What's going on??

   My GERD was pretty much under control.  I've been off aciphex for several years.  I am on Toprol XL (beta blocker) for high BP and an overactive sympathetic system.  I've been on that for 4 years.  It did wonders for my pulse and BP, but the side-effects were getting to me (memory loss, fatigue).  My BP has been great for several years, so I decided to slowly come down on the Toprol.

   I started this weaning process about 5 days ago.  My heartrate has been up a bit, but that is to be expected for awhile.  But......when I lay down at night to go to sleep, my heart starts pounding.  My pulse is about 90.   Then my stomach seems to totally fill up with gas, and I start burping, burping, burping.  My upper chest feels so full I can't stand it.  I have to sit up.  I just can't sleep like this.

   It feels to me like weaning from the Toprol has had a huge impact on my  GERD-type symptoms..........but only when I'm laying down.

  I've started wondering if I have a sliding hiatal hernia, and when I lay down, it all presses against my heart, and since I'm not on as much Toprol, it causes it to really pound hard.

   In retrospect, 4 years back, I got so much pressure and bloating in my upper GI tract, that I had to sleep in a chair for 7 months.   That's when I started back on aciphex, and was put on Toprol.  Now I'm wondering if it was the Toprol that helped my GI symptoms so much.

  At any rate, I'm miserable, and have started developing an anxiety for laying down, since it starts so many bad symptoms going.

   Has anyone else ever taken a beta blocker and it seemed to help their GERD?  Or have any of you gotten off a beta blocker and noticed a real set-back in your GERD?   I'm sure no doctor would ever say a beta blocker had any effect on GERD.......but it sure seems to have an affect on mine.  Dang.  There's always something.

Thanks for your help.

Cathy, I have premature heart beats-pac/pvc's-and I understand what you are talking about. I have noticed a correlation often between what my palpitation and stomach problems. They might get kicked up if I eat too much food at a meal and feel bloated. They might get kicked up if I get too hungry and don't eat in time. If I suddenly start burping alot, they might get kicked up. I have read where others also notice the same thing from time to time. The good thing is the premature heart beats are benign.   They do feel horrible, terrible and completely unpleasant.   I really think it all has to do with the vagal nerve. If it gets irritated, it will irritate something else and on and on it goes.????? The best advice I can give is to try to do some relaxation technique to try to calm and sooth the body down.  Who knows----sometimes it will work and sometimes it will not.

I really do sympathize. I have a few 'benign' arrhythmias, coronary artery spasms, GERDS and fibromyalgia also. I know when one thing acts up, other things in my body will soon follow suit. I learned biofeedback to try to keep things together better. I think it has helped.