HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Starting my adventure to give up Nexium after 10 years..

Support Forums
>
GERD & Acid Reflux
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
1 2 34 5 6
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 3/7/2012 1:36 AM (GMT 0)
I hope this bit of info helps.

When the gas, bloat, etc. starts, I take Mylanta Gas pills. I bought it by mistake thinking it was Mylanta antacid pills. When the bloating started, I decided to try it and I was really happy I did. Two tablets relieved the bloating, gas and belching. Now I use them at the first sign of a problem.

I also found that adding 1/4 tsp of ground ginger to breakfast oatmeal helps with gastritis. Now exactly tasty but then again, neither is oatmeal!

Blessings,
cme
Posted 3/7/2012 2:13 AM (GMT 0)
I enjoy my oatmeal with maple syrup, ground flaxseed and blueberries most mornings. I will try the ginger.
Posted 3/7/2012 6:40 AM (GMT 0)
Chaoticme,

I used to eat ground ginger with hanuka honey and banana before anything in the morning when I had gastritis. Since my gastritis is gone now, I do not take raw ginger. I eat oatmeal with banana and raspberries. Fruits make oatmeal taste better. Sometimes, I add little raw honey to my oatmeal.
Posted 3/7/2012 7:17 PM (GMT 0)
I'm curious about the hanuka honey. Is it better than raw honey? Also, how does raw ginger differ from organic ground ginger? Or does it?

I'm looking to stay on natural remedies even when the gastritis subsides. I really appreciate all the info people here provide.

PPIs have really done a bad number on me personally. I know they're necessary and totally agree with some people but in my case, it had consequences.

A bee-keeper lives in my area and I've been getting honey from him. I don't use it as much as I'd like to because I'm working on lowering triglycerides. No sweets, and very little natural sweets. I have a serious case of elevated lipids. This is the first time in my life they jumped up and I'm sure it was due to the same situation that caused my gastritis to flare up like it did.

My little yorkie had cancer and heart disease. I had to put her down in December when the pain meds didn't help her any more. I had been very stressed for 6 months trying to make her comfortable and never leaving her except to go to church on Sunday. I didn't realize the toll it was taking on me until after she died.

I had gastritis for the last 4 months of her life and I kept going. I lost a lot of weight during that time which I didn't need to lose.

I'm going to do like you Sunbeam - put flax seed in my oatmeal for my triglycerides and like you Adam - eat a banana before the oatmeal and put honey and berries in it. I'll fit the ginger in there too. Hopefully the oatmeal will taste a bit better.

Blessings, cme
Posted 3/7/2012 8:41 PM (GMT 0)
I meant to say Manuka not Hanuka...my bad

Manuka honey is gathered from bees feeding on manuka, which grows uncultivated throughout New Zealand. The honey has antibacterial properties, but its antimicrobial activity varies with origin and processing.
I read about Manuka honey online and also on Koufman's blog http://www.refluxcookbookblog.com/. Manuka is suppose to be better than raw for gastritis and GERD issues. Manuka is more expensive :(

I just buy raw whole ginger and manually grind it using mortar and pestle. I have never used ground organic ginger, so I can't tell you the differences.

Post Edited (Adam77) : 3/7/2012 5:42:43 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 3/7/2012 11:24 PM (GMT 0)
I also eat a banana every morning, before I heat up my oatmeal. I make a pot of old fashioned oatmeal weekly, so most days I just heat it up. The ginger in my oatmeal was fine today, different but not objectionable.
Posted 3/8/2012 12:39 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the info Adam. I'll try the raw whole ginger and grind it up myself. It might be better than what I'm using.

Sunny, how the heck do you warm up oatmeal? Micorwave? I think I'll try this too.

I tried a 1/2 teaspoon of ginger instead of 1/4th but it 'bit' my tongue! Ha!

Blessings,
cme
Posted 3/8/2012 12:51 AM (GMT 0)
You have to be careful with too much ginger dose. Ginger can cause same problems as NSAIDs do if taken too much daily for long time. The safe daily dose of ginger is 1 to 2 grams per day. Too much ginger can actually give you heartburn. See the articles
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/ginger-000246.htm
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/961.html#Safety
http://www.livestrong.com/article/315409-risks-of-eating-too-much-ginger-root/
Posted 3/12/2012 3:40 AM (GMT 0)
I came back home couple of days ago from my work trip, and started my normal routine with proper diet and one 20 mg prilosec.

Today I took 300 mg Betaine HCL before lunch, and 300 mg Betaine HCL before dinner. I did not take Prilosec today. I did not burp and did not feel acid reflux. I felt mild sensation around chest area. Around 4 pm I did not feel acid reflux sensation as I normally do if I do not take 20 mg Prilosec. Later at night I started to feel little heartburn. I will see how tonight and tomorrow goes.
Posted 3/12/2012 9:14 PM (GMT 0)
CME, how do you distinguish your gastritis symptoms from symptoms of acid reflux or 'heartburn'? My scope last year showed gastritis as well as acid reflux - I attribute the nausea when hungry and the constant false gnawing hunger (when not on a ppi) to gastritis but otherwise can't tell which is what. I fancy trying the ginger on my porridge!

MMM
Posted 3/15/2012 6:06 AM (GMT 0)
Hello i am new to this site. But want to share my experience with Nexium. My GP started me on Nexium 40mg as i had a cough almost gagging first up in the mornings, and an ache at the base of my left rib which would not move. Nexium works for a few weeks then i started with the side affects, you name it reflux which it is meant to stop, abdominal aches all over, and loose yellow stools. Doctors all said was not the Nexium hmmm i was ok before the Nexium apart from cough. I had numerous blood tests for just about everything, lactose tests, blood occults all came back clear. And still had ache below left rib. I ended up having a endoscopy which showed mild reflux in the throat. I also had CT scan of entire abdomen which came back as all normal. GI said i could come off Nexium and try more natural remedies, so i lowered my dose to 20mg for 2 weeks to help with the rebound affect. During that time i checked out some remedies and found heaps of support for apple cider vinegar (natural). I have tried this now for less than a week as the rebound never kicked in till then. And to my surprise a dose of 2tspns of apple cider vinegar in 8oz of water before each meal and some in a water bottle through the day to sip has relieved my ache in chest is 90% gone now and has improved my rebound reflux. Hope this helps with getting off Nexium for others here.
Posted 3/15/2012 3:35 PM (GMT 0)
Gastritis2012,

Thanks for sharing your experience, and I am glad you found something that helped you.

Were you tested for low acid? I have read that if ACV helps someone, he/she may have stomach low acid.

Did you try ACV while you were taking 20 mg Nexium or you stopped Nexium before trying ACV?
Posted 3/15/2012 8:51 PM (GMT 0)
Adam77

I was not tested for low acid it was just assumed if i had reflux i had too much acid. Nexium didnt really work i had tried Pariet which is another PPI here, with same result heaps of side affects and no real relief. I only heard of ACV just before i stopped Nexium so i was investigating its benefits. Prior to that i was also using Manuka honey whilst waiting for my biopsy's coming back from endoscopy as i had heard it was good and killed H pylori. There was so many foods i had to stop as just about everything i had a reaction to, I was down to vegies and some fruits as even fibre from breakfast cereals would give me a bad reaction.
Posted 3/17/2012 1:19 AM (GMT 0)
update:
I have been on 20 mg OTC Prilosec along with DGL and other supplements. I take Prilosec before dinner time. I have been getting some burning sensation and burps after breakfast. I took TUMS last couple of days. If I continue to experience burps and burning sensation after breakfast, I may try 20 mg Nexium.
Posted 3/17/2012 1:21 AM (GMT 0)
Chewing gum and Rooibos tea have been helping too.
Posted 3/17/2012 7:48 AM (GMT 0)
How are you doing now Adam?? I need to get off nexium. Its ruining my health!! Nmy iron levels are now low, I have chronic bladder issues which my dr suspects is coming from the lack of acid balance in my body. I'm a mess!! I've been on nexium for 12 years now. It's not gonna be easy to come off of. What exactly have been your trigger foods?
Posted 3/17/2012 12:39 PM (GMT 0)
I cut back to 10 mg prilosec this week.  Still drinking the teas I've mentioned, Pepto Bismol at night, zantac if I'm going to have a heavier meal (not every day).

I've found it best to cut back very slowly, adding substitute products as needed.  My GI doc says that we often develop tolerance for H2 blockers like Zantec in as little as a week, so you can't just depend on them.  At the beginning I switched from Nexium to Prilosec at the same dose, because Nexium at the same dose seems to be stronger.  I can also buy Prilosec OTC.  Currently I'm using a pill cutter to cut 20 mg tablets in half.

Post Edited (sunbeam48) : 3/17/2012 7:37:46 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 3/17/2012 2:51 PM (GMT 0)
Nal,

My trigger foods are cheese, anything fried, and tomato sauce. There are a lot of alternative options available for GERD. You will have to try and see if they work for you.
Posted 3/17/2012 2:54 PM (GMT 0)
Sunbeam,

Good to know that you are making progress. Are you using prescription 20 mg Prilosec? How is it different from OTC 20 mg Prilosec?

Also, you mentioned that you take Pepto at night? do you take it every night? is it ok to take pepto every night?
Posted 3/17/2012 5:00 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Adam, I'm using OTC Prilosec, which I believe is identical to the prescription stuff.
I take the pepto every night. I've searched Internet sources, and haven,t found any long term bad side effects. The package says you can take it hourly (for diarrhea). My gp was the one who suggested pepto for my stomach symptoms.
Posted 3/21/2012 3:19 AM (GMT 0)
OK, so I found some interesting acid reflux trigger. I had started drinking two glasses of water right after waking up. I had read about the benefits of doing so, but I did not realize that water on empty stomach was giving me heartburn and burps for the rest of the day. I have stopped drinking water in the morning after waking up, and my heartburn and burps have gone down.

I also found that Metamucil I have been taking has some citric acid. I should have realized it from its orange taste. I have bought psyllium husk without citric acid and sugar from whole foods market.
Posted 3/21/2012 9:13 AM (GMT 0)
Hi,

I can't tolerate water either, except with a meal. Makes things very difficult when my bladder flares up as my stomach will tolerate only small amounts of liquid at a time.

Have you tried flaxseeds or linseeds (the actual seeds) instead of the Metamucil?

MMM
Posted 3/21/2012 9:52 AM (GMT 0)
Been 2 1/2 weeks since stopping Nexium am using ACV and Zantac once in the morning. Have noticed abdominal aches all over with very loose stools worse than before, think it maybe the Zantac. I funny how all the doctors deny all these side affects ( mine do anyway). Do they think they don't exist. I rang the national drug service and reporting service here today and one thing started to become clear. Doctors don't pass on side affect information so no data gets collected for these and other side affects. But i did find out that our reporting service for drug side affects here do scan all the forums and websites and log data applicable to certain drugs seems is the only way they get data.

Hope everyone is making improvement's TC
Posted 3/30/2012 2:34 AM (GMT 0)
my update:
After trying Prilosec 20 mg for a month, I started to feel heartburn (without acid reflux) during the day. I would say I was feeling heartburn at level 5 on the scale of 10. While DGL seemed to help but heartburn would come back after a little while. Chewing gum and apple also helped, but I do not like to chew gum all the time. I have started Aloe vera juice ( Lily's stomach formula) and Slipper elm. Slippery elm seems to help a lot and I don't get heartburn during the day. I take two slipper elm capsules an hour before breakfast, lunch and dinner. I have increased DGL dose to two pills before each meal. I take Prilosec in the evening.

Lets see how it goes.
Posted 4/8/2012 5:00 AM (GMT 0)
I am still doing ok with DGL, Slippery elm, and 20 mg Prilosec. I hope once I have things under control, I will start reducing my PPI dose. The only time I feel heartburn sensation when I am hungry, and heartburn is a hint for me to eat something. I am looking for something that I can eat while I get heartburn sensation and that can last longer and does not have too much calories.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
123456