I originally had gerd when I was in my late twenties. Some occasional mild Nightime heartburn. At the time I was not overweight, but was taking Asprin for headaches and eating tomato products and drinking coffee and was under alot of stress. I then suddenly had an episode where I couldn't swallow. This lasted one day and it was gone. But I didn't have heartburn, but had a lump in my throat. Because I wasn't having heartburn anymore the Dr's gave me Reglan. This drug helped relax the LES or tighten it, not sure of exactly what it does. But it had side effects for me. It made me depressed and agitated. So the Dr put me on Zantac 2 X's a day at 150 MG. Took about a month, but at the time it worked and I was ok for the next 13 years with no heartburn and able to eat anything. Then I started taking nsaid's for my headaches. OTC Ibuprofen and naproxen sodium. Very bad stuff if you have Gerd. Gerd can go silent , but it never goes away. I didn't feel the effects of these drugs right away, but ended up with a breakthrough and severe gerd after a period of time. Dr put me on the protonix , then the purple pill. The purple pill worked a bit better for me, but I still have nigthtime breakthroughs. I take Pepsid at night. Took some blood tests recently and the Dr said I am a bit anemic. Told me to take Neferex that is OTC, but have to ask the pharmacist for it. I thought you couldn't take Iron supplements and Nexium? Dr said it's ok to do this. Stool test was normal as was all other blood work. Because my co payment on insurance is $500 per test, I haven't had a colonoscopy or endoscopy. Dr want's me to retest the CBC blood in January again. I found out that one of the side effects of Nexium use ( now on it for 4 years) is anemia. Not to mention the inability to absorb vitamins B12 AND B 6. These can lead to iron deficiency anemias but the Dr never addressed that with me, but it's in the information about the purple pill from the manufacturer. I know I am not digesting my food properly, my stool varies in color from Green, to yellow sometimes brown and if I drink Carrot juice it's orange! A bit hesitant to take Iron supplement as it can cause digestive problems..wondering if anyone has had any anemia's due to taking long term PPI's. I want so much to get off of the drug at this point. I know anemia is a symptom not a disease but there are many types of anemia like Pernicious which is more of an absorbtion of Vitamin B12 problem. My mother has this as well. Gerd and GI problems run in my family, but no immediate family member has ever had any type of cancer. My father had Gerd for 27 years and suffered alot from it. But never even developed Barretts esophagus. Should I see a nutritionist and see if they can help me get to the source of my Gerd? I am so careful about what I eat, drink lots of water and take acidophilus bifidus...but stopped eating red meat as I was concerned about cholesterol ( but have normal cholesterol).
I am learning more just reading about everyones experiences with gerd, and how so many of us have similar experiences with this disease. IS any new research out there for Gerd going on? Any cure in sight?
HI! I have a hiatal hernia and I am also on Nexium. My iron count is always perfect when I have blood tests ran. So, I don't know......I didn't know Nexium could cause anemia......But, I also have been taking Primal Defense by Garden of Life for 2 years. It has a tiny bit of iron in it, I think. I also still have problems at night with my reflux. The doctor told me to start taking 2 a day, one in the morning and one at night but I cannot afford it. It's too expensive to take 2 X a day!!! Plus, I am afraid of the side effects. I take 4 Gaviscon chewables and 2 pepto before I lay down and most of the time it keeps me from getting reflux through the night. Sometimes I forget to take them or don't take enough......BIG MISTAKE!!! Nightime reflux is my WORST problem!!! Plus I have IBS, so my mornings don't go very well either!!
Hope you get to feeling better soon!.
Check out Primal Defense if you're worried about anemia. It's an awesome product. Expensive but worth it!! It's a HSO probiotic, like your acidophilus but it has 14 different strands of probiotics. I use them because of my IBS......They don't do a thing for my reflux!!
I was told by my GI to take Pepsid at night for the nighttime breakthroughs of the gerd. Thats when it's at it's worst for me too. You can take Pepsid with Nexium. I take one right before bedtime and it works for 8 hours. It really does help me. Also I sleep sitting up. Those 6 inches that they say to elevate yourself is for the birds. Also Dr said not to eat anything 4-5 hours before bedtime. I also take DGL ( Licorice root) which does help soothe the esophagus. If you can stand the taste :)
And yes, Nexium can cause anemia, B12 deficiencies and other things. You can read up on it online. They tell you about the minor problems like headaches , diahreah, abdominal pain which are most common. There are many uncommon ones as well. It seems to be a problem with all the PPI's. Lots of medications can cause Anemia, not sure if Pepsid does though.
Will check out Primal Defense and see if it helps. I know that many IBS sufferers also have Gerd. Wish they would find a cure..they are close to a cure for Chrons now, but Gerd seems to be at the bottom of the chain. Should mention that I am female and going through the first stages of menopause. Night sweats, menstrual cycles at 21 days now...ohhhh,,, isn't life fun?
OH MY GOD!!! I can take Pepcid AND nexium???? That's sooo awesome!! Do you take the 10mg or the 20mg??? I tried every other PPI on the market and all of them made me really nauseated so I quit taking it and I was just taking two pepcid AC Maximum strength a day but it wasn't lasting long enough........so the doctor put me on the Nexium and I thought I couldn't take the Pepcid anymore!! It took like 2 weeks for the Nexium to even start working on my reflux and I have been downing the pepto and gaviscon to try to combat the reflux.......unbelievable!! You are a Godsend!!! This is the best news I have heard, yet......maybe I will get some sleep tonight THANKS TO YOU!!!
I just got the DGL today and took my first two about an hour ago and ate and I'm doing rather well. Better than usual. I think it's going to work!!! I sleep sitting up, too, but sometimes my back starts hurting and by the time I wake up in the morning I find my self lying flat! hehehehehe....like last night.
I do have the headache, abdominal pains and diarrhea that come with the Nexium, which isn't making my diarrhea predominant IBS ANY BETTER!!!
I find it really hard not to eat 4-5 hours before I go to bed because with my IBS mornings, it takes me until 11:30am before I can even eat my breakfast. So, by the time I am getting ready to go lay down, I get these MEAN HORRIBLE HUNGER PAINS, that will not let me sleep if you don't eat something. So, I usually end up snacking on crackers before going to sleep which I'm sure doesn't help! And since the doctor took me off of my Elavil for sleep, I take Tylenol PM and I'm sure that doesn't help, either does it??? I get some sleep at least, when I do take it. I just wake up sick!
If I can get anemia from the Nexium, I guess the Primal Defense is fixing that for me. I haven't had an anemia problem and I have been on PPI's since 2003. With the exception of the 1 month that I quit taking any of them and was just taking the Pepcid AC. Man, that stuff worked great for about 2 hours and then the reflux would be right back again. I had it bad, I guess. Well, I have a hiatel hernia, too.
OH, I'm sorry to hear you're going through the night sweats and stuff! That sucks!! I feel for you, girl!!! I'm only 30, so hopefully I have a little while before I have to deal with that.......on top of all this other crap !!!! Oh, you're right......Life is sooooo fun!!! hehehehehe
Thanks so much for the tip on the Pepcid! You don't get any side effects from taking both of them??? I'm gonna take it tonight! As soon as you tell me which one to take.......the 10mg or the 20mg. I have both!! hehehehehe Take Care! *Hugs* Michelle :)
My GI doctor didn't tell me anything about taking Pepcid at night for my night reflux. He gave me Sucralfate or whatever that's called, that coats the lining of your stomach to protect against ulcers.....it doesn't do anything for me but make me constipated. Well, I have IBS-D!!! So, my colon pushes everything out anyway every single day......so when I'm backed up.....it just takes longer (hours and hours) and hurts 100000 times as bad!!! One way or the other it's coming out. So, I'm not taking that mess anymore. It hurts too bad coming out!! The cramps are debilitating!!!!!!! hehehehe I know this is wayyyy too much Info!! Michelle :)
What do you eat??? I am so baffled by the reflux thing on top of the IBS thing..... I don't know what to eat anymore. Do you avoid certain foods besides spicy stuff and meat??? Or can you just eat anything you want, basically. I am only eating cream of wheat, bagels, and easy to digest stuff like that......Hoping I will be able to add stuff. But my reflux was sooooo bad for the past month, I wasn't able to eat anything at all besides crackers.
Hi Michelle, I was told to take the Max strength pepsid so I take 20 MG about 1 hour before I go to bed. It really did make a difference for me and I hope it works for you as well. Nexium is good, for the daytime but not nightime gerd.
I tried Protonix at first before the Nexium but that did nothing at all for me. The nexium worked but I also did not know you could take Pepsid with Nexium, but I was told YES!. My New GI told me it's Ok as they are two different type of drugs and I have had no problems taking both and have been doing this for over 1 year. No side effects at all. As to sleeping sitting up,,, I sleep on the couch, propped up and a neck pillow and ottoman for feet. It's so comfortable this way , and I don't slip down as I would in bed. Since Hubby goes to bed at 3 am, I just put in the earplugs, eyemask and keep him company on the couch :)
Suggestion: Take the DGL 40 min to 1 hour before eating. It seems to work better than after meals. It's very healing. The Chewables are recommended as something in our saliva mixing with the DGL is what is supposed to help. *HUGS* Jamie:)
You're awesome! I cannot wait to try this tonight. I will let you know how I do in the morning. If I can keep the acid from getting so bad at night, I think it would also stop my D attacks in the morning. I think the acid reflux triggers my D attacks if that makes any sense. My body is just soooo acidic right now. How long have you been taking the DGL???? I have been able to eat more this evening since I took it. But, I ate 20 minutes after I took it, (bottle directions), so I will follow your advice and try to take it 40min-1hr before......and see if that does even better.
I like your whole earplugs and eyemask thing!! My hubby doesn't go to bed until 3am, too!!! Every single night!! He doesn't get off work until 11:30pm, so by the time he gets home, he's wide open. But, he stays on the computer all night so there is no recliner or anything that I could lay in to keep him company. He hasn't been to bed at all today. He stayed up all night and still hasn't went to sleep (because he had the day off, today). I guess he has to work super long hours tomorrow, and has to go in ALOT earlier than normal, so he's going to stay up so he can sleep tonight.
So, you still having problems with your GERD taking the DGL and the Nexium and the Pepcid AC??? I wonder what in the world is going on. They want to do a hida scan on my gallbladder but I cannot fast past midnight the night before the test. So, they have to wait until I can sleep the whole night and not have to wake up and take pepto and gaviscon as soon as I wake up to keep from throwing up!!! I think the Pepcid would work. I don't know why they didn't tell me about that!! They make me so mad.......If I could have been taking it this WHOLE TIME!!! It would have made my life a whole lot easier this past 3 weeks since my endoscopy/colonoscopy!! It's been HELL!!!!!!! You're awesome!
Thanks Jamie! Email me anytime~lets keep in touch! Seems we have alot in common!!! Maybe we could find a cure, together!!
Hi Michelle, I also was very careful about what I eat. NO TOMATO PRODUCTS..thats a must. Now I can eat fresh tomatoes, but absolutely nothing from a can or bottle like spaghetti sauce. When they can tomatoes, they have to alter the PH to a very high acid state to prevent botulism. So they add citric acid. For normal people it's not an issue, but if you have Gerd you must stay away from the red sauces. No onions..but I can tolerate a bit of onion powder. Thyme, bay leaves and oregano do not seem to bother me. Some spices do. Pepper ( Black) is fine, but not fresh green peppers...ouch! I had a problem digesting Red meat too..which might be the reason I also am a bit anemic. I stopped eating most red meat some time ago, limiting myself to once or twice a month. Found out that it's the high fat content in some meats, so stick to lean meats only. I am fine with Chicken liver, and high quality red meat cuts like Filet Mignon...Just don't eat fatty meats. Keeps your calorie content to about 350 cals per meal, and of course eat small frequent meals. Too much at one time hurts and if you have a hiatal hernia, which most of us do, you really should eat small frequent meals...and no chocolate or caffiene...I do dring I glass if Iced tea, decaf once in awhile. Apple juice is good, and not acidy but give you the Vitamin C you need.
My Dr told me that Gerd waxes and wanes. Sometimes it's ok and you can eat more and sometimes it acts up and you have to be a bit more careful about what you eat. My Gerd always seems worse before my monthly cycle too. Don't know why but it does. I also eat cream of wheat, ( Lots of iron in that too). But I limit my intake of milk as I was told that calcium can actually make the stomach secrete more gastrin which is the hormone that makes us create that lovely stomach acid.
Oh, maybe all the cream of wheat that I eat is what keeps me from being anemic, too.....I didn't think about that! Because of my IBS, I can't eat anything hardly that you mentioned!! NO tomatoes, no onions, no meat, absolutely NO DAIRY!! :( I love ice cream, too. I haven't been able to eat ice cream in over 2 years!! ......well, I use to be able to handle chicken and turkey until my reflux acted up on me. Which is funny.....I'm on my cycle this week. It is definitely worse this week......my IBS AND the reflux. I eat a little bit, often. That has been working best for me right now. You're right......about 7:30pm, my body starts acting up, though. I don't know if it's my stomach or my IBS.....that's the problem with having both!!! I start to feel yucky at about 7:30pm for some reason and it lasts until about 10:00pm. Then I get the STARVING-TO-DEATH-FEELING.....like I have to eat a whole cow to get the hunger pain to go away. Do you ever experience this, or is it just me????
PS..I am going to see a nutritionist next month and see if I can get off of the Nexium and find out what foods Gerd sufferers should eat. It's been trial and error for me. The dr's don't tell you what to eat, just what not to eat. Like chocolate.. My symptoms come and go,,, wax and wane. Some weeks are great, some not so great. Been like this for a long time now and wish they could find a cure for this.
BTW,,,Gallbladder can cause gerd symptoms as well...my son at 26 had his removed. Now he is fine. I had an ultrasound not hida scan for the GB. My son had a cat scan, and ultra sound but they didn't find stones as they were too small to be seen..had an ECRP...then they found the stones. Hida scan will tell if your GB is working properly. It's a good test to take. Also, never take Ibuprofen or Naproxen Sodium or and NSAIDS...only tylenol...
OMG,,, I also found that around 8 pm my reflux starts to act up more...then I would also get the hunger pangs around 11 or 12... Must be secreting more gastrin at night...or more bile. Nightime Gerd is different than regular Gerd... Also if we are stressed that does not help. I take Klonepin for anxiety. It has helped me relax a bit and helps the gerd symptoms. Xanax did nothing and does not last as long. I tried Reglan but had side effects from that like agitation and depression.
So no, your not alone in how your feeling at night. But I found that the DGL and Pepsid helped calm those hunger feelings.
Let me know if the Pepsid helps you...Try sitting propped up a bit more if you can. Gravity does wonders... *HUGS* Jamie:)
OMG~That's so wierd that you get it too......do you take anything for it when it starts (at like 8pm)?? Also, do you take the DGL before bed. I read on the Internet that someone was taking it, you know 3 times a day before meals and 2 about an hour before bed. Or do you just take the Pepcid, and you're good...??? I might ask my doctor about that Klonepin stuff. I haven't heard of that......was on Buspar for anxiety and it triggered major reflux, I was on Remeron and it triggered majjjjjjjor reflux at night!!! This was the biggest contributing factor to my reflux starting upa gain.......it gave me severe heartburn!!! So, they switched me to Elavil and it also gives me mean heartburn......so, now that they took me off all of my sleeping drugs, I take tylenol PM and it helps me sleep, but I have noticed that it doesn't necessarily make my reflux WORSE at night but it doesn't HELP it, either. But, I have to sleep or I'm a total MESS the next day with reflux AND IBS!!!! I have to sleep..... :(
My doctor won't even give me Xanax......he won't give me anything that is potentially sedating, hardly, or addicting.....he's a very strict doctor. I don't know why he is so strict with his prescriptions. He definitely doesn't just hand out drugs to anybody that wants them. Especially me. I have tried. I asked him for all the good feeling drugs and he won't even give me more than 5 phenergran (for nausea) a month!! He's horrible!!
I might go to Walmart and get me one of those TV pillows, so I can get myself propped up a little bit more. They work pretty good, I think, don't they???
Let me know about taking the DGL and Pepcid together tonight or just the pepcid. How many DGL do you take a day, usually??? I eat about 6 times a day and I don't want to take 2 tablets before all of those 6 times, do I??? That would be like 12 tablets in a day!! Not supposed to take more than about 6-8 right???
Well, I guess I got a couple more hours before the stomach starts churning!! 7:30 is rolling around quick, this evening!! I'm not ready!!! hehehehehe
Let me know what your nutritionist says about the Nexium, thing. You're on 40mg, right?? I just went on it 3 weeks ago, so I think I'm a ways away from being able to come off of it. I gotta get to the point where I can eat again. 2 years ago, this happened to me and I lost 20 lbs. I went on Prilosec OTC and it worked for me that time. I eventually gained all the wieght back and after a year and a half I was able to come off of the Prilosec and never had reflux problems again until (August) now. NO, I can't get occasional heartburn.......no.....when my reflux comes back, I cannot eat at all!!! It sucks sooo bad!!! I even remember driving down the road one day and I was listening to a Prilosec OTC commercial on the radio and I thought to myself "I cannot believe I ever had reflux problems like that and now I don't have any!!!". WOW, LOW AND BEHOLD......LOOK AT ME NOW!!!! I should have knocked on wood, huh???!!! Dang!
Hey Michelle, When 8 pm starts and if my reflux is beginning to act up I take the DGL (2). Suck on it slowly....I don't think you can OD on it...not the DGL as the part that is supposed to raise your BP is taken out. I also tried a licorice twizzler if it's really bad, although I am not supposed to eat 4-5 hours before bed. But I found that it's not really solid food if you just let it melt in your mouth, and it dissolves and seems to numb and calm the reflux and stop the hunger pangs. So when it's really bad by 8 pm I take a twizzler , but only the licorice ones.. I go to bed by 10 pm and sleep only about 5-6 hours anyway..when younger I slept more but find 5-6 is ok now. Normally take the Pepsid around 9 pm and the klonepin an hour later as the pharmacist recommended. One hour apart. Klonepin can cause gastritis in some people, but it has not had that effect on me. All drugs have some side effects, even OTC drugs and since everyone is different each of us might have different reactions to drugs.
I have used the TV pillow and yes, the bedrest pillow is great. Anything to keep yourself propped up will help you feel good in the AM. They sell those craftmatic beds ( way too expensive for me) but they are like hospital beds,, keeping you sitting up as you sleep. Try the TV pillow and see if you can sleep sitting propped up a bit higher. They also sell these wedges for gerd, but haven't tried that. *HUGS* Jamie:)
I would love to get one of those craftmatic beds, but we can't afford it, either.....they are very expensive. I will try the licorice thing, too. I have some cherry twizzlers in the house right now but they upset my stomach. Maybe I will pick up some regular twizzlers tomorrow or whenever I can get the nausea to go away so I can get to the store!! I have a hard time getting to the store, lately, because the reflux starts acting up......I get nauseated when I drive and when I get into the store, the belching starts and I don't ever know if I'm going to throw up or not!!
I will get a pillow, tomorrow, too if I can get out of the house. Thanks for all your help!!! If I find something that works, I will let you know, too!! Oh, I do take Prelief (you can get it from the drug store, like beano). I take two of those right before I eat and they help A LOT!!! They take the acid out of the food, not your stomach. They really do help me alot. I wouldn't even anything if I didn't take the prelief beforehand. Maybe the Prelief and the DGL, together will help kill this reflux. I don't know.....we'll see!!
I will let you know if my doctor will give me the Klonepin......probably not, but it's worth a shot. And we'll see how the Pepcid AC does, tonight. Hopefully it will work! You're the best! Thank you sooo much for all your suggestions and help!! Maybe we will be able to get this under control so I can eat again.....It's just nice to be able to talk to someone who understands what I'm going through. Hubby doesn't get it. He doesn't have hearburn problems. He ate pizza at 10:00 this morning!!! He's eating pizza right now!!! ARGGGG!!!!!!!!!! :(
Hey Michelle, I have found that ginger candies ( the crystallized kind, unsulphered) works great for nausea. They now recommend it for women who are experiencing it when first pregnant. It somehow shuts down the connection between the brain and stomach. It does work. I love the taste. Just a small piece when you feel sick to your stomach. Try it and see if that helps. Local health food stores carry it, and some regular supermarkets, but try the unsulphered type.
I understand what you are going through and there are millions of us Gerd sufferers out there. My hubby never has heartburn...has no idea of what it's like at all...lucky him. *HUGS* Jamie:)
I have some of the ginger candies.....sometimes they work and sometimes they trigger my IBS. I don't know what the deal is. I have heard of soooo many people that really do well with Ginger, but at times, it tends to MAKE me feel nauseous if I smell it. I can't handle the smell all the time. It's wierd, huh??? Ginger is supposed to work for everyone that is nauseated!!! It makes it harder for me because it doesn't work all the time .......then I'm up a creek because there isn't really anything else that is as effective as Ginger. I do have a homeopathic one that I got from the health food store, today. She said it worked on her husband really well when he was nauseated with kidney stones. I took a few of them awhile ago and my stomachache went away. I don't know if it helped or if it was just coincidence. We'll see in the morning!! Hopefully, I won't wake up and have another attack!!
I ONLY WISH I NEVER KNEW WHAT REFLUX OR HEARTBURN WAS!! I WANT SOME OF HIS CHEESE PIZZA BAD!!!! *HUGS*!! Michelle :)
Well, I took the Pepcid AC last night and I woke up at about 2:30am with something wrong with me but I don't know what. It hurt....I don't know if it was too much acid or too little!! I drank some chamomile tea, burped a lot and eventually fell back asleep. I slept fine from about 5:00-8:00am. So, it did help me stay away from the antacids. I haven't had to take any at all this morning!! That's awesome!! Why do you think I woke up at 2:00, still, with gas pain??? Maybe that was just my IBS, I don't know anymore. I can't tell.
OH, do you take the DGL in the morning, too, after you have taken the Nexium??? You know, before your morning meal??? I take my Nexium at about 10:00am and eat at 11:00am. Can I take the DGL, too, at like 10:30 before I eat???