It's all guessing, no? Treating LPR ...

02-09-2006, 02:24 PM

There are soooooo many frustrating inconsistencies in the advice doctors give to people who are suffering from LPR.

E.g., we are told to drink a lot of water. About 8 glasses on any given day.
Also, PPI's have to be taken on an empty stomach. We must not eat or drink during 4 hours before we're going to sleep.

Assume I wake up at 8, I have to take my PPI. Now should I wait 0,5 hours as my doctors writes in his LPR Protocol or 1 hour as so many other people say? Again, note the PPI has to be taken on an empty stomach, so I won't drink even the smallest amount during this time. It's 9.00 o'clock.

The second to last meal of the day has to take place at 3.00 (!!!) o'clock. Again, this is because I have to take the PPI on an empty stomach but 0.5 - 1 hour before a meal. If I go to bed at midnight (which is already pretty late), I have to eat and drink for the last time at 8.00 at the latest to let the stomach empty itself before I lie down.

Basically, the question I have is:
- How empty should the stomach be, when I take the evening dose? How is this consistent with the rule that I should eat small portions of food throughout the day instead of three large meals? It's pretty weird to drink 7 glasses of water between 9.00 and 3.00 and just another one at 8.00.

02-09-2006, 04:38 PM

Hi,
Yea having LPR is frustrating, in regards to how empty your stomach has to be when you take the PPI, I believe it is probably okay for their to be water in your stomach when you take the PPI, just not food. Tho it depends on which PPI you are taking, it might be helpful for you, or someone else on this board to read the drug information of the specific PPI you are taking.

For example I take protonix, which you can take on a non-empty stomach, if you read the drug information it says if food will interfere with the drug being absorbed. For example i believe food interferes with the absoption of Nexium and Prilosec. Which PPI are you taking?

02-09-2006, 05:09 PM

What happens if you take Nexium, for example, only 10-15 minutes before you eat? Will that dose not work? I'm not sure how stingent you need to be on when exactly you take the meds. Doesn't the Nexium stop the acid pumps in your stomach? Can someone explain in a bit more detail? Thanks!

02-09-2006, 07:37 PM

Hi marky.
The drug info pack claims you should take nexium an hour before eating, However my GI doc told me to take nexium 15 minutes before eating so I am not sure which is better advice.

When you injest the PPI pills they get absorbed into your bloodstream thru you gastro system, once in the bloodstream the get absorbed back into the proton pumps in the stomach.

My doctor told me the get more readily absorbed in the proton pumps if their is food in your stomach to bring the pumps to the surface of your stomach.

Have you noticed which works better? 15 minutes versus an hour?

02-10-2006, 08:54 AM

Peter,

I'd cut down all that water. 8 glasses a day seems pretty high, and it might keep your stomach uncomfortably stretched. I think I also read recently a number of reports that now suggest that the old suggestion of drinking 8 glasses of water a day for health is a load of hooey.

I'd recommend that you do what makes you feel comfortable, because everyone with LPR has slightly different symptoms and noone knows your body better than you do. And most doctors really don't understand LPR.

I personally take my 2 Nexium togeterh in the morning when I wake up and have breakfast 10-45 minutes afterwards. I honestly have not been able to detect a difference in symptoms by changing the amount of time that I wait.
And you know already, that I am the proponent of very small meals. As much as I love wine, I no longer drink it frequently - I now have maybe 2-3 glasses a month total, because alcohol will worsen my symptoms.

As much as people go on about the "GERD" diet, I eat almost everything, except for fried foods. I just eat very small amounts of everything. Soda however, does indeed cause discomfort. The bubbles are acid launchers.

It's all guessing, no? Treating LPR ...

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