Carafate suspension burning when I take it.

Hi Ariona,
Welcome to Healing Well! It sounds like you've got a very irritated esophagus. I've been taking Carafate Suspension for a long time, and have never had that type of reaction. Carafate does a wonderful job of coating your esopghagus and stomach. My GI doc said that Carafate Suspension is an excellent way to protect the esophagus, and I do know that Carafate is used to treat ulcers.

The idea is that it coats the affected lesion, thus allowing it time to heal without being doused with acid or bile.

It may be challenging in the beginning, as it sounds like you have some serious inflammation, but I would encourage you to take the Carafate like clockwork. In the end it will be the thing that best protects your esophagus and stomach, thus allowing it to heal.

I hope you feel better very soon!
Don't forget that you can't take prescription drugs until 2 hours after you take Carafate, to ensure that it is absorbed properly. You're also supposed to take meds two hours before the Carafate, but I did have a pharmacist tell me that you could cheat a little on that timing, as the drug will be out of your stomach within an hour or hour and a half.

Wait an hour after taking Carafate before eating. (or take it 2 hours after eating)

I personally find it a great help. I have a very reactive stomach, and the Carafate really makes a difference for me. The hardest part is the spacing between drugs/and eating.

Hang in there. If you're that inflamed, be sure to take the Carafate as prescribed.
Good luck! Feel better soon.
Denise

small, frequent meals is good advice. Be sure to eat only smooth and non-irritating foods until things clear. As hard as it is to believe, this will pass. You will get better. It will take a long time, and you will need to be patient, but it will get better. I've been there. I've felt the frustration, and the unfairness of it all.
Stick around here, and we'll lavish support and answer whatever questions we can!
Hang in there!
Denise

Ariona,
You ARE going to heal. You WILL feel like your old self again soon.

From my experience and what I know of how Carafate protects the tissue, I would continue taking it. However, to ease your mind, you should call your doctor and let him/her weigh in on the subject. If your doc doesn't think the Carafate is irritating you further, then you should definitely tough it out and use it, as it will speed up your healing in a big way.

I had a GI doc recently tell me that within ten minutes of taking Carafate, the esophagus is coated and protected. (Actually, you shouldn't drink immediately after taking it...you won't want to wash it off before it has a chance to adhere.)

It was a drug that developed to coat ulcers in the stomach so they could heal. The other thing my doctor likes about it is that very little is absorbed...it just does its work and exits though the lower GI tract.

I wish I could help you heal, but it will just take time.
Time, time, time--and careful eating.

As frustrating as that is, there is no way to hurry it along. It will heal in its own sweet time.
Best wishes for as speedy a recovery as possible!!!
Denise