GERD and cancer

I know as much as any non-doctor/nurse/health professional could possibly know as I battled GERD for quite a long time.

There is a risk of cancer in the esophagus if GERD is left untreated for a long time. The cancer is almost always preceded by a condition called "Barrett's Esophagus", which was what you doctor was talking about when he said he found no cell transformations. I think you're probably okay. The risk of developing cancer at this point is minimal.

GERD and anxiety disorders do have some kind of relationship, though. I'll give you a personal anectote:

I had GERD pretty badly for at least four years. For three of those years I was either on Nexium or Prevacid. They helped, I guess, but I still had plenty of GERD problems; if I did not eat exactly the right way and at exactly the right time, I was burping fire, having horrible tastes in my mouth, regurgitating...you name it. Again, this is WITH taking the Prevacid/Nexium. Skipping ahead, I was at one point diagnosed with panic disorder and prescribed Klonopin.

For several weeks I was afraid to take the Klonopin as I'm one of these people who absolutely hate taking pills. During this period of denial I had, at one point, decided that Prevacid must be causing my panic attacks (why would I think that? beats me). So, naturally, I quit taking it. The GERD got worse. I expected a "correction" period and tried not to think about it. And since my panic disorder was so bad in those days I was eating very little to begin with.

Anyway, I finally mustered up the courage to take the Klonopin. Instantly (and I mean by the next day) I was feeling better in almost every respect. My GERD disappeared. I felt calmer. Well, after about a week or so the GERD made a resurgence. I simply went back on the Prevacid and it stopped that problem. It had never worked before...it seems I needed both drugs to straighten GERD out.

Long story short:

GERD can definitely be aggravated by anxiety, so anti-anxiety meds can help out. Well, at least they did for me. And don't worry about getting cancer. That's your anxiety talking, too. The risk is infinitesimal since you are proactively treating GERD. If you really want to be sure about it, go back for another scope as soon as your insurance will allow and have them look again. It's very unlikely to show anything.

Advice:

Eat a GERD-friendly diet and find a way (through drugs or whatever) to decrease your anxiety level. What was this sedative that they tried to give you?

Thanks for your responses! Sorry it took so long to get back to you guys, I wasn't feeling very well yesterday.

The doctor didn't tell me any specific medications, she just basically told me the two categories that anxiety meds fall in. Which was the habit forming sedative or the daily non-habitforming non-sedative pill. I don't know though. I might change my mind about this.

I feel like there are days when I feel fantastic and then there are days when I feel near death and that's no exaggeration. Last night I had such a hard time falling asleep because I felt like my head was spinning and I just wasn't all there. I wasn't on any meds or drinking alcohol or anything. I just felt that way. I don't know if that's some kind of anxiety or panic attack, but it was rather scary for me. My husband insists that some of my headaches are due to sinus problems, which I have had in the past. I start to fall asleep and then when I'm nearly sleeping I wake up so quickly like something is trying to stop me from falling asleep. I'm getting pretty scared and I'm thinking I might need to talk to someone professionally.

Not to play pharmacist or anything, but when he mentioned sedatives he was probably talking about benzodiazepines, which are also called "minor tranquilizers".

There are two categories of benzodiazepines: long-acting and short-acting. With the long acting ones (Klonopin, Valium, Librium), the side effect of drowsiness typically goes away because this class of drugs is usually used at small doses twice per day. Short-acting ones (Ativan, Xanax) are meant to be taken as-needed are a little different. If you take enough of those that the side-effects go away, you're likely building tolerance and that, of course, is not a good thing. The character of your particular anxiety will help the physician determine which one to use.

When he was talking about the ones that are not habit forming and not sedatives, he was probably talking about SSRIs. I've read about a lot of withdrawal phenomena with SSRIs, though, so the "non-habit forming" statement could be misleading. Another thing about SSRIs as that most were designed to treat depression. While they are effective in treating anxiety in some, they often have an initial side-effect that's not very fun: increased anxiety.

I think you should talk more about the drugs with your doctor and perhaps even get a second opinion. The fact that he'd characterize a benzodiazepine as a "sedative" is curious to me. I've been on Klonopin for months. I'm not tired!

I don't know that I'd worry too much about the "habit forming" aspect. That suggests abuse, and as an anxiety sufferer you're very unlikely to abuse your meds. He was probably talking about physical dependence, but wouldn't that be an acceptable trade-off if your anxiety were alleviated?

Dear Kitty

I am sorry that today is not going well for you and yes you do need to go back to your physician.

I am not sure how old your children are but I used to just have to drag mine along as I had no sitter or family around either. Do you have a neighbor or a play group they could go to? There are many summer day camps through the YMCA and churches youth activities centers. Perhaps they would be able to be involved in one of those. Just an idea

Keep posting and know we are here for you ((((((((HUGS))))))))))

Hey,

Bring them!!!!!!! Regardless of age or number of children, trust me they're used to it. Your children may drive you nuts while there but at least you'll be taking care of yourself and all of u will be better for it.

I know the expense thing can create a lot of anxiety all by itself, but try and put that out of your mind for now. Th money thing will eventually work itself out. You DESERVE to feel good!

Thanks everyone for giving me a place to vent my concerns and aggravations! I really appreciate the feedback that I get from all of you. I know we are all suffering from the same thing and it's good to know that there are people out there who understand you and believe you. I'm still new at this and still trying to learn how to deal with these certain levels of anxiety and what triggers it all. It is really scary and the people who are lucky enough to not have to deal with anxiety should try and understand that.

Anyhow, I'll keep everyone updated! I really like having a place to go to talk about all of this and to read other's stories too.

Have a great night all..

I feel I do everything right as to watching what I eat. I do not eat any spice. no tomatoes, no chili, no pizza due to the tomato sauce, , no spaghetti due to the sauce, no ketchup, no coffee, no soft drinks. And fried foods are out for us. So I totally avoid any acidic foods along those lines but periodically do get some belching and develop gas in my side below my ribcage. I occasionally try to enjoy small amounts of chocolate but not very often as they cause heartburn. So by my eating what I eat I feel I eat farely well. I eat alot of grilled chicken, whether it be on a salad or on a sandwich. I remove the tomato as I know I cannot handle the acid in them. I drink plenty of water, I drink nothing else at work, or at home either, no orange juice although I do drink milk. So I feel I shouldn't be having any issues with a reflux problem, and since I am on Protonix 40 mg. daily, I do not know how I could possibly develop reflux from this, not even a peptic ulcer as PPI'S heal them over time from what I've read. And since I do not ever have the problem with belching up stuff into my esophagus and throat I wonder if that is even what I have. I do belch sometimes but alot of times it is after eating and I know I eat too fast even though I've tried to slow down my eating as that can make a difference. I would think it would have to be triggered by acid producing foods and I avoid the most acidic foods. And went I start to get the weird feelings in my left side and the spasms in my back I believe they are gas related so I got up and got on our home gym and worked out a little and got on my treadmill for 20 minutes and have now taken some Mylanta antacid for heartburn and gas. Not to mention the 5 mg Xanax has me loopy where the .25 did me good somewhat and Lexapro sure doesn't and it is 10 mg. Exercise is a good stress reliever for me. It helps. What foods does anyone else on here avoid? What drugs are successful for them? Thanks.

Post Edited (at wit's end) : 8/10/2007 8:59:07 PM (GMT-6)