Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 spearspike Aug 08, 2008 17:31:02	So I recently had an upper GI (think that was what it was called anyways), because I was getting severe heartburn (and I would vomit while working out at the gym). My doctor looked inside, and said I have lots of ulcers in my stomache and esophagus and a hiatal hernia. He said I had to either take medication or get surgery...otherwise the symptoms wouldn't go away. So I tried both prilosec and nexium. Both made me dizzy, extremely tired, depressed, and highly irratable. These symptoms didn't go away, but worsened over time. So I stopped the medicine. The heartburn came back full force, I had it all day basically. So I tried zantac. In order to quell the burn I had to take two 150 tablets a day (morning and afternoon). The problem is these also make me very tired, and they often make my stomache feel like it has hunger pains no matter how much I eat. SOmetimes the tiredness is worse than other times, and I suspect it has to do with when I eat in relation to taking the pill. SOme days I don't feel tired from it at all. My doctor has told me he doesn't know why. My questions: 1) Are my only options taking the medicine or getting surgery? 2) are there other groups of medications for acid reflux that might help with fewer side effects? 3) Should I eat before or after taking my reflux pill? 4) should I worry about vitamin or calcium depletion?
#2 Dark_Stryke Aug 08, 2008 20:00:23	Man, isn't this something you should be asking a doctor? I'd say it's worth taking a trip down to a pharmacy to ask about heartburn medication, at the very least.
#3 spearspike Aug 08, 2008 20:11:02	Man, isn't this something you should be asking a doctor? I'd say it's worth taking a trip down to a pharmacy to ask about heartburn medication, at the very least. Yes. I have asked my doctor. But since i was more aware of the listed side effects of my medicine tham him, I have been fishing for more info.
#4 spearspike Aug 08, 2008 20:11:15	Man, isn't this something you should be asking a doctor? I'd say it's worth taking a trip down to a pharmacy to ask about heartburn medication, at the very least. Yes. I have asked my doctor. But since i was more aware of the listed side effects of my medicine tham him, I have been fishing for more info.
#5 spearspike Aug 08, 2008 20:12:04	Man, isn't this something you should be asking a doctor? I'd say it's worth taking a trip down to a pharmacy to ask about heartburn medication, at the very least. Yes. I have asked my doctor. But since i was more aware of the listed side effects of my medicine tham him, I have been fishing for more info.
#6 coston89 Aug 08, 2008 21:26:41	Go see a second doctor for his opinion. If he tells you to stay on the pills, do so but if there is no improvement in a month or two, seriously consider surgery.
#7 drackthor Aug 09, 2008 5:52:20	Find a doctor who knows what a pill can do before prescribing it.
#8 great_cthuhloz Aug 09, 2008 14:38:11	I used to suffer from acid Reflux quite badly - used to be in a lot of pain, and used to bring up stomach acid into my mouth whenever i had gas- but, reduced it quite signifcantly through a few simple steps. don't know if any of these apply to you, though 1)Loose weight. I lost close to 100lbs. your weight significantly affects this, as, basically, the weight of your abdominal & chest wall when you sleep presses onto your stomach and can make it worse 2)Watch your diet in general. cut out as much fat as possible, especially dairy fat, adopt a high fibre diet, lots of fresh vegitables, get your 5-a-day. generally improve your digrstive health. 3)stop smoking - says it all really. the chemicals in tobacco affect your body in all kinds of nasty ways, including the way your stomach wall contracts 4)Avoid Caffene, especially coffee 5)some people suggest sleeping at a slight angle (achieved by putting a block under the head-end of your bed helps. i didn't adopt that stratergy though There are also all kinds of medications that can help, a HUGE variety is available. it's worth discussing treatment options with a specialist doctor
#9 great_cthuhloz Aug 09, 2008 14:39:27	http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/articles/article.aspx?articleId=486&sectionId=9 as an adendum, the advice the NHS gives on lifestyle modification to help
#10 bob_loblaw Aug 09, 2008 16:47:08	I'm a certified pharmacy technician and I would tell anyone who asks this question to speak directly with the pharmacist and/or a specialist. There are plenty of options, some are better than others. While diet can have an effect, it is possible that your situation has progressed past that and you may need medication or surgery to get things back under control. This question really should be asked in a private office with a qualified physician. You will get much better results.
#11 great_cthuhloz Aug 09, 2008 16:55:21	other than point 5, of course, all the points in my posting are general good advice anyway for general health
#12 spearspike Aug 09, 2008 18:08:26	I'm a certified pharmacy technician and I would tell anyone who asks this question to speak directly with the pharmacist and/or a specialist. There are plenty of options, some are better than others. While diet can have an effect, it is possible that your situation has progressed past that and you may need medication or surgery to get things back under control. This question really should be asked in a private office with a qualified physician. You will get much better results. Honestly I have done this with two different doctors (my general practitioner, and a gastro-intestinal physician). I am very active in boxing and muay thai, and this hiatal hernia has really impacted my performance. I have found it very difficult to breath well during intense activity as a result of the hernia. Worse, the medications I am taking seem to make me really tired. My doctors dismissed the breathing as being in my head, and didn't seem to think the tiredness I reported from the medicine was worth being concerned over. Now if I was a couch potato, I would agree. But I enjoy an active lifestyle. So I am really looking for the best options available to an athlete. -Since I developed the Hernia, its impact on my fitness program has caused me to gain about 30 lbs. However, I have lost ten of those poundsw by watching my diet and pushing myself a little harder (I run 5 miles 3 days a week, work out at the muay thai gym 3 days a week and lift 2-3 days a week). I am at 180 right now, and need to get to about 160. -I don't smoke -I don't drink -I do drink coffee, but only a cup a day.
#13 bob_loblaw Aug 10, 2008 12:49:11	Does the reflux occur more frequently at certain times of day or after eating/drinking certain foods? I would make an activity diary. Write down when you felt the reflux and what happened shortly before. What you ate, what you were doing, etc. Don't leave out any details. Keep track for about a week and see if there are any patterns forming. Take notice of anything significant but do not make any changes. Bring this to your doctor(s) and see if there is any connection. It looks like your doctor was prescribing proton pump inhibitors. Sometimes you need to take the medication for a while so your body adjusts to the side effects. Talk to your pharmacist to see if these medications can be tolerated better with prolonged use. Other options for medications include Prokinetic medications and Histamine blockers (like Zantac) also called H2-receptor antagonists. I don't know which would be best and even if I did I could lose my license for making any recommendations. Your doctor and pharmacist should be able to come up with a good treatment plan if you come to them with a good list of questions. Some suggestions are: How does this medication work? What are the side effects? How long or severe are the side effects? How should I deal with the side effects? [Sometimes you can take something to deal with them.] Are there any activities that I should add or remove from my life? Are there are foods or substances (like alcohol or caffeine) I should remove from my life? What I do when I get my medication, regardless of how common it is or how much I know of it, is I ask for a consultation. Most pharmacies actually require this with new prescriptions (and it's required for all Medicaid patients with new prescriptions). I monitor myself while on the medication and write down any new experiences while on the medication. So when I started taking metformin (a diabetic medication) I kept track of anything new regardless of whether or not it was on the list of side effects. I then went to my pharmacist (who is also my boss, ain't that convenient?) and discussed this with her. Sometimes there are side effects that are so rare they aren't listed. Sometimes the medications can combine to make some side effects more pronounced. Sometimes what you consume can cause problems with the medication. Stay on top of what's happening. Sometimes the side effects will fade as your body adjusts and/or you make the necessary changes in diet and activity. As for the surgery, laparoscopic surgery is what I would assume your doctor is talking about. I linked to several Wikipedia articles for you. While I like Wikipedia for general information, don't trust it when it comes to your health (it may be accurate but why take the risk?). Take the information to your doctor and discuss, especially the risks involved. I would ask these questions: How successful is the surgery? How invasive is the surgery? What complications can occur and how common are they with this hospital? Is there a particular surgeon you would recommend for this procedure? Where can I find information on him/her? [Look at how long s/he has been performing and if there is any action against him/her.] What complications can occur after the surgery? How long should recovery take? How will my lifestyle change after the surgery? What if the surgery isn't successful, what happens next? The doctor that is going to be performing the surgery is someone you may want to focus on. Some states allow you to look up general information about the doctor. For example, in Washington State I can head to the Department of Health website and look up licensing information. Hereis mine. Hereis my doctor's. Here and hereis my pharmacist's (she has two because she is also a licensed preceptor which means she can also train pharmacist interns. I don't know if your state provides that information. Your state's department of health should be able to provide that information. The Google search I use is Provider Credential [State]. You may need to refine that for your state. The easiest way is to add site:{the url for your department of health}. So for myself, I would use: provider credential site:fortress.wa.gov If not, use this site. It's a small fee but it may be worth it. Sometimes a hospital is better at some thing than others. For example, the local hospital here is pretty bad about many things but their birthing clinic is one of the best around. Knowing this can make the difference on where you decide to have your surgery. Don't forget to discuss this with your insurance company as well. Talk to them about the cost and which doctors in your area are in network and which are out of network. This can affect your portion of the cost. Look at your deductible as well. Talk with the insurance about the procedures they cover and how much they cost. Don't forget to mention the actual doctors and clinics you are using. Not all doctors at a particular location are actually part of that clinic. This holds true for many ER doctors and sometimes surgeons who may work at multiple locations. They are more like independent contractors rather than employees of that clinic. Discuss with the insurance the medications you are being prescribed and see which ones are Formulary (preferred) and which ones are Non-Formulary (non-preferred). Don't forget to call around for the best prices for your medications as well. Target, Walmart, and several other pharmacies offer $4 30-day supply of many generic medications and $10 90-day supplies. I know that Target and Walmart use the same list so you only need one. Not all states allow the medications be be that low (Colorado allows for $9 instead of $4 to protect the independent pharmacies). Many pharmacies will match local competitors if you don't use insurance so check into that as well. If getting the costs covered is an issue let me know and I'll see if I can help find some resources to help with that as well. I have managed to help our patients save quite a bit of money overall but not everyone saves. I helped one patient get the cost of his medications down from over $1500 to $20 monthly. He is one of the extreme cases but it shows that there are substantial savings out there if needed. Good luck. Remember that anyone giving you actual medical advice here is putting your health and their license on the line (if they have one). I did not give you any medical advice, only how to find that advice. I would be reluctant to take any actual medical advice from people online especially at a non-medical site.