I have really bad acid reflux. It's caused red sores in my throat that have been there for over a year. I'm currently taking Prevacid, and I also take a tablespoon of Maalox before bed. Next to my bed I have a bottle of tums and a glass of water so I can grab those throughout the night. My bed is also raised 8 inches at the head. Yet I still have a burning throat all night and in the morning. What can I do to relieve this? I'm having an Upper GI done shortly, and the doctor said I may need an endoscopy after that or surgery down the road.

Make sure you are not taking the over the counter drugs the same time you are taking the Prevacid. I would say not to take them within two hours of each other. The OTC drugs can prevent the Prevacid from working, I believe.

Hello,
I went to a vitamin store they recommended, acidophilus. I have been on it for two days..havent noticed it helping yet, but the guy there was pretty convinced that it is very helpful. its bacteria that is suppose to help digestion, you might try it.

Zoot-Acidophilus is the same active bacteria that is in yogurt. Yogurt has always been known for helping digestion. You can probably get the same results as the acidophilus with just plain old yogurt, plus the benefit of calcium which is also a mild antacid. I don't know though the pills from the vitamin store may be in a higher concertration than yogurt and thus more beneficial, or you make not like eating yogurt. I'd do a web search on acidophilus to get more info. of whether the pills are more beneficial than just yogurt.

thanks, i'll look into that.

i also posted this to another forum I've been to before, and here's two replies I got. anyone have comments about their suggestions?


Have you tried Carafate? It is a simple prescription drug which just coats the stomach and somewhat the esophagus. It has been very helpful for me. I cannot take any of the PPIs or H2 blockers, so it was my only option.


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Throat ulcers/sores send off a 'laryngopharangeal reflux signal'. Your acid is coming up high, high into your esophagus and voicebox area. The larynx and pharynx are more fragile than the esophagus, as well as more sensitive.

You need to be seeing an ear, nose and throat doctor who understands laryngopharyngeal reflux. You probably also need to be on double, sometimes triple dose ppi's (such as prevacid, nexium, prilosec, protonix, aciphex), and sometimes people even need to add zantac or pepcid to that.

Basically, get to a throat doc and research the heck out of laryngopharangeal reflux -- many stomach doctors just don't get it and so those of us with throat symptoms are often misdiagnosed for too, too long a time. We all wish you the best.




i just did some searching about LPR and now i'm worried, cause i found something about Laryngeal Cancer which can spread to your lymph nodes. my lymph nodes have been swollen since december and the docotrs haven't been able to figure out why...


-edit-
anyone else experience swollen lymph nodes? someone on the other forums says her lymph nodes swell when her reflux is very bad. but my lymph nodes swelled and stayed swollen. sometimes hurting fairly badly, usually right under my chin, where it feels most swollen. i've been trying for a couple of months to find a connection between my lymph nodes and acid reflux and haven't been able to. i've done a lot of googling and sifting through forums and never came across anything.

I an having this problem too. I am on Prilosec 1x day and my heartburn has stop but I have a burn in the back of my throat. I am having pain under my chin and my lymph nodes are swollen too. Doctor just thinks its an infection but I'm gettin nervous.

i've been trying to convince my doctors i don't have allergies or this and that, but they want to try everything under the sun. none of them pay much attention to my reflux problem. i am having an Upper GI done, but i think i need an endoscopy. the doctor also is saying it could be because of heart troubles, so i'm having an EKG. i don't think my heart is the root of the problem, but it wouldn't hurt to have a look at that too.

when i go back to the doc in 3 weeks i'm gonna ask about an endocopy. i don't think an upper gi would detect something like a cyst on my larnyx. i wouldn't think. i think it just shows the shape of the esophogus and stomach. maybe to look for hiatial hernias or whatever. i dunno. i'm not looking forward to the endoscopy tho :(

also, i think i'm gonna start taking my prevacid twice a day. it's not what the dr. prescribed, but don't think it'd kill me... and i know some people do take it twice.

tyboyz, how long have your lymph nodes bene like that? and how long have you had the reflux?


oh, and i found out today my upper gi is an "upper gi with bowel follow through". i don't quite undertand what it's use is tho. i know it'll show the shape of my stomach and stuff, but i wonder if it's useful in determining damage to the esophogus or larnyx. plus it seems like having that many x-rays over 2 or more hours can't be good for you...

I had been complaining about heartburn and pains forever it seems until finally I demanded some kind of test and had the Upper GI with bowel in Feb and they found the reflux with that. The upper gi is not that bad except that you have to drink a few jugs of the barium stuff - it just tastes like chalk. I asked about the x-ray thing too and they said it was low dose. They also don't have to take pictures for the whole 2 hours and once the barium reaches your bowel you don't have to go any further. This will not show the damage or inflamation though. The Endoscope is where they found my inflamation in the esophogaus and stomach. I am taking Prilosec for 1 month and many pains are much better in my stomach but I still have neck pain. I think my lymph nodes have been swollen for at least a couple of months could be longer but that's when I happen to feel them.

btw, does an endoscope go down your throat or up your nose? i thought they put it down your throat but was reading something last night about them putting it up your nose when they check your larnyx.

oh, another question tyboyz, are your lymph nodes only swollen around your nexk? mine started out that way, but now they're also swollen around my groin.

I don't believe mine are but around my jaw definitely are. I have stopped taking the prilosec to see if anything changes. Please let me know how you are doing or what you may have found out??

i'm not positive mine are around my groin, but it hurts next to my leg and i believe i feal some lymph nodes there. the doc looked, but said he didn't feal any. i don't think he looked in the right spot tho and i couldn't remember where they were to show him. my armpit occasionally hurts as well, but i don't feal any lymph nodes there. i do know those are two common areas for lymph nodes to swell though.

i also have a couple of lymph nodes on the back of my neck, at about the same level as the bottom of my ear.

under my chin i have two lymph nodes that are very close together, almost or maybe even touching. and when i move my neck in certain ways, especially looking down, it feels tight there sometimes. i know when you have cancer your lymph nodes can merge together, but the doctor has felt them many times and not said anything. so i think they're just close together. plus i don't think they've really changed much since they first swelled, so i don't think it's much to worry about.

i go back to my regular doc on the 5th and i'll ask if he thinks the reflux could cause the lymph nodes to swell, but i have a fealing he'll say it can't. i know the prevacid and the zoloft i've been taking haven't helped it (or my reflux) tho.

i had an "upper gi with bowel follow through" yesterday, and the doctor there said he saw some reflux, but probably no other problems.

i'm hoping to get a different medicine other than prevacid to see if it'll help any better.

I just did some research and found that a very rare side effect of these reflux proton pump inhibitors is lymph node enlargement (lympadenopathy). My gastro dr has not seen it but I have since stopped taking the prilosec and hoping my nodes go down. Not sure what I will do about the reflux though since the prilosec was working so well I hate to go back to the pain!!!

This is in the Prevacid prescribing information document:

Hemic and Lymphatic System - anemia, hemolysis, lymphadenopathy;

I also had that side effect in my throat but on Protonix. I am now trying Nexium. Different meds, different side effects. Keep trying and good luck!!

Carafate is good. I take it as needed in addition to Prevacid.

MJCM123, which side effects in your throat did you have?? Just pain or swollen lymph nodes too?? If the lymph nodes did they eventually go down??
Mine are making me very nervous but I know I did not have them before I tried the Prilosec. Thanks for your help!!

hmm. i had used prilosec and prevacid a little bit before, just a few days of prilosec and off-and-on with the prevacid, befre my lymph nodes swelled, but i don't think i had used them in quite a while when they swelled. i think it had been months since i last used them. i'm not sure though. i know i only started taking prevacid again maybe 3 weeks ago and my lymph nodes have been swollen since december. which means even if i had only just stopped taking them when they swelled, they would have had 4 months to go back to normal.

so i doubt that's my problem. my dad was telling me he read that the lining of your esophagus can become infected, but i'm not sure if he is right about that.

gunsnrozes, have you found anything out yet about your swollen nodes?? How did your Cat scan go??

the cats scan was quite a while ago, but they said it was ok. all it really checked for was the size of the nodes. it was also done without the IV which may have made it ineffective anyways. the upper gi came back fine, no ulcers or any thickening of the walls of the esophogus.

my docotr never looked at my throat or felt my lymph nodes when i went on the 5th. just asked if they were still swollen. which they are. and they still hurt. i would think he'd be more worried about it or even ask for a biopsy, just to be sure it's not cancerous. he said inflammation in itself can cause swollen nodes. he prescribed zantac for my reflux. it doesn't seem to be helping either. only thing that does at all is maalox. i have to fill out another form and wait at least 2 months to get nexium. my old doctor said i never ordered it, which i know i did. so now i have to start over with that, which really sucks.

i don't have another appt with my doc til june 6th. i'm really just surprised at his lack of concern for it. he had mentioned we need to control the reflux cause it can lead to cancer of the esophogus and stuff. and i told him i'd read your larnyx is more sensitive, so even if my esophogus isn't very damaged right now if he thought my larnyx could be. and he said it's only a problem after a long period of reflux. which i consider 1 1/2 years to be...

how about you? have you been to the doc about it lately? are yours still swollen?

Yep still swollen and I have been off the prilosec for a couple of weeks. My dr says to give them more time and to stop touching them. He says that may keep them swollen. Hard to do when I'm so worried about them.

Anyway I did hear that inflammation can keep them swollen so maybe it is reflux related. If I knew that was the definite cause I woud not be so nervous about them.

Was your CT scan on your neck?? If so and it came back normal that means even though they are swollen they are not at a suspicious size, right??

I have never had pain with swollen glands before so I definitely am nervous but my doctor says they are not big enough for us to be worried yet.

I sure hope we both either get some answers or they go down soon!!! Let me know how you are doing!!!

yes the scan was of my neck. it said they weren't big enough to be cancerous. but, what i read about larnyx cancer and how it spreads to those nearby lymph nodes is that the nodes can be of any size. i think the size thing is more related to lymphoma and stuff.

my neck had mostly stopped hurting, but i noticed those two nodes practically on top of each other and so i kept feeling them to see if they are touching or just real close or what is going on, and then they started hurting more again. so i'm trying not to touch mine either, but it's hard to do...

gnznroses, any news on your lymph nodes?? Have they found a cause?? Good news I hope. I still have a couple weeks to wait until my next checkup so I don't kow anything more.

no, they're still there, and still hurting. i was just thinking about posting on here and asking you the same...

i've been taking zantac twice daily for a few weeks with no help whatsoever. my heartburn seems even worse, hurting pretty much all day every day. so i'm back to trying prilosec otc until my nexium prescription comes in 1-2 months.

i'm not 100% sure my lymph nodes are cuased by my acid reflux, but i really don't know. the doc is also checking my heart to see if it could be a cause. (i've always had an odd murmor). no results of that yet.

if nexium doesn't work tho i dunno what's left... surgery? i don't want to do that, but i've tried every medicine there is...

gnznroses, mine are still swollen under my chin (not sure about anywhere else). I went to a dentist today and he did find a tooth that is cracked and has decay. He said this is might cause the swelling. He said we need to get it fixed and see how the glands react!!!

I hope this is the cause because it doesn't seem like it is my reflux and the other alternatives swimming around in my head are scary!!!

Hope you find some answers soon!!

well, acid reflux can cause tooth problems cause the acid eats away at em at night. i think it's possible that may be causing mine as well, but i don't know. i haven't been to the dentist in years and didn't plan on ever going back... had a bad experience...

I have really bad acid reflux. It's caused red sores in my throat that have been there for over a year. I'm currently taking Prevacid, and I also take a tablespoon of Maalox before bed. Next to my bed I have a bottle of tums and a glass of water so I can grab those throughout the night. My bed is also raised 8 inches at the head. Yet I still have a burning throat all night and in the morning. What can I do to relieve this? I'm having an Upper GI done shortly, and the doctor said I may need an endoscopy after that or surgery down the road.
I also have nocturnal acid reflux. I've had my bed raised 16 inches for my acid reflux. It wasn't enough, I now sleep sitting straight up. Its the only way I can keep from getting severe chest pain.

Recently I couldn't sleep a wink for one week and only about 30 minutes a night for a month before that. The other day I had to go into ER for severe chest pain. The doctor gave me a drug called Carafate to take at night and before meals. It was the only drug I've found that can stop the really severe chest pain. 80mg a day of acid pump reducers do absolutely nothing for me except stop the diarrhea.

You may want to try raising your bed up even more and to ask your doctor for the drug called carafate to sleep better at night.

yeah my bed is up 10 1/2 inches now, plus between my matresses i have stuff to put the top one at about a 45 degree angle. still doesn't help.

i've read numerous times bout how carafte is helping people, so i asked my doc and he said it had no use at all in treating heartburn... i think doctors just reject anything if you tell them you read it online...

yeah my bed is up 10 1/2 inches now, plus between my matresses i have stuff to put the top one at about a 45 degree angle. still doesn't help.

i've read numerous times about how carafate is helping people, so i asked my doc and he said it had no use at all in treating heartburn... i think doctors just reject anything if you tell them you read it online...

Carafate does help hearturn and it is used often for acid reflux. I found Carafate was the ONLY thing that could stop the extreme chest pain from happening! You better ask another doctor for some.

the heartburn i can live with (tho i of course want to stop it as well), but th reflux into my throat is the main problem. and i dunno if carafate would help that. i'll try to get a prescription for it tho. do you know how much it costs btw?

I take 300mg of zantac twice a day 40mg of protonix twice a day hyoscyamine 4 times a day. Used to take carafate 8 times a day to and getting ready to start taking it again. Had to stop taking it while pregnant it stunts growth of baby. That really makes a differnce I have less problems if I take carafate with a all the other meds. Tried everything else nothing worked. It doesn't go away but it helps.

never heard of hyoscyamine, what is that?

btw, i've heard sleeping with a humidifier helps, anyone know about that?

anti-nausea med

elevating my bed and taking nexium isn't helping my reflux. since it only refluxes into my throat at night, i'm guessing it's because while i sleep i swallow less often, which then doesn't wash down acid that is trying to creep up. i wonder if there's something i could suck on or something like that that i won't choke on. i bet it'd help a lot.

btw, my lymph nodes are still swollen and i seem to be getting more swollen nodes all the time. i think i better have a larnyx scope done, cause i'm afraid of it being larynx cancer.

Guns and roses,

Do you take antacids before you goto sleep?
specifically antacids that contain alginic acid, such as gaviscon
or "tums lasting effects"

Do you sleep on your back?

these are two things I have found to be helpful...tho...im still dont have my LPR under control.

also i wonder if mouth breathing makes night-time reflux worse..this is what im currently looking into.

i take a zantac a couple hours before bed, a couple of tums right at bed (cause i always have heartburn) and i wake up several times at night and pop tums or take gaviscon. i've got em sitting next to my bed, along with a bottle of water.

i mostly sleep on my side.

i have heartburn through the night and sometimes i wake up and have a bit of an acidy tatse, but the acid in my throat doesn't get bad until the last couple of hours that i'm asleep it seems. it's like i wake up two hours before i actually get up and it's not very bad, but when i actually get up my throat is hurting and the taste is strong. which is why i wonder if i should actually eat something during the night.

I recently started seeing a Chiropractic Sports Medicine professional for a problem with my shoulder. She also is an expert in nutrition. When I mentioned that I suffer from LPR she suggested trying digestive enzymes. I have been taking digestive enzymes for about two weeks now every time I eat anything, and my LPR symptoms are nearly gone! Yesterday my family went out for Mexican food, and I even ate some mild food at the restaurant with NO complications!!! The good thing about the enzymes is that I don't need to stop taking my nexium, but the enzymes seem to support my digestive system. This sports med. doc explained that often with reflux, the digestive system produces too much acid at a higher PH level, to compensate for a lack of enzymes in digestion. We supress the acid production with medication so the stomach produces more, and we end up in a viscious cycle. By taking supplemental enzymes it supports the digestive system to function better and thus not needing to producing higher PH acids to digest the foods we eat. After taking the digestive enzymes for a little over week, I began to notice a difference. I am not expecting this to be a miracle cure and will also continue my convention medical treatment for now. I am very skeptical of "alternative" medicine, but this seems to be helping me so I though I would pass it along. You can get digestive enzymes at a health food store, or there are plenty of web sites that will give you information and you can purchase from the web. It can't hurt to try. Good Luck!

Guns & Roses,
How elevated is your bed? Gaviscon works for a longer time the more elevated you are. Also, I personally have found that sleeping on my back works better than on my side or stomach.

my bed itself is 10 1/2 inches up. then between the mattress and boxspring i've put some pillows and blankets to make about a 45 degree angle. so the highest point of my bed is probably 2+ feet higher than normal.


lisman, what exactly are you taking? what's the name. i've heard of something you can buy in pill form that is found in yogurt that is supposed to be good. but i'm highly skeptical of those types of things and am tight on money...

gnznroses-

I am taking "Terrainzyme", super digestzyme (Z-22), made and distributed by Apex Energetics. The sports medicine doc I mentioned in my post sells them at her office. They were $20 for 100 tablets. You can also do a web search on "terrainzyme" and you will get several nutritional supplement sites to give you further information. I have not researched purchasing this particular brand through the web since I get them locally. I have also found them at a locally owned upscale health food store, but don't know if this particular brand is in chain type health food and supplement stores.

I think the substance found in yogurt that you mentioned is Acidophilus. It is a "friendly" bacteria that is also supposed be beneficial to the digestive system. I have used it before in pill form but didn't get as much benefit for my LPR as I have received from these digestive enzymes from my doc. I know acidophilus pills can be found in most health food stores, and usually at the drug store, or vitamin section of the grocery store.

I too am skeptical to spend hard earned $$$ on stuff that isn't medically proven. I think we can drive ourselves crazy (and broke) on homeopathic stuff that doesn't really work. I mentioned these only because they seem to be helping me, and for 20 bucks it was worth a try. These enzymes seem to be a good supplement in addition to my nexium 2x a day. If you do try them, please post. I'd like to hear somebody else's experiences, either good or bad. Hang in there--digestive problems are no fun--but at least it's not usually life threatening like so may other things are. Best of luck in finding relief for your reflux problems.

i found a link to it, here http://www.wizardofeyez.com/super_digestzyme.html

sounds like a lot of mumbo-jumbo, but i dunno.

hey gunz--go to a good ENT (check the reference center at library and look up an ENT in your area in the TOP DOCS book). You may just have a drainage problem from sinuses.