shall see another doctor.
I pray for you get well soon!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid-base_homeostasis
 
A good gastroenterologist can assist in treating acid reflux as they take care of digestive problems such as IBS, Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis, esophagus problems, stomach, pancreas, liver, gall bladder, etc. Basically, anything dealing with the digestive system.

I take Zegerid powder at night and that really helps with my acid reflux. There are other things like Aciphex, Prilosec, Protonix, etc. But you have to be tested correctly in order to find what is actually causing the problems.

Talk to your primary care’s RN and ask who they’d send their family members to or even ask him as most will only advise their family to see top notch doctors in the area.

This is what I did when I needed a good GI, Gyn, and a GI surgeon. I made friends yrs. ago with an RN and an LPN and when the time came for me to find new doctors, I talked to them as they deal with doctors all the time in the hospital.

I hope you feel better and good luck on your search. God Bless.
 
Thanks for the additional feedback.

I saw the doctor today and am going to get a test done for H-Pylori. She also recommended yoghurt (I bought mango lassi, does that count?) and sea salt as opposed to omeprazole/prilosec. I noticed that the Mercola.com article also suggested sea salt.

I’ve seen a few ENTs, but not a gastroenterologist. I’ll look into one if problems continue to persist. I see the doctor again in a few weeks, so I might ask for a referral then.

Wow, your condition sounds pretty serious, rpp. Glad to know that you’re doing better now.

Crackers? I’ll do some reading on that.

Thanks again!
 
Do not offer nor solicit medical advice on CAF. Thanks for your cooperation.
 
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