I have chronic heartburn, or acid reflux, and I've been on prescription Prilosec for sometime, but I've read in some places that you shouldn't be on Prilosec for extended periods of time. The only problem is that if I go off of it for about 2 days, my heartburn comes back.

Does anybody out there take heartburn medicine on a daily basis?

3/24/2012 10:21:39 PM

i've been taking this on an almost daily basis lately. can't beat the algae foam barrier.


[Edited on March 24, 2012 at 11:15 PM. Reason : ]

3/24/2012 11:15:14 PM

the only thing that helped my chronic heartburn was not eating so much so late at night, and cutting out so much fast food, but primarily not eating til i was full did the trick

3/25/2012 12:15:37 AM

BTDT was on nexium for most of undergrad. Now it's only once in a while because I've figured out that grains don't agree with me.

3/25/2012 12:18:33 AM

Have you seen a doctor about your acid reflux? Just reread that you're on an Rx Prilosec. Make sure that you've been thoroughly evaluated for your reflux.

My mother's chronic reflux ended up being a symptom of a hiatal hernia where part of her stomach had pushed past the diaphragm. The doctor told her that had she ignored it, it could have twisted and caused necrosis. A simple endoscopic procedure corrected the problem and left her reflux free. But it wasn't diagnosed the first time she complained to the doctor about her reflux.

--

I suffer from wretched heartburn when I'm pregnant. I took Zantac daily with one baby (now it's not considered advisable, but it was ok 4-5 years ago) and I took Prevacid 24 daily with my last one. I worried about taking meds daily because the standard course is 2 weeks, but my OB said that is just on the box to encourage people to see their doctor because reflux can hide other problems and cause ulcerations.

[Edited on March 25, 2012 at 9:01 AM. Reason : .]

3/25/2012 9:00:41 AM

Thankfully I don't suffer from heartburn. I have heard from many people who had chronic heartburn, and stopped eating wheat (and most other grains) and their heartburn disappeared. Something to consider.

3/25/2012 9:58:23 AM

I get heartburn from certain foods. Eggplant is worst. Apples, pears, green peppers, etc are also really rough. I just avoid these foods. But if it got worse, I'd look into medication options.

Do y'all have specific trigger foods?

3/25/2012 10:23:45 AM

Not really any specific triggers other than the usuals - tomatoes kill me when I'm not on medication.

I've been to the GI doc and they did an endoscopy and didn't see anything obviously wrong that would be causing my heartburn.

3/25/2012 3:35:39 PM

I didn't think grains were a trigger, but that's because I ate so much of them I couldn't tell. Once I cut them out of my diet completely the difference was amazing.

3/26/2012 9:41:19 AM

i get really awful heartburn & acid reflux. i'm thinking some of mine is stress related (i can tend to internalize things & will have physical manifestation of the stress, super fun)

i have terrible bone density so i can't be on medication for it long term. i'm still trying to figure out if there are triggers besides emotional stress but when i do get it, the only thing that helps is drinking really hot water.

i just finished a 3 month cycle of prevacid and it seems to have helped. hiatal hernias are common on both sides of my family so i was going to get an endoscopy to confirm if i had one (pain is so bad sometimes it feels like a knife dragging through my chest. when i get it, i am completely zoned out from whatever i am doing) but it was going to cost $3000 out of pocket just for the hospital fee so i cancelled it

3/26/2012 10:43:13 AM

What hospital were you looking to get one at? I just had an upper endoscopy done and paid the full cost, granted it was the insurance negotiated cost, but it was only ~760. I have an high deductible HSA insurance and cover 100% of the costs myself up to my deductible.

3/26/2012 10:48:53 AM

i'm in texas

once i hit my deductible the rates are better so im waiting for that

3/26/2012 10:58:13 AM

I found that drinking something hot after a meal helps a lot. Especially something with ginger in it. Tumeric is also good.

3/26/2012 11:24:53 AM

I have LPR, which is the type of acid reflux where the acid gets into your larnyx. It creates terrible tight feelings in my throat. Ive had an endoscopy where they loosened up my throat and discovered I also have a hiatal hernia. Im currently on Dexilant 60mg everyday, Im supposed to get surgery to seal off the valve where your stomach and esophagus meet at some point in the future. Anyway, I hate it.

3/27/2012 9:34:32 AM

^ ugh I get the tightening in the throat too. Not treating it but for awhile it was spazzing & I would choke from it. My grandma has to go have her esophagus stretched every so often & can't have ice in any drink because it tightens up

Fucking sucks

3/27/2012 2:07:12 PM

If it's that bad you really need to try an elimination diet and see what your triggers are. My dad had pre-cancerous cells in his esophagus last time from the years of reflux. He finally lost weight and cleaned up his diet, but you really don't want it to get that far.

3/27/2012 2:31:36 PM