Trying Betaine HCL

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. I am trying to find if I have low acid issue. I will increase HCL dose to 600 mg and see if I get acid reflux.

I am trying Betaine Hydrochloride 600 mg with Pepsin by Country Life.

I read about this approach in the book Why Stomach Acid Is Good for You: Natural Relief from Heartburn, Indigestion, Reflux and GERD by
Jonathan Wright, and also, I read about it online.

I have been avoiding coffee, tomatoes, cheese, red meat, fried food, and anything fatty.

I have symptoms of GERD: burps, acid reflux, and heartburn. I have been on Nexium, Prilosec, and Prevacid at different times for last 10 years. I have been able to reduce my dose of PPIs to OTC 20 mg Prilosec by diet change and supplements. I have been trying to find out if I have low acid.

Yesterday I started taking HCL, and I was ok most of the day till night when I started to have heartburn. Since I have an exam for my class later this week, I cannot take chance this week. Therefore, I will postpone testing with HCL for the next week.

I am 34. The book, and other literature, mentions that acidity reduces with age.

Basically, from what my doctors have described to me there are several types of folks who have insufficient hydrochloric acid in the stomach (which is the primary reason one would take Betaine hydrochloride):

1. Some people have an inherited low level of hydrochloric acid. That may be revealed through tests, and supplements may be supplied medically if the test results are positive. (Generally, it is through B12 shots, not through oral medications.)

2. Anyone over the age of 40 (according to Earle Mindell, the author of "The Vitamin Bible") should be taking a hydrochloric acid supplement such as Betaine hydrochloride with meals to supplement reduced levels of stomach acid caused by ageing. He notes that high stomach acid and low stomach acid conditions are identical, so medical help may be called for to identify what condition one really has.

3. People who have inability to absorb vitamin B12 from the diet because an intrinsic factor is missing to metabolize vitamin B12 from foods. The solution there is to take B12 shots as prescribed by the doctor.

4. Betaine hydrochloride is beneficial in the digestion of meats, primarily. If one is a heavy beef or other meats consumer and has low stomach acidity, supplements of Betaine Hydrochloride might be helpful.

5. People who are diabetic have an improper functioning of the autonomic nervous system. They may need to take an acid-pump inhibitor to improve stomach conditions. (Prilosec, as well as other appropriate products, alters some of the acid pumps in the stomach but does not affect hydrochloric acid, according to my internist.)

6. People who have gerd should avoid using peppermint to improve the condition. For a few it works, but for the majority, it is not effective because peppermint, Tums, etc., cause a relaxation of muscles and may cause regurgitation of foods into the esophageal area, which can be very painful.

I hope this offers one explanation for the use of Betaine Hydrochloride.

I noticed that one of you mentioned that you had stopped eating

cheese, tomatoes, and several other foods.  Wise choice, since

these foods are highly inflammatory and contain high thiol levels.

(See foods high in thiols.com for more information.)  Not everyone

is able to digest high thiol foods well.

It's Genetic

Post Edited (It's Genetic) : 3/13/2012 8:15:22 PM (GMT-6)

You're asking a serious question now about a medical condition that should be treated by a physician. I do think that proton pump inhibitors should be checked with a physician before you consider having bloodwork done to detect adequate hydrochloric acid, particularly if you are a routine user of the product.

There are real problems that can occur with misusing proton pump inhibitors and with using hydrochloric acid supplements, some of which can be serious. For starters, you may be making yourself more vulnerable to pneumonia by continuous use of proton pump inhibitors, some bone fractures, etc.

It really needs to be diagnosed and treated by a physician at this point for you. Please don't take chances with your health. Insufficient hydrochloric acid is treated quite differently today than it was years ago, and I wouldn't take a Betaine hydrochloride product unless my doctor recommended it.  If you're diabetic, you are under the care of an endocrinologist, I would imagine, and he can tell you whether it's okay to use the proton pump inhibitors on occasion or more often. But let him be your guide, please.

Good wishes.

I.G.

Post Edited (It's Genetic) : 3/13/2012 2:39:39 PM (GMT-6)

I had an inherited hydrochloric acid insufficiency (mild) which led
to gastric reflux and other gastric problems. I was told, as you might have been, that it is okay to use Prilosec (and I'm assuming any other PPI) for up to a year without a problem. I could never do that because of failure to digest all foods which led to a weakened immune response, and I suffered bouts of double pneumonia twice as a result.

I do consider it important to have a hydrochloric acid supplement when meat is in the diet if one has low hydrochloric acid production.

I wish you well in your effort to correct a painful condition.

It's Genetic

Post Edited (It's Genetic) : 3/13/2012 8:20:02 PM (GMT-6)

I think you're making a very wise choice.

Would you believe that psychotherapy helped me?

I.G.

Post Edited (It's Genetic) : 3/13/2012 8:43:58 PM (GMT-6)

Kabba your success is so encouraging. I am enxperimenting with HCL now. My big question is whether I should not be taking my nexoum at the same time as trying HCL I have been weaning off my Nexium but now that I'm trying HCL do I stop Nexium cold turkey? Struggling to find any info about this anywhere.