can acid reflux cause you to faint?

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daveGB

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I'm 25 and I've had acid reflux for a very long time. i've always been ok dealing with it, but for some reason this past 7 weeks i have had trouble turning my neck or looking down without feeling a great amount of discomfort. i also have shortness of breath, and excessive burping wether im eating or not.

the doctor has linked all of this with my acid reflux and i'm currently booked to get an endoscopy(in 24 days). they will also be checking for gallbladder disease, but i still dont know why i feel so faint all the time. It usually happens when i feel pressure in my chest like i may burp then instead feel like i may pass out. laying down and relaxing never seems to help. the doctor didnt seem to worried about it so i keep telling myself its nothing, but after many weeks of feeling this way and having it disrupt my daily activities i'm starting to get realy concerned. does anyone else with reflux get this? if so how should i handle this situation?
 
I'm 36 and my acid reflux had an extremely sudden onset and I had no idea what it was at first. I also became aware of having to breath harder, and was pretty fait and weak at time, although this could have been because of the vacation I was on when this happened where i was getting lot of sun exposure and not very much sleep. Still, I was really concerned. The problems did not go away immediately when I returned from my trip, like I thought they would. I went to the doc and he prescribed Prilosec. Since I started taken that my constant discomfort and breathing/weakness issues seem to have gone away. However, I've had at least two bad flare-ups since being on Prilosec so I started supplementing with Pepto, then eventually Gaviscon but it started having other side effects I didn't like.

Finally, I found a great post under the Digestive Disorders board here http://www.healtrabroadoarRAB.com/boarRAB/showthread.php?t=41225 where people mentioned taking magnesium supplements and noticing it cured most if not all their symptoms.

It's possible you have an overall magnesium deficiency, or some other kind of dietary deficiency. Try taking 500mg magnesium once a day along with a men's health 1-a-day multivitamin. I tried this and the results were almost instant and, so far, lasting. I've gone off Prilosec completely and have been eating pizza and chili, drinking beer and wine, and NONE of these things are creating acid reflux for me any more. I also feel more alert and just better overall, so it could be something as simple as that.

Doctors are not trained in nutrition or diet so this could be something they would not necessarily be able to diagnose.

Good luck. We're too young to be dealing with these issues. :)
 
Hi Dave:

I tend to have low blood pressure to begin with so I get a bit lightheaded and like I want to pass out whenever anything ails me. Sometimes when I have stomach pain or heartburn, I get that fainty-like feeling. Also remeraber the vagal nerve runs through your stomach and stimulation of the vagal nerve can cause fainting. Therefore, anything that irritates the stomach could potentially contribute to feeling like you want to pass out. If you feel that way, sit down and cross your legs to force blood to go to your upper extremeties and heart. Few people faint when they are sitting down with their legs crossed. It could also be anxiety related because you don't know what is going on with you and feel worried. I can relate to that as well. Hope you feel well or better soon. The endoscopy will hopefully put your mind at ease.

Rose
 
thanks so much for the responses dcguy and rose.

i will deffinatley try out the supplements and relaxation techniques and i'll look into researching about the vagal nerve as well. This really has hit me bad so i really appreciate the advice and i'll be doing everything i can to educate myself and get well again : ). for the time being i have found a strict diet, not laying down after meals, and raising my bed has helped a little with my throat and helped to calm things down a little. i love spicy food though so hopefully the doctor finRAB out why i'm so bad all of a sudden... i did have an infection in my ear and sinuses awhile a go and even though the doctor said it was completley gone i do feel that also contributed to the down turn.

thanks again guys
 
Dave:

You may also need to quit the spicy food for a while. It's a total bummer when we can't eat or drink things we enjoy, but if you gut is irritated, it is better to take it easy for a while. It sounRAB you are already taking lots of measures to attain relief and modify your diet. I also take the magnesium supplements the other Dave referred to. I take 250 magnesium citrate twice a day along with my calcium and vitamin D3 supplements. DGL is also very soothing to the stomach. Good luck and hope you feel better soon.

Rose
 
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