Acid Reflux.

[Volundr]

does anyone have any tips for dealing with acid reflux? As of late I keep regurgitating a really acidic gloop after meals and not only is it annoying but it really hurts my chest and throat. I know it's much worse when I've smoked, so I'll get rid of that, any other tips?

 

[n3ophy7e]

Avoid greasy and spicy foods altogether, they make it a million times worse.
Limit your portion sizes so your stomach isn't too full.
Don't lie down or recline after eating because it puts more pressure on the esophageal sphincter at the top of the stomach.

You can use antacid syrups to line the esophagus and counteract the acidity, but they won't actually solve the problem. There are prescription medicines that act in the brain to stop the stomach from actually producing as much acid, they work quite well for me. But you need to take them every single day, forever. And they're prescription only, so you'll need to see your doctor about it, which I would highly recommend anyway because it sounds like your reflux is pretty severe!

Good luck and let us know how it goes

 

[Dtergent]

I would actually recommend starting with smaller meals and stopping the smoking, initially.

Acid reflux happens when hydrochloric acid/enzymes from your stomach come up into your esophagus, which may begin to burn it or create tenderness after awhile. Triggers are plenty, but it generally indicates that you are not having the easiest time digesting. As mentioned above, it could be your meals are too large for your digestion to handle.

It could also be that the food is too fatty/acidic-- excessively oily food, junk food, spicy food, sour food, onions, coffee, cacao. Keep your meals mild and small, and take a lot of fiber. Observe after every small meal, to see if portion size helps, or if you are eating something that is making it persist despite portion size. Apples also help, according to my friend who has it.

If you do not experience relief when avoiding the usual suspects, get checked for ulcers. Acidity is also a symptom for more serious conditions, though this is not very common.

 

[addictivepersona]

As the others have said, avoid anything spicy. Basically, anything bland is your friend. But, bland doesn't always equal boring if you get a bit creative!

From http://www.gerddiet.net/Basics/Diet.html :

Consider non-acid fruits including bananas and apples. Eat a variety of vegetables including carrots, beans, baked potatoes, cabbage and broccoli, all known to be safe GERD diet foods. You can also eat most meats such as chicken breast, lean ground beef, and London broil steak. Fish is particularly a good option. Some cheese seem to be good GERD diet foods including cream cheese, feta or goat cheese and soy based cheeses. Grains are always a good option as is water for drinks. Look for all of your GERD diet to be low fat for the best results.

Check out the site for more helpful tips. Or just use a search engine and look for GERD diet foods/info. GERD = Gastroesophageal reflux disease (aka acid reflux).

There are prescription medicines that act in the brain to stop the stomach from actually producing as much acid, they work quite well for me. But you need to take them every single day, forever. And they're prescription only, so you'll need to see your doctor about it, which I would highly recommend anyway because it sounds like your reflux is pretty severe!

In the US, there's Prilosec OTC--Works better than prescription Prilosec for my mom (she gets TERRIBLE acid reflux--some days it's so bad on top of the Prilosec she takes Tums).

I am not prone to acid reflux but I did get it really bad when I was dorming and eating campus food and/or takeout every single day. Once I started cooking for myself, acid reflux went away.

OH, did some reading awhile back that talked about dairy being a trigger for some acid reflux. Do you eat a lot of dairy? If so, consider cutting back.

Best of luck!

 

[Volundr]

Yeah i've had an enscopy to see if there were any problems with my stomach and apparently it was all clear.

I am on Omeprazole (Prilosec) kinda, but i don't really want to have to take things everyday.


I just regurgitated some with 'mess' with blood in it so... back of throat is really sore so I'm guessing its from the acid wearing something a long the way down. Either way, made me slightly worried.

I'll have to book another appointment, this problem has been getting gradually worse of ryears now and I'm sick of it


Oh and my diet isn't great, in the sen but it hasn't changed recently or anything so I can't explain why, what's been a every now and then occurence for the last couple of years ahas recently turned into a daily, severe, problem.

 

[n3ophy7e]

I am on Omeprazole (Prilosec) kinda, but i don't really want to have to take things everyday.


I just regurgitated some with 'mess' with blood in it so... back of throat is really sore so I'm guessing its from the acid wearing something a long the way down. Either way, made me slightly worried.

I'll have to book another appointment, this problem has been getting gradually worse of ryears now and I'm sick of it

When did you have the endoscopy done?? If your condition has gotten worse you definitely need to have another one done, even though the previous one was all clear.

I am on Omeprazole (Prilosec) kinda, but i don't really want to have to take things everyday.

Yeah I'm on Esomeprazole (Nexium), works a treat as long as I take it every day. I think you might just have to resign yourself to taking something every day though man, as annoying as it is, it's better than having painful reflux!! You get in the habit of taking a tablet every day so it eventually becomes less of a hassle.

Also, if the prescription Prilosec isn't work as well as you'd like, perhaps try the OTC one like addictivepersona suggested? Worth a try.

But first things first, go and see your doctor.

 

[T. Calderone]

I just regurgitated some with 'mess' with blood in it so... back of throat is really sore so I'm guessing its from the acid wearing something a long the way down. Either way, made me slightly worried.

I'll have to book another appointment, this problem has been getting gradually worse of ryears now and I'm sick of it

I have had so many gastrointestinal disturbances over the past 4 years. I had an endoscopy, colonoscopy, and another where they make you drink the white chaulky stuff and check you stomach. So the doctor came up with acid reflux with IBS and a shitty gall bladder. He gave me Protonix which really helps taken twice a day. It's a proton pump inhibitor. But with no insurance it's 4 dollars a pill, so now I just use Prilosec otc and it works alright.

Watching what I eat really helps. Every time I eat anything with tomato, it's sure to set me off. Like someone else mentioned, small portions are helpful and I try to avoid eating at night. I would definitely go back and tell your doctor if you had any blood coming up. Hope you can get this solved soon! ~theresa

 

[TakeItAll]

I am on Omeprazole (Prilosec) kinda, but i don't really want to have to take things everyday.


I just regurgitated some with 'mess' with blood in it so... back of throat is really sore so I'm guessing its from the acid wearing something a long the way down. Either way, made me slightly worried.

.

I don't want to scare you too much but you really should be worried. There is no correlation betweent the severity of symptoms and the severity of the erosive oesophigitis a patient has but if your body is telling you there is damage down there you really need to be taking that pill every day. The badass stuff down the track from untreated reflux is stuff like Barrat's Esophagagus, tooth damage, and some rare cancers. In Australia it seems like most of the population is on one of those PPI drugs.

By the way the esomeprazole mentioned above is superior to the omeprazole also mentioned. Might cost more though, not sure.

 

[n3ophy7e]

By the way the esomeprazole mentioned above is superior to the omeprazole also mentioned. Might cost more though, not sure.

Yep it's pretty expensive, at least it is here in Aus. Not sure if it would be more or less expensive in the US, or if it would be cheaper with health insurance or not.

BUT it works perfectly, so Volundr if you can get a prescription for it, don't hesitate.

 

[Lysis]

I suffer from this badly. It's gotten so bad, I think it has ruined the tissue in my esophagus. I have trouble eating (great to lose weight LOL). I get terrible pain, and the first thing I suggest is keeping tums/pepto on hand always. Don't wait. As soon as you feel pain, take something (Tums is the best, I think).

I haven't read the replies, so I apologies if this was mentioned. I suffer from this really badly, so I deal with it every day. It's kinda embarrassing if it acts up with people I don't know like eating a large meal on a date or with friends. I have to be really careful, so this is what I do.

Don't eat late at night. Go to bed on an empty stomach.
Avoid alcohol (I drink all the time LOL but, it's really bad for acid reflux)
Chew on ginger. Ginger is a great herbal way to control it.
Drink LOTS of water. This helps a TON to control it. I get attacks every day if I don't drink enough water
Chew slow and eat slowly. I used to live in a hectic world where I needed to do shit every second, so I got into the habit of eating really quick. Not good.
I don't normally eat spicy food, but when I have, it hurts as bad as alcohol when it's acting up.

You should really see your doctor too. I hate going to the doctor, but I really need to. The acid ruins the esophagus tissue, which causes the eating problems. It can also cause cancer from the constant destruction of tissue and rebuilding the cells.

 

[n3ophy7e]

^^ Yes you really really need to go to the doctor hun!! There is no reason why you need to be suffering so much with your reflux! It will be as easy as getting a prescription for omeprazole, or better yet, esomeprazole. Just go and see your doctor hun, you'll feel so much better

 

[TheAppleCore]

Oh man, spicy food makes acid reflux worse?

I can hardly stand eating a meal without pepper or tabasco sauce...

But I do occasionally suffer from acid reflux symptoms. Maybe I should cut back...

 

[caramello]

AS someone else says, drink lotsa water, it reeeally helps. I used to suffer reflux for years when i ate eggs or dairy.....i cut out cow milk (its meant for baby cows, not humans anyway), cut right back on cheese and eggs and it went away, so now i can eat spicy food again! Try to eat alkaline producing foods and cut back on acid forming ones. Pretty good list here http://goo.gl/rJPe

 

[Matsuo Munefusa.]

could be a food allergy, do you eat a lot of processed foods? Most processed food contain citric acid which is derived from corn and gives me acid burps every time I consume a little bit.

 

[Jabberwocky]

By the way the esomeprazole mentioned above is superior to the omeprazole also mentioned.

Most claims of superiority for a particular PPI stem from pharmaceutical advertising or drug company sponsored studies. For most people most of the time PPIs are the same in efficacy and tolerability.

http://dissertations.ub.rug.nl/FILES/faculties/science/2006/r.m.klok/pt1/00_c2.pdf
This paper compares them all and finds one better here one better there but the bottom line is:

In conclusion, all PPIs appear to be clinically comparable and clinical choice may be based on other factors, such as pharmacoeconomical considerations.

 

[TakeItAll]

Most claims of superiority for a particular PPI stem from pharmaceutical advertising or drug company sponsored studies. For most people most of the time PPIs are the same in efficacy and tolerability.

http://dissertations.ub.rug.nl/FILES/faculties/science/2006/r.m.klok/pt1/00_c2.pdf
This paper compares them all and finds one better here one better there but the bottom line is:

Dude I was interested enough to read the abstract and stopped there. Even there is says that esomeprapzole is superior to omeprazole for the treatment of gastroesophogeal disease.

However in this specific case any proton pump inhibitor is better than none.

 

[Volundr]

could be a food allergy, do you eat a lot of processed foods? Most processed food contain citric acid which is derived from corn and gives me acid burps every time I consume a little bit.

No, I never eat processed food, I havent eaten 'fast food' or anything in years.

--

Thanks for the responses, I'm 'going bland' for a bit and then will introduce some of the potential problem foods slowly so I know which have negative effects and which are fine.

 

[SA]

The most common cause of severe gastroesophageal problems is the use of antacids. Prior to that, it's simple heartburn. When you try to suppress the body's digestive acids, guess what the body tries to do in turn? It kicks up production of said acid. You then swallow more antacids. The body counters. So on and so forth. Before you know it, you're riddled with scar tissue from this back and forth battle of who's stronger - acid or antacid - and the doctors are just itching to cut at your insides or diagnose you with more meaningful ailments (like esophageal or pancreatic cancer).

The next time you experience heartburn, instead of popping some pepto or zantac, take a couple of teaspoons of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, dissolve in some warm water and drink it up. Wait five to fifteen minutes and see if that doesn't act faster than an antacid pill.

Absolutely cut out alcohol consumption until you have your acid reflux well under check.

Quick anecdote. Me and a friend both used to suffer severe heartburn and reflux. So severe that at times it felt like a heart attack. So severe that we both had to sleep with beds elevated at the head. Both his and mine dosages of antacid perpetually increased. I eventually said Basta! and declared war on the antacid fiending and sought other ways to deal with this "ailment". He continued on the antacid path. Several years later and I now enjoy spicy food whenever I cave it and allow myself to indulge in alcohol now and then (alcohol invtes the return of heartburn the very next day; every single time). My friend passed away just over a year ago. According to doctors - pancreatic cancer. He went for a check up of his increasing discomfort and presto! Cancer. True story.

I'm not saying that acid reflux inevitably leads to cancer. I'm saying there is more than one way to skin a cat (who ever came up with that saying? I know the Egyptian version). The version the medical establishment has everyone conditioned to s not always the right one. Do some good research and some good trial and error and you should come to the best for you concluson. Many will go no further until they see links to studies approved by the same medical establishment which has everyone addicted to antacids. How far you decide to go to find what's right for you is up to you. Common sense rules the day.

A bit on spices. Notice how we are always told to cut out the spicy foods whenever anything is wrong with our digestion? Spicy foods do not increase acid production. Like pouring salt on a wound, spicy foods simply aggravate already tender tissue. Aggravate it and heal it, in fact. Did you know that pepper (cayenne) can heal ulcers (cayenne tea)?

We kill our native bacterial culture with the consumption of alcohol, antibiotics and other "stuff". Our bodies then overcompensate by producing more acid on the front end, because all bacterial culture is dead on the back end. We, in turn, kill that even more with antacids. Conclusion? Address the whole system, so that no one part is acting up. When extremely spicy food is eaten in "hot" countries, what do they compliment it with? A side of plain yogurt (prebiotic; bactrial culture). You do the same. Kill acid reflux with acid (lemon or apple cider vinegar in water) and assist your digestive system with prebiotics (yogurt) and probiotics (kefir). You'll be fine in no time.

 

[Volundr]

Fortunately I don't drink, or rather I consume like a couple of glasses of alcoholic drinks, if that, per year. Thanks for the advice though, it's much appreciated. I wasn't aware the problem was so common.

 

[SA]

I wasn't aware the problem was so common.

Antacids, statins ("cholesterol lowering") and anti-depressants are the most consumed medications in the western world. Legal and non-script - that's antacids at the head of the class.