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Carafate question-What counts as food?

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Posted 10/3/2013 4:37 PM (GMT 0)
Cough drops?

Herbal teas (chamomile specifically) with honey and lemon?

Popsicles? Or only things to chew? I'm still very confused about how snacks fit in.

Thanks

Posted 10/3/2013 4:44 PM (GMT 0)
The way my doctor explained it to me is that anything solid in your stomach will be coated by the carafate and it wont coat your stomach, but it also might cause it to not digest right? but mostly because the carafate wont coat your stomach.

When I took it, I would make sure it was at least 10 mins in between drinking anything or sucking on a coughdrop or chewing gum. that way it can stick well to your esophagus.
Posted 10/3/2013 5:04 PM (GMT 0)
So if I understand right, that means popsicles, cough drops, flavored water, or anything that requires chewing must be taken at least 10 minutes after carafate sludge. But you have to wait 2 hours for your stomach to be empty to take the next dose of carafate, then 1 hour before you can eat or snack again. Is that right? I asked my pharamacist but forgot to ask these questions.

The other question I forgot to ask is about eating after the carafate. I was told an hour, but does that mean at least an hour or an hour specifically. For example if I time it so that I should be hungry the hour afterward but am not, can I wait longer? Or should I eat anyway?

Thanks for patience in answering questions and for your time.
Posted 10/3/2013 5:12 PM (GMT 0)
The way I did it, and it might be wrong because Carafate is annoying and tricky to use, is that I would take it 2 hours after food or medication or 2 hours before food or medication.

I did not count any liquids(mostly water, but coughdrops or popsicles are problably ok) as food and would space those out from carafate at least 10 mins.

So I ended up taking my carafate once early in the morning after I had a glass of water. I would have another dose of carafate in the middle of the day well between meals (that one I would often skip because of tricky timing) and the last dose right before I would fall asleep at night.

I wasn't very good at figuring out the timing, i just tried to make sure that my stomach was as empty as possible when i took it and didnt drink anything after to make sure it stuck.
Posted 10/4/2013 2:20 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Uhura,

StephanieJean has it right...wait two hours after eating or taking medication to take the Carafate and wait to eat at least an hour after taking it.  You don't HAVE to eat at the hour mark. 

Just don't eat solid foods before that, or the foods could get coated with Carafate taking valuable coating away from the stomach.  The ten minute drinking rule allows the Carafate to stick to the esophagus and form its protective coating.

Snacks are considered foods, so they need to be eating 2 hours before or at least 1 hour after taking the Carafate.

I would think a popsicle would be a liquid and wouldn't cause a problem.  Same thing with sucking a cough drop. Be sure to leave the full 2 hours before and after the Carafate to take the medication. 

Happy healing,

Denise

Posted 10/4/2013 9:30 PM (GMT 0)
I hate being hungry. I feel like I can't eat because of this. I'm so frustrated.  And if I give in and eat, then I have to redo my entire schedule. 

Sorry but I am really sick of this and very frustrated right now.

Posted 10/4/2013 9:50 PM (GMT 0)
Hi uhura. My carafate leaflet says 3 times a day 1 hour before food OR 2 in the morning and 2 at bed-time.
Posted 10/4/2013 11:07 PM (GMT 0)
Even taking it before bed and right when you wake up is better than quitting because you are frustrated. If you eat breakfast, just wait an hour after waking to eat.

Here is an example of my schedule
6 am wake-carafate
7:30 am- vitamins and meds and breakfast
12 pm, lunch
2 carafate
6 Dinner
9 pm carafate

There is also room in there for snacks too. I think if you just plan it out it makes it easier. I used google calendar to get into a routine with it.
Posted 10/5/2013 12:37 AM (GMT 0)
I will have to think about the google calendar.
My schedule so far is:
6:15 Aciphex/Lamictal (anti-seizure)/Adderall
6:45 Caraphate
7:45 Eat.
10:40 Carafate
11:40 eat
3:40 Carafate
4:40 eat
5:40 anti-seizure medicines and Aderall.
8:40 Carafate
9:40 eat.

I try to get exercise in the mornings before breakfast.
I leave for work at 12:20 or 12:00 M-F
and get off 3:40 or 1:40 depending on the day.
By the time I can eat, I am too hungry for a snack so it ends up being a meal each time.
I won't quit. It hurts too much without it even though I am still in some pain with it.
But I do still get frustrated. I hope that will lessen with time and with getting into the habit.

I used to be able to take vitamins. Now at least one makes me sick. I am trying to figure out which one so I can take the others.

Should herbal tea be ok anytime? Or only when I can eat? I will skip the honey and lemon juice if needed but maybe someone will let me know?

Anyone here take Aciphex also?

Thanks everyone.
Posted 10/5/2013 2:27 AM (GMT 0)
Uhura,

I know it's rough when you're trying to heal.  It's gets really frustrating.  Before my Nissen surgery I'd get esophagitis along with the gastritis, and it made it so painful I could only manage to eat a little egg custard.  It always took two to three months to heal.  I feel your pain.

I am concerned with the 6:15 meds and 6:45 Carafate.  That is just a half hour.  You wouldn't want the Carafate coating your meds and making them less effective.I talked to a pharmacist, and she said that if you take your meds first, you could probably get away with an hour or so between meds and Carafate, as your stomach would probably be empty by then.   (Of course, that is assuming someone with normal stomach emptying--delayed stomach emptying could cause a problem with this variation.)   She did say that if you take the Carafate first, you have to wait the full two hours.  I think a half hour is pushing it, though.  I'd try for an hour or an hour and a half.  Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.  Don't shoot the messenger!

How about 6:15 meds

7:30-7:45 or so Carafate

8:45 Breakfast

11:00 Carafate

1:00 Lunch

3:15 Carafate

5:15 Meds

6:15 dinner

Depending on when you go to bed, you could have a snack and take your Carafate just before hitting the pillow, so it lasts through the night.  Or, as you've listed, take the Carafate at 8:45 and a bedtime snack at 9:45.

You won't be taking Carafate like this forever.  I know it's hard.  If you have to miss a dose sometime because your schedule varies, so be it.  Just get as many in as you can.

Good luck!

Happy healing,

Denise

 

Posted 10/5/2013 3:00 AM (GMT 0)
The paper from the pharmacy says to take Aciphex half an hour before Carafate. I don't know the name of those papers but they are thes that describe side effects and how to use it. The one for Aciphex says that if you are taking Sucralfate (carafate) as well to take the Aciphex half an hour earlier. The one for the Carafate says to make sure the other medicines (not Aciphex) are to be taken two hours before or after Carafate.

Interesting that your pharmacist said differently. Thank you though.

I appreciate the reassurance that the world won't end if I miss a dose. Especially since I remembered the schedule wrong (was trying to do it by memory, should have double checked) and took the last dose too early. Oh well. It wasn't a lot early but I am a perfectionist and am even now worried that I will be at someone's house at the time I need the medicine and when I need to eat.

It would be so much easeir to take a pill instead of making a sludge.

Oh well. I'm a complainer but things will be ok.

How did your experience with heartburn start?

I was suddenly sick to my stomach and had a headache. Pain killers didn't help. I went home to lay down and next thing I knew it was 7 hours later, I got up for 2 and fell asleep for another 9. I have no idea why but sleeping that long probably left the acid in one place on my stomach too long. After that I started with Prilosec-just changed the type and location of pain, Nexium-didn't work, Then the Carafate and Aciphex.
Posted 10/5/2013 4:12 AM (GMT 0)
Does Carafate 'wash off'? It is unusual that I am not hungry the hour after taking it but right now it is. Does water 'wash off' the coating that it provides?
Posted 10/5/2013 4:34 PM (GMT 0)
Good Morning and I agree with the info provided by our wise and caring members.

Regarding "Does Carafate wash off?"  I would ask this question of your pharmacist.  I do not think drinking water is a problem and with the dosing schedules for Carafate you are replacing the coating 4 times daily.

Take care,

Kitt

 

Posted 10/5/2013 6:41 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Uhura,

From what I've been told by my GI doc, the Carafate sticks to the stomach and provides protection for about 6 hours.  At one time my esophagitis pain was bad, and I asked my GI doc if I could take a dose in the middle of the night, even though it was before 6 hours.  He said that it would be fine.

The coating on the esophagus (according to my GI doc) is secure in about 10 minutes after taking the liquid Carafate (or slurry in your case), so just wait that long before drinking.

Hang in there.  From your description of your gastritis/GERD onset, it sounds as if you got a bad stomach virus that set your stomach going.  I'll bet that once you get things healed and straightened around you'll be back to your normal self again.  During the gastritis flare up, be sure to eat bland, soft foods.  You don't want rough things to enter your stomach and irritate the stomach lining further.

Best wishes,

Denise

Posted 10/5/2013 7:19 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks
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