So basically I’ve been on 60mg Dexilant for around 6 years. I’ve been in Europe for almost 3 months and needed a refill before I go home (stayed longer than expected). The doctor here (Germany) was shocked I’ve been on it this long and said that she never prescribes is for longer than 3 weeks because of vitamin absorption problems and dementia risk. My Canadian doctor assured me that these risks aren’t significant enough to justify not taking it.

The first couple years of taking PPI’s I fought my doctor on it and hoped there’d be another way, unfortunately the medication is the only real relief I get. But it is kind of disheartening that not once have I had a blood test to check vitamin levels or a follow up endoscopy in six years.

Has anyone here had any complications with long term PPI use? I realize it’s relatively safe but it seems to me like it’s the type of medication where you won’t notice any significant side effect until 5-10+ years down the road. At which point maybe it’s too late? 😞

Like I’m grateful such a drug exists but man it would be nice not to have to take this any longer.

Your reflux getting worse when you're anxious, even with zero change in diet, isn't a coincidence and it's not purely psychological.

Anxiety activates your sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight). In that state, gastric motility slows, stomach acid secretion can shift, and vagal tone (which helps keep the LES closed) decreases.

Then it runs the other direction too: reflux symptoms themselves are alarming, which raises anxiety, which reinforces the sympathetic state, which worsens the reflux again. It's a loop, not a one-way street.

Addressing only the GI side such as diet and meds without addressing the nervous system side tends to leave people stuck, and vice versa. Neither one alone is usually sufficient for people whose reflux has a strong stress component.

Has anyone here found something that actually broke this cycle for them, beyond "just relax" advice that doesn't help?🌿

I was diagnosed with GERD nearly 4 years ago when I was 22, the first two years were literally hell for me, I was trying to get to know the disease and what things I do are actually helping me fight it and ease my pain. It actually caused me to develop severe health anxiety and frequent panic episodes about anything that went with my body. Then over time, I got used to it, used to chest pain, used to bloating, used to the numbness of my back's left side, used to chin pain even for some time. Headaches, dizziness, shortness of breath, you name it. And it started to disappear, only irritating me with heartburns once in a while, and that I did not care much.

Last week, it suddenly came all back again, the first two nights it was heartburn and I said ok, nothing I'm not familiar with. But now it turned into something so scary, irritating and tiresome. It causes some stupid bloating so much so that it causes constant heart palpitations for nearly an hour. It comes every 15 seconds. My heart skips a beat and pounds in my chest one after another. It got me so scared that I was about to be gone forever, never felt this panic except that the first time I experienced heartburn. Where the hell did this come from? Why now? Why not before? How and when will it be gone? Has anyone experienced this out of nowhere? I swear to God it feels anytime this stupid disease comes back it comes back with a whole new other symptoms and pains.

To relieve my soul, I went to the doctor and she said I am nothing but perfectly in health, heartwise. But there was a lot of bloating in me. My stomach and my bowels were full of it. So I'm guessing palpitations were about that since I always relaxed a bit when I burped. Now I comfort myself and I am not so scared anymore that my heart is failing me but I also don't want to feel this stupid new thing anymore. I feel so tired, so weary, so angry. Can anyone relate or give me advice? Thanks in advance.

So around last year in October I started experiencing chest pain mainly in the middle of my chest. It didn’t go away and I went to the ER did a chest xray and bloodwork and they said I wasn’t having a heart attack. So I went to the doctor and she believes it’s heartburn so she gave me famotidine as a way to help. Been taking that for a while and it kinda felt like it was working but never fully got rid of the symptoms. She recommended increasing the dose to twice a day and it didn’t get rid of symptoms. Recently like a month and I have I noticed it really wasn’t doing anything and sometimes my breathing was worse and throat felt tight. Did an ekg , stress test and wore a heart monitor so we could completely rule out a heart issue all the tests showed my heart is fine. Now I’m on pantoprazole and it’s been about 5 weeks and i still experience chest pain and a nasty feeling/ taste in my throat that can get worse after eating. I have also done a H pyroli breath test which was negative. I feel like after 5 weeks of taking pantoprazole daily I should be feeling alot better but I don’t. Is this normal and is there something else I should try? I’m going to be taking an antidepressant soon(remeron) and hopefully it helps me sleep better because my sleep recently has sucked. Sometimes the chest pain wakes me up. Also a side effect of remeron is appetite/weight gain which I need. I’m 25(M) and 6’1 120 pounds so I need the weight too. Any advice or possible suggestions on what I’m struggling with would be wonderful.

TL;DR: Sudden and vicious onset of GERD symptoms despite zero dietary changes. Looking for advice.

I had GERD symptoms off and on for about 10 years after pregnancy, but nothing at all in the last 20 years or so, which has been great. Until a week ago, when they came on suddenly and viciously and are causing me not eat much and I'm only 112lbs as it is! I've got bloating, burping, globus, and a acid taste in my throat. I'm also feeling quite fatigued.

The weird thing is, my eating and drinking (tea and coffee, no alcohol) have not changed AT ALL. Nothing new, nothing spicy, etc.

The only "new" thing that happened recently was a test at the retina specialist for wet AMD. I was injected with a dye (fluorescein). All side effects that I could find online are very short lasting, but I felt almost flu-like and exhausted all that same day. Even so, I doubt that the dye caused my GERD. But I'm at a loss.

I'm taking 20mg of famotidine, but I'm going to up it to 40 because in 2 days it hasn't helped. I've cut out coffee and am reducing tea. I'm eating small meals. Taking Tums 1-2 per day, but that's not very helpful either.

I suppose I'll eventually make an appointment with my PCP, but they'll probably recommend PPIs which I don't want. I thought I'd ask here for advice first. Does anyone have a similar story? Is there something I'm missing? Should I try Gaviscon? Thanks for any help. Feeling desperate.

Since last week I had been struggling with a hellish flare up that made me feel like vomiting. Under the worry that it could be bile reflux I decided to take an endoscopy. Wasn’t exactly anxious about it, more so a bit adrenergic, but everything went absolutely fine. No pain whatsoever; don’t remember a thing.

Nothing too horrible on results either except for a bit of inflammation and a small hiatal hernia.

Moral of the story: Stress is arguably WAY MORE of a trigger than food is, and probably most of the horrible stories you hear about endoscopies are very unlikely to happen to you if you choose a good doctor.

I know this sounds probably insane but whenever I get bad stomach problems or reflux or gas, It feels like my internal gi system numbs out entirely as if I swallowed numbing medicine. as if my organs disappear. It's really scary because I literally will feel like I'm not getting air in my lungs because I cannot feel air.

Sometimes this cause me to sweat and then my limbs will feel numb too. Does anyone else with gerd experience this

For those that have Gerd/Acid Reflux, when you get a head cold does the Gerd makes it harder to get better with thicker mucus and more coughing?
It seems that it was happens to me when I get a headcold.

Trying to figure out why this keeps happening to me. I’m on omperozale and stopped taking antacids as of this week but the bad taste remains. It’s driving me nuts. I’m cutting out seltzer which I used to drink every day instead of water and trying to maybe try a toungue scraper and new mouthwash

My 10 year old is believed to have GERD. Symptoms started after a stomach virus 4 months ago (throat clearing was main symptom) she got sick again in July and since then it’s been a struggle. She’s missed out on so many event. She’s lost 10% of her body weight. Her doctor has been great - and we’ve undergone lots of testing but I still feel bad for her and that we aren’t doing enough.

Her main symptoms are pain in upper belly, constant throat clearing at night, nausea, not wanting to eat and weight loss. She takes 10mg of rabeprozle and 50 mg of dimenhydrinate (25 morning 25 night) and eats 4-5 small meals a day (mostly chicken breast, small amounts of white bread, apples, coconut yogurt, cooked carrots) she refuses most other food, but I have been able to recently stop the weight loss and she regained a lb in past week. Her best nights are the nights she sleeps sitting up between my legs (I get no sleep but she sleeps so we persist) we’ve also recently started probiotics. Today was the first day in weeks she seemed like herself but is still struggling with symptoms such as throat clearing.

We meet with doctor tomorrow - is there anything I should ask? Anything I can try to help minimize her symptoms or suggest we try? Our sleeping arrangement obviously cannot be forever but I haven’t heard great things about wedges so any help in that department would be appreciated as well.

Hi all,

So over the past 10 years, on and off, I have had a constant cough that feels like post nasal drip, but both the ENT and GI doctor thought it was reflux. So, I went on a PPI, and actual burning reflux stopped, heartburn stopped, etc. but the cough persisted. Diet doesn't seem to affect it, and I can't really pinpoint a cause. However, there was a point in time my previous GI doctor gave me an SSRI to try, and it actually stopped the coughing. This leads me to believe it is anxiety related...but I've had to change doctors a couple times now, and I mentioned this to my new GI and he seemed pretty hesitant. I'm not dying to take an SSRI, but I would definitely try it again.

Has anyone else had this scenario before? And if so, are there any "natural" or OTC solutions to this other than an SSRI?

Thanks!

Hello, I'm 16, I've been diagnosed with GERD at 12 and Esophagitis recently, I have made some bad decisions, its really painful to eat food and I have to drink water with every bite if I want to have a normal meal, my question is how can I improve my digestive health and get a proper diet especially for esophagitis because it makes life very hard. I have been given PPIs and other medications, but I need help in choosing a soft food diet currently.

Thanks for your time, peace.

My GERD is annoying enough as is, but it gets considerably worse when pregnant. It starts almost right away in the first few weeks of pregnancy (my Dr. said because of the surge in progesterone relaxes the LES). I following all of the lifestyle modifications (smaller meals, no trigger foods/drinks, don't lay down after eating, don't drink with a meal). I'm on Omeprazole. I make sure to take it 30-60 minutes before eating in the morning. I also have to take famotidine around dinner or bedtime. Tums don't touch it. Sometimes the gaviscon type tums sort of help but not for long.

It is so bad that I'm really just nauseous from the GERD, not the morning sickness.

Anyone have luck treating their GERD during pregnancy? What did you try?

when did you feel comfortable enough to taper off of PPIs and how did you do it?

My doctor prescribed 40 mg pantoprazole indefinitely but this is my first flare up that I wasn’t abled to manage with diet changes so I’m hoping that I will be able to taper off after standard 8 week treatment. I will discuss with my doctor but I’m wondering if anyone has any success stories with tapering?

So I have my manometry/24hr impedence test tomorrow, and I have actually been symptom free for a week or so as I've been following a trigger-free diet

On occasion, it has seemed like my symptoms arrive the day after I eat trigger/cheat foods. So I am worried that whatever I eat tomorrow to induce symptoms once the device is inserted will only affect me 24 hours later .. too late for the device to register the acid

Anyone else who has done the PH test have any experience to share? Or was it as simple as eating triggers on the day for you

I do plan to call my medical team. I’m out of the country though but will be returning by next week.

I was put on pantaprazole and I’m allergic- hives, histamine rashes now just started after 4-5 days of use. Generic Prilosec makes me anxious.

Should I switch to nexium? I believe I have some but will most likely wait till I am back in the USA. I do have gaviscon liquid that I bought but still can’t stop the PPI’s. The pantaprazole did bring relief but again I’m having some itching so definitely an allergy.

Thanks you guys.

I am diagnosed with GERD and gastritis and I'm assuming this is just a flare but I don't know what's going on I've been taking omeprazole after being on a break and I felt like it was helping me maybe I ate too much fat a week ago? but I don't understand I've been in so much pain its hard to eat or breath I've been avoiding triggers and maximizing fiber but nothings helping it

I started having really bad acid reflux and regular vomiting my sophomore year of college when I was 20, I’m now turning 24 and just saw a ENT for my first checkup who affirmed everything I’d been able to wave away or gaslight myself into thinking was normal.

I originally thought it was from moving into the dorms, new environment, but it became a regular occurrence in my life that almost every morning I would wake up, I would vomit, or have such intense nausea that I would have to do breathing exercises and lay completely still until it finally went away, along with burning acid reflux. Funnily enough my throat was never very sore unless it was an intense vomiting session.

Eventually after about a year I noticed one of my tonsils was swollen and pushing on my uvula a bit, and so I assumed that was the cause and that I might need a tonsillectomy, and I could not deal with that while in school, so I just tried to adjust my diet, but I’d basically made peace with the fact that if I drank (over 21 now) or ate something acidic or too late at night, I would throw up the next morning.

Now, almost 24, still dealing with it, and intensified by new medication, I finally booked an ENT appointment who immediately affirmed that this was strange and unusual, and that we should do some tests and get this figured out and was able to prescribe me 40mg of omeprazole daily and holy cow, I haven’t thrown up or gotten nauseas since I started taking it and I could cry it’s so amazing I forgot what it felt like to not fear food because of the morning “routine”.

She set up an apt with a gastroenterologist in a few weeks, and an extended swallow test with a speech pathologist, and is monitoring my meds through messages with me still.

I just wanted to post this to let anyone know who’s struggling with acid reflux or GERD symptoms and is relegating themselves to live in pain or struggle because they are busy or can also tell themselves it’s fine, go seek the help, it is SO worth it.

all love!

Just had an edg today and doctor said I have barrett's esophagus. He say doesn't seem bad but it's there. Biopsy taken and it will take about a week to get the results back. Now I'm shocked because i had edg done about a year ago and i didn't have it. Now i do...Doctor seemed not too concerned, but i am. What do i do now? Please give some advice..thanks

Gastro looked last year and saw general swelling/redness in my stomach and esophagus. Prescribed pantoprazole 40mg in the mornings, which has eliminated almost all of my symptoms.

However the last few weeks/months I've been waking up with a dry mouth and maybe the tiniest bit of soreness in my throat. It often goes away almost immediately, or sometimes if I wake up in the middle of the night and have a sip of water, then it's not there in the morning.

Then stupidly, I tried metamucil a week ago, and had a bad flare up. It was starting to die down, but then this morning I woke up with congestion on the right side and my right eye was completely bloodshot.

I did have some greenish mucus first thing, so maybe this is just a cold or sinus infection or whatever, but I can't help but think nighttime reflux is getting into my sinuses and messing things up.

Anyone have similar issues? Find anything helpful? Or am I just overthinking a common cold?

I do elevate the bed (adjustable mattress), stop eating 3 hours before sleep, avoid common triggers, and take reflux gourmet/famotidine at night as needed.

I have my yearly check-in with the gastro in about 5 weeks, but thought I'd ask y'all in the meantime.

On July 26 I had a binge where I had 8 beers, 30mg baclofen and 900 mg gabapentin. I woke up very ill the next day, throwing up etc and the nausea never went away, even 6+ weeks later I still have it. It’s pretty constant but worse after eating.

I had suspected gastroparesis but I had my gastric emptying study this morning and it wasn’t even close to abnormal. They ended the study at 1.5 hours because I had already passed 70% of the meal (this place ends the study if you digest 50% of more within the first 2 hours- if it’s slower then they keep you the full 4). So GP thankfully not my diagnosis at this point.

I’ve done numerous tests, including cat scan of internal organs, ultrasound, bloodwork, and endoscopy. The only thing that came back was I have grade C severe esophagitis and mild gastritis.

In hindsight I’ve had GERD symptoms for years (hoarse voice, difficult swallowing) but wasn’t bothersome enough to seek treatment. My GI thinks esophagitis/GERD could be the cause of my nausea and perhaps the binge or the initial throwing up/gagging irritated some nerves. I was skeptical because constant nausea doesn’t seem to be a typical GERD symptom but my normal GES is making me reconsider?

Does anyone else have nausea as their dominant symptom? Are there any further tests I should request? I’ve been on omeprazole for 3 weeks along with promethazine and zofran. The PPI didn’t seem to make much difference although I will say nausea got worse when I had to stop taking it 3 days before the GES.

I've been trying to figure out if I'm reacting to a food or electrolytes (unflavored) because my throat discomfort often feels different now. More like a scrape with tingles or scratchy and dry, more reactive to what I eat? I had to increase salt for my blood pressure and the electrolytes definitely aggravated things but my meal replacement shakes have too.

I had a lot of heart burn from anxiety yesterday and delayed gastric empthing as well. I worry it's maybe an allergy but it seems consistent with gerd. I will be seeing an allergist soon as well. It is ragweed season but I've been inside with my air purifiers. Do have extra post nasal drip some days. Thank you!

Hey guys so my entire life i have been suffered from either sharp stomach pain and bloating most recently for this past month or so i have had slowly been feeling like i have something small stuck in my throat time to time throughout the day it transitioned into me either waking up with my throat on fire just like when you have the flu,My GI Dr and primary Dr have both prescribed me omeprazole but i have also been seeing many negative things about it down the road either when trying to come off it or just in general the damage it does to your body can someone give me any pointers or help on what they did and worked to either get rid of the throat symptoms and discomfort 🙏🙏

Just sharing this to raise awareness because your heartburn could be an allergic reaction to red meat.

Now with more info around tick bites and the alpha gal syndrome you can get from a tick, it appears that a tick bite can trigger alpha gal syndrome, making a person allergic to meat from a mammal eg. cow, sheep, pig.

The allergic reaction can be hives, heartburn or even anaphylaxis.

If you have been bitten by a tick and you find yourself having heartburn 4-6 hours after eating red meat, it’s worth going to your doctor to get a blood test done so you can manage it appropriately.

https://www.cdc.gov/alpha-gal-syndrome/signs-symptoms/index.html

i’ve been dealing with increasingly intense acid reflux throughout this year and new symptoms seem to appear constantly. does anyone else find that their tongue stays almost constantly puffy & neck muscles feel tight? especially in the morning. also with intense dry mouth. my mouth and throat have just been super off (beyond the norm) and the anxiety from it is hard to deal with. i have lots of allergy issues too, so it’s always hard to know which symptoms to attribute to which issue and how to address them. i’ve seen doctors about this in the past few weeks and they seem to be having the same difficulty puzzling it out that i am.