# Help with Heartburn



## Guest (May 27, 2003)

I posted this on the meeting place, but i may get some more suggestions here as well:Hi guys.Lately, I have been experiencing really bad heartburn to the point where its' really paining in my chest bad. I was diagnosed with gastritis when I went for my colonoscopy last year. I am on Losec and I take it once a day.However, last night I was up all night with heartburn -even after taking 3 losecs and 5 Zantac's. Both the dr. prescribed, but not in that excess amounts. I am still having heartburn and I need suggestions to help cure it. I've been using lots of the antacids and stuff, but nothing seems to be working. I even tried baking soda and water and plain baking soda (disgusting). Any other remedies that have helped you?Thanks so much.


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## Serenity (Feb 6, 2002)

Hi Canuck,I'm sorry to hear you are feeling so bad. As a fellow sufferer, I know how awful it is to have heartburn that just won't quit. There are times when even water gives me heartburn and taking extra Losec/ranitidine just makes the problem feel worse.I have a couple of suggestions, but you should probably see your family doctor/GI as soon as possible, just to make sure nothing more serious is going on, or before changing any of your meds.You mentioned you are taking Dicetel for your IBS. I tried taking that and absolutely could not tolerate it, because it made my heartburn so much worse. In fact, the patient instructions state it should be taken "with a glass of water during meals or snacks" and "the tablet should not be swallowed when in the lying position or just before bedtime" (see Dicetel) , which leads me to believe it can really irritate the esophagus. I'm sure you're taking it correctly, as I was, but I still found it to be problematic.You also recently started taking OC's, and maybe the formulation you're taking is causing problems. I have found that my episodes of reflux seem to be tied to my hormone levels, so maybe that's something to consider and discuss with your GP.Also, are you taking any NSAID's? Even over the counter stuff can aggravate gastritis. Try to avoid all painkillers (e.g. Advil, Motrin, etc.) except Tylenol.As for something you can do that will help right now, maybe try taking Pepto-Bismol in the liquid form. I've often found it to be quite soothing when nothing else is. Or how about eating some dry crackers (plain or salted... I like the salted ones better)? Many times they help me feel better.Hope some of the above helps and you start feeling better soon. And feel free to email me or chat on MSN.Cheryl


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## carmen (Jan 29, 2001)

I was on dicetel for a while. It does help calm the bowel. The burning in the stomach with it , I cannot tolerate it. I am on pariet for the burning . I tried to take the dicetel with the pariet and the burning was so bad. I cannot take dicetel. Which is hard because it does help the bowel. I tried losec but it made me so dizzy.


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## Guest (May 27, 2003)

Cheryl,Thanks for your help







I am avoiding any advil type products for sure. I never use them unless I am really in pain (usually with my period) but that's not the case now.I think I might call my nurse tomorrow and see what I can do. Maybe it is a combinatino of the pills I am using?Carmen, Losec at first made me really sick for the first two weeks of use. It made me really sick to my stomach (nausea) and it made me extremely dizzy. Luckily it has subsided though after a couple of weeks.


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## babsknupp (May 14, 2003)

What dismays me is that Ibuprofen is the ONLY







pain reliever that has any significant effect on my pain, and it of course is a no-no for GERD. I have back problems which cause me pain in both the mid and lower back, (but also upper often too) as well as fairly frequent headaches, and Tylenol doesn't do much for me. But, alas, I may give it a chance again, just to see if I can substitute it for the Ibuprofen, now that I know I have GERD.


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## OppOnn (Jun 30, 2002)

Apart from the good advice above, have you changed your diet? What you eat? And drink? You probably know this, but I will write some helpful things in case you do not.I used to have heartburn really badly. Couldn't sleep at night. Spent half the night sitting up reading. Or wandering around.Here's what I found. First, I stopped drinking, gassy drinks, anything sparkling (except champagne and beer seem fine, in moderation) - certainly no sodas or cokes.We are all different, and I also have Crohn's, mild, not typical, so I was pro-active for that too. Some of things that helped me may have helped the Crohn's too. Whatever, I finally got rid of most of my heartburn by not eating lots of foods I love and adore. And the Crohn's. I have always been drug-free. Except for 2 digestive enzymes I take immediatelybefore I eat my main meal. I used to take them before lunch, too, and one after each meal. You do take rather a lot! (Also a dentist once put me on to Aleve for minor pain. You only have to take one every 12 hours which is better for our stomachs than 2 every 4-6 hours. Think about it...!)Back to heartburn, it didn't finally go until I took coffee, even decaf out of my life! Which I did over 3 years ago. And miss. But not enough to get the heartburn back, even mildly.I also drink weak tea, not overstewed. Ask for tea or teabags on the side when I go out, with an extra pot of hot water.)I don't eat any pastas or pizzas with tomato based sauces. I eat only cheese ones. And no tomato juices either.I started a food diary, then made a yes, no and maybe list, which I fine-tuned for months, perhaps even a year, and worked out which foods and drinks are my enemies, and I stay away from them, even though in remission for over 3 years,Now, I have controlled my Crohn's, and my heartburn.I also make sure not to lay down in bed for at least 2 or 3 hours after eating, and I used to prop myselfup at least 6" if heartburn was even slight.Hope you can stop suffering soon.O


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## silver (Dec 21, 1999)

Just a question.........Are you taking the losec at the right time? You have to take it before a meal, preferably before the first meal of the day. And about 1/2 hour to an hour after you take it, you have to eat something. If you dont, you just wasted your meds.It the way losec and all those PPI work, it binds with food.Maybe you are taking it right, and your dose is just too low, you should check with your doc. I never found losec helped me but pantoloc did and it was because losec was only 20 mg & pantoloc was 40 mg. Calcium, like tums upset my stomach and tums is known for causing more acid production so you might be making it worse by taking it. Try pepto for a quick fix or even gaviscon works fast too and they shouldnt make things worse.Hope this was of some help to you.......I dont know what its like to suffer, I take zantac every night or I cant sleep.


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## hunter3000 (Apr 30, 2002)

i had the same thing,my doc put me on pantoloc,its been a miracle drug,i went from excessive amounts of rolaids and zantac to on pantoloc a day,a i rarely have any heart burn,my doc said taking tons of zantac and rolaids means i was in serious need of something to reduce the acid,with out proper treatment for gerd, alot of serious damage can be done,thats why its a desease and not a syndrome


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