Can a person die from choking on acid reflux while asleep?

Put 2” spacers under the head of your bed. Eat foods that don’t trigger acidic episodes. Get some Zantac. Cut back on your coffee intake. See your doctor about GERD. (Gastroesophageal reflux disorder.) Some call it a disease, but it is a disorder.

Thank you. I’ve done all these things except the spacers. I know what to avoid but I really wanted that burrito and I paid for it.

My question isn’t about what to avoid. I’m curious about worst case scenarios.

This is rare: If you have a severe heart condition, it is possible to trigger supraventricular tachicardia when you don’t get enough oxygen, such as when you are having spasms while choking on stomach acids. This rhythm can kill you in minutes if not corrected.

Otherwise, if you can’t expel all the fluid you take into your lungs, over time, you can contract aspiration pneumonia. This can be deadly if not treated.

Both scenarios usually concern the elderly and happen rarely.

Over the years, there have been several cades of highly intoxicated people dying from this cause. I suppose it could happen to persons who lose unconscious for some reason.

Interesting. Thank you!

@hsrch They don’t die from reflux. They die from full-out regurgitation into the lungs, then suffocate. It’s a totally different thing. That is why you always turn an unconscious person’s head to the side and keep it there, so when they puke, it will go onto the floor and not into the lungs.

You need to see a doctor.

I don’t get the point of the question: If one didn’t care if they could die from their acid reflux in their sleep, they wouldn’t worry about if it was actually possible or not. And if one didn’t want to die from acid reflux in their sleep, or run any risk of it at all, they’d do something about it.

You can do everything possible yet still wake up choking one night. I don’t use spacers but I use several pillows. I take meds prescribed. Zantac doesn’t help me so I was prescribed Prilosec. Meds get expensive so I missed a few doses. I’ve had an endoscopy and seen several doctors.

Shit happens. I had my first episode in two years after doing everything my doctors have told me and it scared the shit out of me because I couldn’t breathe, so I asked Fluther.

What is so hard to understand? Are you always this rude to inquiring minds?

Thank you Espiritus for actually answering with facts and not with an opinion.

I was asking for facts. I understand I made it sound like this was ongoing for two years. It was ongoing for several months two years ago. I visited numerous doctors and received help. I had my first episode in two years the night before I asked this question.

I have terrible reflux, and I know the struggle to find a med that works. I tried everything on the market, plus some prescriptions. The only thing that I could get to work for me is cimitidine, which is the active ingredient in Tagamet. Walmart has a their brand which is the same ingredient but wayyyyy cheaper.
I don’t know if you can die in your sleep from reflux or not, but like you I have waked very afraid and choking a few times.

Bill Clinton had a terrible case of acid reflux. It’s the reason he was so hoarse early in his presidency. He was a Very Important Person, therefore got the absolute best care this country has to offer. I would research what they did for him, because halfway through his eight-year career as POTUS, the press became silent about this discomfort. I’m assuming somebody solved the problem. It will be somewhere on the Net.

Thank you, buddy. LOL. It’s nice to be appreciated.

@Dixon It’s not about being rude, just needing more information about the reasoning behind the question. I have an inquiring mind as well.

I think the best thing you could do would be to contact the CDC if you want the truest, most accurate answer to your question. They would have all the statistics.

This is what I do for a living. Seriously. You need to see a doctor.

And the answer to the question is yes.