re: Posters with heartburn/acid reflux what do you use

I am dealing with this now. Never had heartburn until college when I gained some weight. Ate tums like crazy for a while then started taking nexium back when it was prescription only but got it from a family friend who was apparently pretty sketchy looking back on it ha.

Seemed to work fine and I would just take one every couple of weeks when I feel some heartburn creeping in. Did that for 20+ years until the last year and a half or so.

Had some chest pains and went all through heart cath stress test all perfectly fine. Wound up a GI who didnt see any damage when doing a scope so no Barretts or anything but do have a hiatal hernia and did say likely it was relux causing the chest pain.

By the time of the scope the chest pains had stopped and I fell back into old habits of eating whatever whenever and was pretty heavy at 255 and 6ft 1in.

Few months went by and didnt think about it but I was noticing the feeling of something in my throat often. They called it globas sensation feels like something there but there isnt. This went on for 6 montsh or so until I started noticing my voice getting weak and hoarse so I went to ENT.

He looked at larynx with nasal scope thing and said the larynx and vocal cords were inflamed due to reflux and said he thinks it was bc taking the meds occasionally was doing enough to keep me from feeling "heartburn" but it was still happening enough that it was able to get into larynx and slowly over 20+ years damage that soft tissue.

So he prescribed 40mg prilosec(generic version) twice a day. Few months went by with no improvement so I decided the meds alone were not going to do it so I started with the lifsetyle changes.

Elevated head of bed, stopped eating after 6-7pm, dont lay down for 3 hours after eating etc. Biggest thing though was changing diet and losing weight. Stopped eating all the junk and started on low fat low acid diet. I had already been jogging a mile or so each day even at 255 but was not losing any weight until I changed diet and in the past 5 months I have dropped from 255 to 190.

Both ENT and GI told me that it generally takes 6 months or more for the larynx tissue to heal from the years of acid damage which was very hard to accept and for 5 months of twice a day prilosec and diet exercise lifestyle changes I did not see any improvement but finally just in the past 2 weeks I have had some significant improvement in my voice but still not 100% so continuing on with it all until I feel it is completely healed. Even then I will continue with most of it.

Say all that just to say be careful with it. Taking the meds occasionally I thought all was fine and was for like I said 20+ years until suddenly it wasnt fine any more and can be far worse if Barretts or worse cancer develops.

OT Version: I have it, take prilosec twice a day, was fat as hell so lost a ton of weight and things got better.

if you only have symptoms ocassionally, pepcide complete works for me.

This is to treat once the burn starts, not prevent it. Bonus is it does not taste like chalk.

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I cut the carbs out of my diet, and its gone.

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This. Low carb/low sugar is the key.

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Both ENT and GI told me that it generally takes 6 months or more for the larynx tissue to heal from the years of acid damage which was very hard to accept and for 5 months of twice a day prilosec and diet exercise lifestyle changes I did not see any improvement but finally just in the past 2 weeks I have had some significant improvement in my voice but still not 100% so continuing on with it all until I feel it is completely healed. Even then I will continue with most of it.

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If you don’t have any permanent tissue damage after 20+ years of reflux then you should thank your lucky stars and stick tight to the instructions your doctors give you. You dodged a big one. Esophageal cancer is at record levels because of poor diets. It’s as deadly as pancreatic cancer.

For me, my worst heartburn symptoms come from red sauces, alcohol, and anything greasy within a couple of hours before bedtime.

Luckily it's easy to cut out or take a prilosec while cooking spaghetti or planning on pizza for dinner.

I also have to stop drinking at least a couple of hours before bed. A nightcap of whiskey means I'm up an extra couple hours on an elevated pillow to avoid the symptoms.

Less alcohol consumption

Then Nexium

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This. Low carb/low sugar is the key.

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I think it's a cleaned up (free of processed junk) diet more than any macro group in particular. I used to have heartburn almost every day and rarely get it it once I changed my diet (and quit drinking) and I eat a fairly high carb diet.

Coincidentally I had heartburn for the first time in months yesterday from a sugar free Red Bull of all things.

I had it terrible, went to the doc recently. She prescribed Pantoprazole. Not a single moment of indigestion, heartburn etc in over two months. Yes, I'm fat.

1 Prilosec every morning before anything else

I've taken a ppi for 20 years. Generic Prevacid (lansoprazole) currently. Never knew I had reflux but did have esophageal strictures which suggested it.