Severe chronic heartburn

Okay, so I seem to have had regular heartburn for a long time now, several years - but, I always wrongly assumed that everyone had heartburn quite often, it was normal, and there was nothing wrong with me.

Eventually about a month ago I started getting it really bad at night, making it difficult to sleep - particularly since I've been worried about my stomach acid getting into and destroying my lungs. Any particular reason why it's worst at night? Could it be that I'm eating too late? I do tend to eat just an hour or two before sleep.

I think it might be a diet issue though since I've had plenty of times where I've gone without any heartburn for a long time, so that's why I decided to post here with a few questions regarding this.

Firstly, would it be a bad idea for me to start taking heatburn medication daily? I know there are meant to be risks to it raising your stomach acid pH too much - but when my heartburn is this bad and doesn't seem to really get any better, surely that's the idea? Maybe I'm misinformed here

Now to my diet. My diet doesn't change a lot, it's not particularly healthy, but other than the apple juice I drink I can't see anything that could cause heartburn, here:
- Breakfast = A roll with cheese or plain cereal, single glass of apple juice.
- Between breakfast and dinner I've been drinking water, to lower how much juice I drink in case that's the cause
- Dinner = Often margherita pizza, how I'm skinny as bones I don't know - otherwise I'm veggie so soya cutlets + potatoes are common, lots of peppers, spices etc - usually 1 or 2 glasses of apple juice
- Between dinner and supper I'm drinking water again. Occasionally have some chocolate or something as a snack.
- Supper is once again usually a roll, sometimes cheese sandwiches. Once again, a single glass of apple juice.

Any thoughts? PS due to the lack of insurance, I'd rather try some basic ways to solve this -before- seeing a doctor, as it's pricey here in Poland.

Hi jesusgreen, I'm a fellow severe heartburn sufferer...


I think the reason it always gets worse at night is because as the day goes on and you've been eating stuff and your stomach acid level rises, then it just gets at its most intense point at night..

I would certainly recommend a 14-day course of Prilosec or Prevacid. I've done these several times and they do help.

Juice causes heartburn. Any kind of juice. margherita pizza has tomatoes on it which can also cause heartburn. chocolate can cause heartburn.

You'll learn what foods cause it for you. It can differ between people. Like for me, sometimes I can get away with eating onions and green peppers but other times they make me want to go to the ER.

My best advice: lots of water, small meals, avoid high fat/greasy foods, acidic foods, and don't wear tight clothing. If it gets really bad I always have a bottle of ranitidine with me, that stuff will knock out severe heartburn pretty fast.

Oh, and this may sound weird but, stimulants can give me heartburn ;P I don't know why but it does.

Do you drink alcohol frequently?

I have self-induced gastritis from an on again off again alcohol habit. What about coffee? I just had a strong cup and I'm suffering pretty bad GI distress but I just can't give the stuff up! I should switch to tea.

My mother uses Protonix which is prescription but if you don't have insurance it can be ordered cheaply through online pharmacies. Seems to work for her (she's a lush and has been drinking for as long as I've known her, usually 6 beers a night, thus the stomach problems). I've used Nexium as well it's a good alternative to protonix, that and a little maalox before bed might just do the trick!

Also, I'm an on again off again vegan and always notice when I cut dairy out of my diet my overall digestive health improves sevenfold.

Hope this helps.

I wouldn't say I drink that often. On average probably once a week or so, sometimes several times a week, other times not at all for up to a month. I haven't taken many stimulants recently at all - I drink coffee occasionally but only one cup in the morning on days where I didn't get enough sleep - which is usually, similarly to alcohol, once a week.

I actually never thought to check before, but apparently cheese is acidic too. That means 3/3 meals a day and half of what I drink is all acidic, so it makes sense. The issue is although I got over my habit of only being able to eat a handful of foods - I'm still a bit of a picky eater, and so there isn't very much at all that I could eat that's alkaline based to help improve things.

I ended up taking some magnesium based antacid earlier so finally got a little relief, but unfortunately this particular antacid seems to have made me incredibly drowsy - something that seems unusual, and I'm definitely looking for a more long term solution. I'll take a look at the medications you guys mentioned and see if I can find any of them anywhere.

Jesusgreen said:

I actually never thought to check before, but apparently cheese is acidic too. That means 3/3 meals a day and half of what I drink is all acidic, so it makes sense. The issue is although I got over my habit of only being able to eat a handful of foods - I'm still a bit of a picky eater, and so there isn't very much at all that I could eat that's alkaline based to help improve things.

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Yeah, the majority of your meals would have me screamin'.

Your heartburn is worse because you're eating so close to bed time. Eating, and then laying down, is terrible for heartburn. Try moving dinner up an hour or two, or move bed time back.

Jesusgreen said:

I ended up taking some magnesium based antacid earlier so finally got a little relief, but unfortunately this particular antacid seems to have made me incredibly drowsy - something that seems unusual, and I'm definitely looking for a more long term solution. I'll take a look at the medications you guys mentioned and see if I can find any of them anywhere.

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Instead of looking for pricy medications, give this a read. I've never tried it as I only get heartburn when I eat wayyy too much and the wrong things at that, but I know of somebody who swears by this method. I was going to use this method if the chronic heartburn I was getting didn't go away, but thankfully it did due to a diet/lifestyle change.

For more information, look up gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). GERD and heartburn as pretty much synonymous.

My grandmother used to eat baking soda for her acid reflux (from her stomach cancer) so I definitely know it works.

The only issue is I've already looked for it and, this might sound shocking but in every single supermarket I've been to I can't find baking soda - only baking powder (aka baking soda w/ added yeast for cakes etc) and I'm not sure if eating all that yeast would be good

I do eat very late though. It's 11:30pm and I'm just about to make dinner

Yeah, I def. wouldn't go for the baking powder. Where did your grandma buy it? Have you tried looking for "sodium bicarbonate"? Same thing, different name.

Check this out, too. :)

Also, you really shouldn't eat so close to bed time! It's so bad for acid reflux ("heartburn"). I understand you must have a crazy schedule, but is there any way to make it ahead of time to have dinner ready when you get home so you can eat right away instead of having to take the time to make it? Or a way to push bed time back an hour or two? If I eat within a couple hours of bed time, oh man do I regret it. :-/

I've had reflux for almost 10 years - and have had the following procedures to diagnose:

* 2 x gastrocopies and 2 x colonoscopies - this was to determin whether i had Crohn's disease, coeliac disease or ulcers - all negative
* Breath testing to diagnose lactose intolerance, fructose malabsorption or glucose intolerance - all negative

Background - i was diagnosed with endometriosis (reproductive condition that causes severe pain) when i was 15, and have been using anti-inflammatories, among other pain relief, frequently, and not always wisely. I would often take them on an empty stomach, use too many in a day, etc. My reflux was so severe it was waking me up at night, in the morning, after i ate or drank anything, including water. It got to the stage where i had reflux constantly.

I was prescribed Nexium to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GORD), initially 40mg per day, and after 2 months, down to 20 mg when i need it. The medication settled it immediately (the first tablet was heaven).

In saying that, i didn't want to be on medication for the rest of my life, so i did a few things, and now only take my 20mg tablet very occasionally:

* No fruit juice at all (too acidic)
* Limit things like pizza and dense carbohydrates
* Lots of protein with each meal
* No ibupofen or other anti-inflammatories - and if i REALLY need one, i'll eat a good meall first or drink a big glass of milk
* Eat regular meals.
* Limit eating cakes, biscuits, chocolate, etc - anything high in sugar seems to set me off - the same happens with pies, sausage rolls, dense pasty items
* Don't drink fluids when you eat, unless you absolutely have to as it dilutes stomach acid and stops efficient digestion.

I see you drink juice, eat pizza and seem to skip any kind of midday meal? All of those thing would contribute to reflux. Also, as someone else said - don't eat right before bed. Really though, try to limit the amound of acidic food you have, also REALLY chew your food - wolfing it down with only a few chews (i am so guilty of this too) will cause reflux - your mouth and teeth are your first digestive stop - we are meant to chew our food into a paste which helps twofold; you are beginning the digetive process correctly and you are taking your time to eat, which also assists in correct digestion.

In the first instance, talk to your doctor about something like Nexium or Somac (another proton pump inhibitor). The proton pump inhibitors limit the amount of gastric juices produced by the body - which is good in the short term, but we need to produce those to acids to digest properly, so adjusting your diet and dietary habits will go a long way to getting you reflux free without drugs.

I hope it gets better for you as i know exactly how you're feeling

Thanks for the replies. I don't have a crazy schedule, in fact I don't have one at all - just a crazy sleep pattern due to that very fact. The issue is I've gotten so used to eating an hour or two before bed that sometimes I actually can't sleep unless I've eaten recently - odd right? I just had "breakfast" two hours ago at 11pm

The link helps since now I know to look in the cleaning sections rather than the food sections. Cheers

I don't think I could live without apple juice haha, I really love it, and one of my problems is I find pretty much the only things that feel like they're quenching my thirst are apple juice - or coke, and I avoid drinking coke often because of the caffeine. I am trying to keep my juice drinks just to after meals though, and drinking water in between, I believe it's helping.

You mention me not having a midday meal/lunch, would that help? Any suggestions on what'd be good that wouldn't make my problem worse?

I think what you said about chewing is another thing I need to change. I tend to enjoy my food a lot more when I wolf it down, same for drink - kind of ironic given that it's supposed to be the opposite way around, no? But, I know it's bad for me, so I'll try work on not doing that, maybe I'm only not enjoying eating slowly because I don't do it often enough.

Thanks again

I oft get acid reflux & it really makes me fed up. I've just been on a course of lansoprazole for a month & havn't had heatburn the whole time.

I would have to say that eating too close to bedtime makes things real bad. If you do get heartburn in bed try lying on your left.

My acid reflux has gotten completely out of control again. I'm having some really intense reflux right now, the kind that makes me want to go to the hospital. Even though I know there's nothing they can do for me there D:

I am on a 14 day course of Prilosec right now, but I've been having to take emergency doses of ranitidine on top of that because I am still getting reflux. I know this is bad, but I don't know what else to do when I feel like my chest is on fire.

I'm really starting to be concerned about my overuse of acid reducers. On average I take 300mg of ranitidine a day, and then I use the 14 day treatments of omeprazole every few months or so. I am worried about how these are affecting my stomach acid levels in general as well as poor digestion/absorption of food. I feel like I'm trapped in a vicious cycle with this, and I don't know how to get out!

Does anyone know of any quick-relief fixes that I can use right now, that aren't ranitidine? I am dying! Also, I realize taking ranitidine with omeprazole probably isn't good. What is the real risk of doing this?

I will be going to my doctor after I get back from the holiday... in a week or so. I am thinking I should try Nexium, but I'm definitely concerned about how frequently and how long I've been using medications like this. I just want it to stop.

^ How is your diet? Do you lay down after eating? Do you chew your food? All things to take into consideration before resorting to more medications in my opinion.

Oh Euphoria, i so feel for you I know the pain you're going through - i've lived through every waking moment feeling like my GI tract is on fire. Mine has gotten worse over the last couple of weeks, but it's because i disregarded my dietary changes due to it being Christmas. Can you think of anything that has changed in your diet that may have triggered an attack? I find that any kind of medication (I'm currently taking Nexium) only works when i adjust my diet as well. My stomach simply can't handle certain foods anymore.

I've had to use Zantac (ranitidine) on top of Nexium when i've been caught out.

As for trying nexium after taking Prilosec - i've just had a quick look online at the differences between the two - the similarities seem to outweigh the differences? I found that taking my initial dose of 40mg Nexium worked wonders for my reflux - to the point that when the relief came, i audibly sighed! I'm now at the point that I don't need to take it every day (except at the moment, but i've readjusted my diet so hopefully i won't be as dependent on the medication). I've also stopped taking ibuprofen (maybe twice in the last 6 months), which has helped greatly.

edit: chewing food is a good point, AP! I've historically been a shocking eater- my mouth behaved more like a band saw than the first point of digestion. It was only a month ago when it was pointed out that your stomach can't chew the food, so our mouths are integral to the digestion process. Chewing food until it is as paste-like as possible has helped me a lot as well.

Thanks for the advice ladies.

I've stupidly (and knowingly) been doing everything you're NOT supposed to do when you have severe acid reflux issues. Over the past few months or so, after a year or more break, I started drinking coffee again. I was able to tolerate that for a while, one cup a day, only in the morning after I had eaten something first. Then I would get more confidence and have things like juice, ketchup, salsa, pickles, tomato sauce, soda, etc. Then the coffee consumption kind of got out of control after I started my new job. I think what really did me in was this holiday... I haven't had any alcohol in months, and since I've been nonstop visiting with friends and family, I've been drinking almost every single day for the past two weeks. I know I sound the opposite of healthy, trust me I FEEL it. I know it's time for some major rethinking and getting back to my original minimal diet.

Also, like you Samadhi I eat very very quickly. I learned this from a young age as I've noticed my father does the same. I have made a point to chew my food more slowly and thoroughly over the past few days, and that alone has helped somewhat.

Basically I'm going to try to go without any medications for as long as I can, and only take them in emergencies. I was using the meds as a band-aid and an excuse to eat or drink whatever I wanted without the consequences. Guess it all catches up with you eventually.

So my 2012 resolution first and foremost is definitely RESPECT YOUR BODY. lol

^ Heh, glad to hear you're going to respect your body. :D

Seriously though, at least you know it is most likely your diet causing the issues. And before you nix the meds cold turkey, give your doctor a call and just check it with him--I'm not sure there would be ramifications of stopping GERD meds cold-turkey, but it might be better to ween yourself off.

I have severe GERD. It fucking sucks. Being a bodybuilder and having to stuff my face with meat every 2 hours doesn't exactly help my case, either.

Anyway, I've been taking 20mg of prilosec ED for the past 6 months, first thing in the morning. For the first week, I had some bad constipation, but since then, nothing. As far as I'm concerned, omeprazole is a wonder-drug. Sometimes I don't take it just to see if my heartburn will return. Big fucking mistake. Meal 1 ends in complete agony. Am I going stay on Prilo forever? Most likely. Do I care? No.
As long as you are getting routine bloodwork at checkups every few months and everything checks out ok with your liver/kidneys, you can pretty much stay on it indefinitely. To give you an idea of how bad my acid reflux is, just about anything a person can eat/drink and then digest WILL give me heartburn. Even fucking milk.

Heartburn isn't just pain. The acid eventually erodes the tissues in your esophagus, inflaming them, damaging them. Eventually this cycle will increase your chances of developing esophageal cancer. Oh, and if you're serious about treating your GERD/inflammation, cut out any alcohol. Not only does it worsen GERD, it is potentiated by the acid reflux meds.

In my opinion, you should absolutely get on a PPI or an H2 blocker. I may be biased, because I have had 0 side effects thus far other than pretty bad constipation during the first week, but I would seriously recommend it as an option.

I also used Tums. Not sure if they have those in Poland but they are chewable tablets made out of calcium carbonate. They work very well also but I was constantly finding myself having to take at least 10 of them a day in order to maintain a steady stomach pH.

You're supposed to avoid certain foods when you have GERD, but I feel as though the Prilosec has given me a sort of "gold pass" to anything and everything I want. Steak multiple times per day, coffee in the morning, a hot wing cheat meal every once in a while, etc.

Totally forgot to mention something...

To those of you who suffer with chronic heartburn, GERD, whatever you want to call it... Ask your doctor to check for the presence of h. pylori bacteria--Nasty little buggers that live in your stomach and can cause wicked heartburn. Worth getting tested as a dose of antibiotics beats a lifetime of GERD!

Sweet, thanks ap! I am going to my doc here shortly to get this taken care of (again) and I'll bring that up. I've been acid reducer medication free so far in 2012! oh, I guess that's only been 3 days

So I haven't had heartburn for almost a week now (well at least not intense enough to take medication) and I've been avoiding foods and drinks that cause it. But now every single time I eat, afterwards my stomach gets incredibly bloated. I'm talking HUGE and painful. I just ride it out and wait for it to go away and sip water. But it also feels like I have something stuck in my throat and I can't swallow. I take it this is indigestion. It doesn't burn though. Anyone know if this is a result of my overuse of acid reducers?

Try apple cider vinegar, raw and unfiltered. I've heard it does wonders with heartburn.