<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
Hi - My original questions were:
1. Info. about "pill esophagitis" regardless of the drug.
2. Prevacid experiences - mainly; how long did it take to work?
3. GERD that came "out of the blue".
Here are edited "snipets" of the many thoughtful responses:
My daughter did have major GERD/Acid reflux Productive...the GERD was
so bad all the food she injested would come up with the gas..she could
hold nothing down...this pesisted for almost 2 years we tried all sorts
of meds...Losec, prepulsid, maxeran, Prevacid..nothing worked....finally
we took her off all reflux meds and changed her diet...added vitamins
and lipoic acid ...she is now doing way way better...minimal gas...still
some bloating but not tons.
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For two years of belching,occasional gerd, distension and stomach
discomfort and the best the gastro could come up with is aerophagia!!
Finally, through a physicians assistant, wheat and gluten were
discovered to be the cause of the problem. What a relief! They had put
me on every type of acid blocker, antacid, motility enhancer including
Prevacid, Zantac, Propulsid, etc.
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I use prescription Zantac and it works quickly and is GF.
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But one doctor said it could be an esophageal spasm (in which the
esophogeal mucles vibrate--kind of like a nervous tic--at a high
frequency, which can't be detected by egd's or barium xrays. etc/ She
said if I drank a warm beverage (like tea--decaf, of course, because of
theacid in carffeinated foods smetimes triggers the spasm) and noted
improvement for say, an hour or so, that might be it...Medicines like
Prevacid and Aciphex and Prilosec did not work, they made me feel
worse...Finally I asked for a plain old chest xray. The chest xray
showed I had a severe case of costachondritis, So I began by
eliminating all foods with citrus or citric acid and I also removed
other foods which contain a lot of acid--tomatoes and chocolate.
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she took prevacid for GERD, it helped nothing...Our ped. explained when
the muscle that holds the food in gets irritated it does not work right,
the acid has to be lowered for it to heal and work again.
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I have gerd and barrotts esophagus, both diagnosed during my most recent
endoscopy. Originally my GI diagnosed Prilosec for me and told me to
stop drinking wine, coffee, orange juice, etc.
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This may sound crazy, but once I started going to the Chiropractor, my
gerd ceased...he pointed out which nerve/nerves controlled that area and
after that adjustment, it was gone. Now I'm not suggesting it's a cure-
all, but if you have any back discomfort at all, it not only feels
wonderful but it may even help. It was my upper back, sort of in the center.
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*******just because a drug reaction is rare, doesn't mean that it isn't
happening to you.Perhaps a lower dose would work and not cause the
problem. You may just have to try this on your own. Drug reactions do
not always show up immediately. And some drug reactions don't have
anything to do with the primary action of the drug. They don't act 100%
the same way in all people. That is the "art" of prescribing.**********
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Alcohol and fat are by far the worst offenders: they relax the sphincter
at the bottom of the esophagus, this allows acid to reflux back up into
the esophagus. The reaction to this is that the sphincter then spasms
and cramps painfully.
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Prevacid worekd for me, but made my stomach, and thus my heart (which
lies against the stomach) too spastic. So I've been on the Zantac.
Been fine for years. Last week, OUT OF THE BLUE came the stomach acid
attack from hell and I can't find any explanation. Been over everything
I ate and drank that day and nothing was unusual. My esophagus was
burned. Could hardly swallow tap water for days. Barely take food now.
Doubling the Zantac hasn't laid a glove on it. Nor has antacids to
boot.
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I have much of the belching too, which my doc also insists is from
swallowing air....pardon me for breathing! ...The Prilosec (usually)
seems to work fine for me in the day time, but I have terrible problems
at night...As for my GERD, I guess it didn't come out of the blue. I've
had it for a long time, only it gets more difficult to control. I've
already had 2 dilations of my esophogus!
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Taking antacids is dangerous long term... look up food combining and
that will help you the most eat starchy foods alone without the acids of
meat and the acids of eggs
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Yes, the pill prednisone can cause esophagitis. In fact, it is common.
I took Neurontin for years now and had no problems before prednisone. I
do have GERD also. But it is my understanding you have to consistently
take Prevacid or Aciphex (which I take) for at least a month before
progress sets in.
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I am experiencing something very similar to what you are. I am on
Neurontin (2100 mg) for pain control. It is working great but I ended
up going to the Emergency ward one day because of chest pain. I still
have the pain. I am on Prilosec for it...My doctor and I both feel it
will end up being esophagus spasms. I think it is probably coming from
the Neurontin. I also read in the PDR that Neurontin can cause this.
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read an excellent book which covers natural remedies for it: "No More
Heartburn" by Sherry A. Rogers, M.D. The publisher is Kensington,
copyright 2000.
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I have chronic GERD all the time,. the only thing that works for me is
prilosec, it's my mirracle drug that works for 12 hours.
-----------------
- Thank you to everyone who provided information. I've been off of
neurontin for about 1.5 weeks now Nothing GERD-wise has really changed -
so after my manometry test later this week, I will probably go back on
neurontin and at least be able to sleep again! - Laurie
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