Newcomer: help - Aciphex treatment?

I wish I could answer your question. I just posted to let you know you are not alone.

Alfred is right re eating more, but smaller meals! :)

I've been on Aciphex for months with no complaints. Sometimes, as I have other health issues, the other medications cause me problems and then my GERD acts up, but I do take Zantac as well and I just keep trying to eat the smaller meals/snacks and keep the carbs on the lower side and it gets back to normal again.

I hope you are feeling better already!
Hugs, Teri :)

Juliemom,
Try controlled carb dieting. It will make a big difference. I predict this approach will rival PPIs in a year.

Norm
opinions based on my humble experience and research

Jullie

Read my other posts, there is a lot of information on natural medicines. I know................. what is normal? I drink water and....gurrgle gurrgle, bubble ...and gas.

I am convinced that PPI's are bad for people. Unfortunatly I can't prove it, until people start dieing. I tried Aciphex, it worked a little, but I read the insert and got scared and quite using it. Some people don't have enough acid in their stomich, I'm going to try Betaine which is an acid increaser. I'll know right away if it works or not.

Probiotics can be a must. When people are on PPI's they disrupt the natural function of the stomich and intestines. People feel good at first, because it is like an antacid. Then after a while things get bad again. This is because the ecosystem that promotes good intestinal flora has been destroyed. Probiotics restore the balance, but I am unsure if you can ever stop taking them, they'll never hurt you, it just gets exspensive.

Buy an active probiotic, one that is kept in a fridge. Start with one a day and after a week go to two until you are up to one before every meal. Sometimes dieoff happens. This is when the good bacteria take hold and kick out all the bad bacteria that grows in an acidless environment, like the one that is caused be PPI's. It is uncomfortable but goes away if you increase doseage and wait a week. Also gastramet 3 times a day after meals is a must.

No, I not a medical doctor. Yes, I do know more than a doctor when dealing with gastritis. I've had severe gastritis for 10 years, and have seen 9 different doctors, none were educated enough on the specific area of study of gastritis and gerd. All of them said, "here take this pill." So it took me 9 years of study and research and trial and error, and going to accupunture, and chinese herbalists, until finally I found a man who is a certified herbalist, who healed me half-way. I say half-way because I quite taking my suppliments too soon and my gastritis came back with a vengence. So now I'm refineing my treatment, waiting till I get enough money to buy what I need, and then I am hopefull that I can stop my gastritis.

Remember, America was built on the premise of enterprise and making money, there are many people out there who invent things half-assedly to make money. Why should anyone care what happens to you? Especially when you pay the price.

I apologize for my rant. But it is still true.

Fortunaly there are many, especially here on this forum, who do care for everyone. I am one of those.

good luck
be well

Probiotic or "bacteria found in a normal humans intestine".

Probiotics are "good bacteria". They help us stay healthy. Many people take them after a round of anti-biotics because the antibiotics kill ALL bacteria, even the good ones in a human body. Most people have enough so that antibiotics don't affect them much. A LOT of people take them when they go oversea because they help the body fight off bad sicknesses, like e-coli.

You can buy them at a healthfood store or nutrition store or even online. There are hundreds of choices.

Buy one with a lot of different strains of bacteria. Those types are usually found in a refridgerator. Here is a website I just found and am going to order from. A trustworthy company. I hope their product is too.

http://www.theralac.com/Default.aspx?selection=0

At first you may think, "bacteria? you want me to take what?"

It is sooooooo safe, it's rediculous. sorry can't spell. It would be like if you took a swap of your intestines and grew more bacteria from that swab. Only probiotics give you the most important ones. There are millions of different strains so they can't provide all.

Your intestines NEED the right level of acid to promote the right balance of intestinal flora. Too much or too little is bad.

Worst side effect I ever had using probiotics was "dieoff" and you just have to go to the bathroom a lot.
I upped the dose till it went away. I try to take one with my morning oatmeal, one after lunch, and one before bed.

Everyone is different, so finding the right amount may take a month or more. It's hard work being healthly, I get lazy and fall off the wagon and my gastritis comes right back.

wish you well.

Julie,

what ckgmd is cleverly trying to say is, "We PHD's know everything. It's not possible for anyone else to know anything about the human body or the workings of the natural world." You could go through hundreds of them, they are all trained to know what drugs work best, too bad it's by pharmaceutical companies. So what; the average PHD went to school for 8-10 years and studied a vast general amount of knowledge. Yes they know a lot of interesting things, but they can't claim to know everything. Most if not all medical doctors are trained to think in a certain direction, their arrow always points N, no other direction matters. This is what is fundamentally wrong with the current state of affairs in the medical profession. Their way is the only way and its 100% correct, how dare you know anything about your own body. Now it's becoming competition for your money, and a lot of drug manufactures are seeing people try different things, which as he pointed out, is not always anything more than "claims" and smoke and mirrors. Which isn't any different than western health care at the moment. Bottom line is trust yourself, trust your instinct. Which according to westren philosophy doesn't exist. I have watched two people die because doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong. One had a lung infection, which they didn't treat soon enough because, "they weren't sure". The other died of bleeding ulcers. Good thing she was on PPI's huh. The doctors sewed her up only to discover they didn't do it correctly. I was sent for an MRI for a pinched nerve in my shoulder, apparently it was just low blood pressure that was making my arms tingle, not a pinched nerve.

There are other treatments out there, D. Norm's is one of them. I take what I've learned over the past 10 years in this one area, ONE area, that I am earnest and serious about, and tell people. I feel I have a moral obligation to do so. Not everyone who believes in alternative methods is a crack pot. Given, a lot are. Sure, things like x-rays, MRI's, asprain, Benedryl, stitches, casts, birth control, etc. are great. But look what happened to vioxx, and dozen of other medications. Saying that there is only one way of looking at things is like saying, "everybody else has slaves, so should I." or, "everone else thinks women aren't smart enough to vote, I guess I should too." Being steeped in dogma, and trained to think one way is like being a private in the military, run forest, run.

It is irrefutable,

1. PPI's help.
2. They are a band-aid, not a cure.
3. NO ONE, knows what the long term effects are. They've only been out for 10-15 years. Even if it was 20 thats not enough for me.

Did you know? Doctors get "incentives" from HMO's and pharmacutical companies. Gifts bonuses, etc.

What do I get? Nothing. Only hope, for you, for me, for others in pain. And a little more knowledge about natural solutions to natural problems, than your doctor. Why? Because he or she doesn't care, and doesn't want to know. To them it's all myth any way.

Really, learn a lot, learn, learn, learn. Then try a few things. If it doesn't work, then go back on PPI's. I'd give you the shirt off my back. At the very least a few things you could try to make you feel better.

We're all here to learn. Not to say there's only one way, my way. That's riddculous. If somethings not working, don't take more of it, the logic behind that is insane.

Remember you may not have enough acid. That's why people say lemon juice or vinagar helps sometimes.

I'm still learning, because I don't know everything.

Best wishes.

Alfred, I am so very sorry for your losses. It sounds like mistakes may have been made. That is truly a tragedy!

I do listen to what you have to say. You have gone through a lot and obviously know a lot! That's what I am always trying to push on people all the time - do not do everything you are told. Educate yourself. Learn as much as you can. Become a part of your health team, cuz it's about you!! I've never gone into my Dr.'s office and said tell me what to do. I go in with a problem, he gives his recommendations, I question him to make sure that I understand. I've even gotten home and recalled to speak to his nurse, to make sure I am understanding of whatever it is...I come home, I get online, and I research.

So I have no problem with what you are saying to anyone, just perhaps in the manner that you are doing so. You seem like a very kind, caring man, that has been severely let down by a few in the medical field.

I wish you all the best!! And thank you for caring!
Hugs, Teri :)

Thanks teri,

Sorry for the rant. The unjust parts of this world weighed hevey on me today. I agree with you totally. PPI's are not bad, but they are a temporary solution to a persistant problem, and no one knows what the long term effects will be. So they can't be "good" either. It's like a man who robs a bank and loses the money off a plane. Other people, who probably find the money, view it as good, the bank sees it as bad. It's kind of neutral. I'm really glad the PPI's worked for you. How long did you suffer? Do you have to take PPI's forever?

best wishes.