what do you take for it? i was diagnosed with acid reflux last week after having the GI series test, that was the worst test of my life... anyway i already knew i had it, i get heartburn all the time, from everything i eat... especially meat... i have always been taking zantac and it works pretty well... just wondering if there is something even better i should request from my doctor, i go to see him on wed evening...

If the zantac works well for you,why would you want anything stronger? :)

oh i was just thinking that maybe there was something i could take that would not cause me to get acid reflux as often.... with the zantac, i basically just take it once i already have the heartburn.... i was wondering if there is something that would help to not get heartburn as much...

Are you taking prescription zantac or otc zantac?Also how many times a day do you take it? :wave:

oh just OTC.... i haven't seen my Dr. since my Upper GI last week.... i ran into him in the office while i was there for something else and he told me the results about the reflux but he wanted me to make an appointment for it... i didn't realize there is prescription zantac, i'll ask him about that.... i take zantac every day pretty much or immodium because i have a bad stomach... and i don't know if it's okay to take both at the same time or not... i basically live off meds for my stomach.... it all depends on what i eat though... there are days that i have plans and i don't want to have to deal with my heartburn or upset stomach, so i will eat only toast or crackers, so that doesn't cause heartburn... but if i eat meat or pasta it's bad... but i do have to take it at least once a day usually.... sometimes more, sometimes less...

Yes there is a prescription drug called zantac.Its been out alot longer than the otc zantac.If your having to take otc zantac, it can get expensive after awhile.You be better off if you have insurance ,getting the prescription zantac.Ask your doctor about prescription zantac the next time you see him.I took prescription zantac for gerd for going on nearly 25 yrs.After the birth of my son 5 yrs ago it stated to be not as effective.Im am now on prevacid ,i guess what my worry is,that sometime in the future it will stop working.Then i'll be on the search for another drug to replace it.Good luck at the doctors ,let us know how it goes. :wave:

thank you Suzy! i always worry about that too.... like the immodium is starting to lose it's effectiveness for my stomach problems... everything i eat makes me sick, i don't get it... nothing came back other then gallstones and acid reflux.... so i must have IBS, i don't know.... i never had any problems with heartburn until i had my daughter and all my stomach problems started then as well... i believe that is when i got the gallstones too because where the gallbladder is located, i remember being in a lot of pain in that area in the last 2 months of pregnancy.... anyway thank you for your help, i will let you know how my appointment goes.... i'm going to ask to be referred to a nutritionist, see if i can change some things i eat to help with my reflux and upset stomach.... :wave:

I have ibs and acid reflux disease.Its a terrible combination to have . :wave:

Hi, I have acid reflux and have tried everyone one of the proton pump inhibitors. I would not recommend them unless it's absolutely necessary because once you start taking them, it's very difficult to get off them. (I have to go off them when I'm ready to have children and I have heard it's a tough transition). But at the time, I wasn't sleeping due to constant heartburn, so i tried prilosec, prevacid, nexium, and one other before I got to protonix. For some reasons that are unclear, even though they are all in the same family of drugs, they respond differently to different poeple, so sometimes you might have to try a few until you find something that works.

wow so are they addictive?

yes a VERY terrible combination Suzy! it's ruining my life!

Not addictive per se, but from what I've heard, when you go the PPI, your body recognizes that there is not a lot of acid, so it puts out more of the "acid secreting chemical" that tells your body it needs to produce more acid, so over time, it's secreting a lot more than before taking the drugs. So when i go off the PPIs, that acid secreting mechaism will still be telling my body, "make a lot of acid" but none of it will be blocked by the PPI, = more heartburn! with nothing but Tums to take for it.

I am trying to wean myself from 2x40/mg a day to 1x40mg/day and i have to do it VERY slowly. This month I'm just not taking the second pill on Monday, maybe next month I won't take the second pill on Friday either, an so on..

Sarah--
I have acid reflux too, and I was just wondering about what you said here about PPI's. What have you heard about it being difficult to get off of them? Could you please tell me? I'm trying to do that just today, as I feel after 7 months, they are not helping me, in fact I'm getting worse. I have heard that they are not really good for us to take long term, but haven't heard that they are difficult to get off of. Could you please enlighten me on this, what should I expect? This whole thing, the pain, the drugs and everything is really starting to frighten me! Thank you Sarah...and I hope that ALL of us can get over this miserable thing!!!!!

DEDA

wow that's good to know! thanks!

I don't know if anyone suggested this at all because I didn't read everyones' posts, but maybe you should get tested for food allergies. My acid reflux went away when I went on an elimination diet of not eating the foods that most people are allergic to such as wheat, dairy, eggs, citrus, tomatoes, soy, and seafood. I had acid reflux almost all day long, every single day. I must continue eating like this until my appointment with an allergist because if I slip up with the diet, I suffer HORRIBLY with the reflux. I still have IBS, though. Anyway, since it happens with certain foods you eat, get allergy tested, it will probably be worth it. Take care,
Katalina

thanks for the suggestion! actually i do have some food allergies but not the things that cause my acid reflux.... hmmm.

That allergy suggestion is a good one, i forgot about that. Since I have become a vegan (no dairy, no eggs) my boyfriend has noticed that i don't have nearly the number of heartburn episodes as I used to, that's why i thought now was the perfect time to start stepping down off the meds slowly!

that's great that your heartburn has decreased!!