it's back

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tammykinz

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went on nexium for 3 weeks due to constant heartburn and reflux. the nexium worked for that 100% however it caused abdominal cramping and I was getting increase in diarrhea. I already have IBS. So I went off of it about 10 days ago and now reflux is back and it is awful. It affects my sleep, burns my esophogus. I swear I am going to aspirate one of these days in my sleep. A few nights ago I was sleeping and Jumped up suddenly due to a large reflux surge up my throat that I began choking on. It burned like fire and I was coughing because I choked a bit.

How many hours should you let go by before you eat or drink before going to bed?

Is there something milder than the nexium that i can take?
 
tammykinz said:
went on nexium for 3 weeks due to constant heartburn and reflux. the nexium worked for that 100% however it caused abdominal cramping and I was getting increase in diarrhea. I already have IBS. So I went off of it about 10 days ago and now reflux is back and it is awful. It affects my sleep, burns my esophogus. I swear I am going to aspirate one of these days in my sleep. A few nights ago I was sleeping and Jumped up suddenly due to a large reflux surge up my throat that I began choking on. It burned like fire and I was coughing because I choked a bit.

How many hours should you let go by before you eat or drink before going to bed?

Is there something milder than the nexium that i can take?[/QUOTEHi,

HI there,

The over the counter omeprazole didn't work as well as the prescription prilosec, which says omeprazole on the bottle. THis is a capsule though. THe otc omep had way more side effects. Try the prescription...with lactulose to help with bowels. (only if your constipated) That is what worked for me, although everyone is different. The pepsid gave me such bad headaches. The prilosec causes me to get gassy, bloated but the lactulose helps. Good luck, pray!
Click to expand...
 
My Gastroenterologist recommenRAB not eating after 5. You should wait a minimum of 3 hours after eating to lie down though. You have to give the food and drink a chance to work its way through your digestive system before sleeping.

A wedge pillow may help, but if you aren't using it right, it can squish your stomach. I prefer sleeping with my headboard propped up. The recommended incline is 4-6 inches. A couple bricks on each side will work. I just put a couple of those bed storage risers from the local bed and bath store. I like them because they have a stablizing cup at the top. It may feel strange sleeping on an incline and you may have a bit of sliding, but you are letting gravity help.

Also, sleeping on your left side is recommended as well. If you look at a picture of your stomach you could see why. Again, let gravity help some.

As for the use of Nexium, it was a horrible choice of PPI for me. I had nasty diarrhea from the first day I took it. It didn't stop when I went off either. I actually developed IBS after taking it for a couple weeks. That was 16 months ago. You might find you have better luck on a different PPI. While everyone has success with different PPI's, my preference is Prevacid in the Solutab form or Kapidex.

My GI doc also suggested I supplement with an OTC medication in addition to my PPI's when my reflux was bad. I preferred Gaviscon (not the strawberry smoothie flavor though) which you chew and creates a foam barrier to help keep the acid from hitting your esophagus as much. Other people prefer supplementing with Zantac. There are others on this board who have those two recommended as PPI supplements as well. Just watch your timing on how you take them. I would take a Prevacid 1/2 hour before breakfast, another 1/2 hour before dinner and the Gaviscon after dinner before going to bed.

It is also important to watch your diet and avoid fooRAB that trigger the reflux, especially until you get your reflux back under control.
 
thanks. I saw my family doctor today and she now ordered pariet to try. I am worried about trying it because I didn't like what the nexium did to my bowels!! Also she recommended maxeran to take 30 minutes before bed. She said it would help my stomach empty which might make it easier to sleep without reflux. she also suggested the other things like raising head of bed. I am going to get my husband to do that for me somehow. We have a very heavy supersize king mattress that I can't even lift up so hopefully he can do something for me. thanks for the tip about sleeping on left side too.
I am finally being referred to a gastroenterologist but the waits out here are long.
 
Sleeping on the left side is a bit stange. I was told to NEVER sleep on the left side. Funny how opinion differs. I'm suffering a lot at the moment. Am on my third kind of medication. Both omoprazole and then linoprazole worked for a bout a month then it came back.
Good luck with your meRAB.
 
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