Acid reflux. Got it? What helps?

Google GERD for diet suggestions and position while you are in bed. Often, not eating for a few hours before bedtime will help. You probably know all this.

@gailcalled Sometimes one (me or little boys in general) need to be reminded: I do tend to eat and heavily before bed. Dumb, I know. Thanks.

digestive enzymes.
diet changes.
drink more water
think happier thoughts, avoid worry
antacids make it worse in the long run
what caused this for you?

@zenele: Check the really killer foods; chocolate, mint, citric and acidic food, caffeine for some, eating too fast, eating too much.

As you already know, no eating near bedtime. I don’t drink very much of anything before bed either. Even water seems to bother me.
I actually sleep propped up with about 4–5 pillows. If you also put a pillow under each arm and a couple under your knees it’s quite comfortable.
My husband sometimes has trouble finding me amongst all those pillows sometimes.

EAT BANANAS. my mother used to have the worst acid reflux disease. it got so bad she sometimes couldn’t eat, sometimes couldn’t swallow, would vomit after meals…anyhow, she got surgery, but she still gets it bad sometimes and she doesn’t like medicine so she eats a couple bananas and swears by it. maybe you already know that. bummer.

@gailcalled : chocolate, (check) mint, (check) citric and acidic food (check)(check), caffeine for some (check), eating too fast, eating too much (check)(check).

Yup, I did ‘em all. Really. Mint tea with dinner, lemon in the salad. Coffee, black turkish after. Chocolate. All.

@deni I did not know that and I love bananas; Lately in the store, they have looked so green – I haven’t bothered with them. I will now.

@zenele; I forgot alcohol.

i use protonix twice a day. my issues have flared as well.

Prevacid !

What really sets this off for me is eating when I am really hungry.
The secret is to never let it get that far.
Once I’m really hungry, the only relief is vomiting.

aren’t you glad you asked?

Prilosec is my best friend.

I was on Prilosec for 3 years until I had to stop when I lost my insurance. I definitely needed it at first, or so I thought. And then I continued to need it. Then someone suggested an apple a day (either Honey Apple or Granny Smith it seems), and I’ve been doing that ever since, and it works. I wake up, drink a glass of water, shower, and then the first thing I eat is either an apple, or a bag of apple slices from McDonalds. And it has worked really well for me.

I think everyone with GERD may need Prilosec or other antacids, for a few months, to let their burnt stomachs and esophaguses heal. But after about 3 months, I think it’s probably best to switch to apples, after tapering off usage of antacids.

of course you can get a prescription for it, but abstinence from sauces and/or acidic or spicy foods will do the trick. change your diet.

i used to take gas tablets like “tums” all the time. when i changed my diet and what i ate, the reflux went away. change how you eat or cook things.

It sounds counter intuitive but sometimes severe acid reflux is a result of over dampering the acid content of your stomach.

By using too many acid inhibitors you slow down digestion and emptying of the stomach. Leading to over production of acid and, often, gas and bloating.

Fiber is the answer. Lots and lots of fiber plus lots and lots of water.

I went through a period of time with a stomach that felt like I had eaten my absolute fill of jagged glass shards. Then I listened to my doctor and loaded up on fiber…shooting for over the daily requirement.

Just like that the stomach pain went away.

What helps mine is chewing gum. I’ll wake up in the middle of the night with that horrible burning in my throat….chew some gum for about 5 mins then I’m all good. Drinking diet coke does it for me. The gum really helps for me though, and is inexpensive. Like if I’m bending over a lot at work, my reflux starts up that way too, it’s so easy to just pop in some gum.

The best control I’ve found is a Prilosec 20 mg daily and if an episode occurs, a Tagmet immediately.

These are the things I do to avoid acid reflux episodes. Of course if I eat something bad I immediately follow it with Pepcid AC complete to help me. Especially if I go out for dinner and drinks.
All the following things should be avoided. Alchohol, soda, greasy or fried food, cheese, pizza, hot peppers or strong spices, caffiene, chocolate, icecream, most dairy. Mints also make it worse.
Eat more but in smaller amounts. Gerd escapes from your stomach a lot faster when it it filled to the brim. So instead of having 3 regular size meals, eat 5 small ones. Don’t run or exercise till you had time to digest your food. Also don’t lay down.
Eat your last meal at least no later than 6 30. Even if you stay up late for some reason it tends to get worse in the evening the later you eat. If I eat at 7 pm my stomach is upset all night vise if I eat at 6pm. At night only drink water. Don’t go to bed right away. wait at least 3 hours before bed time.
There are two type of medications for your acid reflux. Most of the over the counter only take care in nutrilizing the acid already in your stomach. The perscribed meds from you doc usually is to help limit the amount of acid released in your stomach.
Also during an episode do not lay down. It will only make it worse and release acid into your esophagus and burn everything along the way. It will need time to heal the harm it causes. My doc said on average it takes about 6 weeks to 6 months depending on how much damage there was done. My guess is if its bad you probably will need to make all these changes and wait till its all better before trying something on the bad food list. And don’t miss a day of your meds .Most only last a few hours anyway.

@babiturtle36 Chewing gum stimulates the production of more bicarbonate-containing saliva and increases the rate of swallowing. After the saliva is swallowed, it neutralizes acid in the esophagus. In effect, chewing gum exaggerates one of the normal processes that neutralizes acid in the esophagus. It is not clear, however, how effective chewing gum actually is in treating heartburn. Nevertheless, chewing gum after meals is certainly worth a try

http://www.medicinenet.com/gastroesophageal_reflux_disease_gerd/page6.htm

@gailcalled I rarely forget alcohol – especially at night.

;-)

I can’t speak for anyone else, but I just gotta say: I’ve been on Prilosec for a bit more than a year now. I’m kind of crap at remembering to take my medications, though, and when I forget the Prilosec two days in a row, the GERD hits and even things like plain lettuce, plain pasta, unsalted crackers, chicken broth, and dry toast give me heartburn so bad that I take my damn pill and curl up in pain until it kicks in.

Thank you all so much. I am feeling better today (it’s your yesterday night).

Zantac 75 is a pill you can get at any drugstore and it always seems to help my acid reflux, was told to try it by the doctor.