GERD & Heartburn Support Group

IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A LONG TIME PROBLEM OR HAVE TO LAST FOREVER. I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW I HAD GERD UNTIL THE DOCTOR LOOKED DOWN MY THROAT TO FIND OUT WHY I WAS HAVING SO MANY STOMACH ACHES. TURNED OUT THAT I HAD BARRETTS DISEASE WHICH IS ONE STEP FROM CANCER. I CHANGED MY DIET AND WITHIN A YEAR MY BARRETTS WENT INTO REMISSION. IT'S A VERY HARD DIET TO FOLLOW BUT IT WILL MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE AND YOU WILL GET USE TO IT. NO TOMATOES OR ANYTHING MADE WITH TOMATOES. NO GARLIC, PEPPER, OR SPICEY FOOD. NO SUGAR AND NO FATS. (NO MAYO OR MUSTARD) PRETTY MUCH YOU WILL BE LIVING ON FRUITS (EXCEPT ACIDIC) AND ALL VEGETABLES. POTATOES ARE OK BUT NO BUTTER. KEEP AN EYE ON THE FAT CONTENT AND THE SUGAR CONTENT. NOTHING WITH MORE THEN 5GRAMS OF SUGAR AND NO GRAMS OF FAT OVER 3 GRAMS. TAKE LOTS OF OMEGA 3 PILLS TO GET THE GOOD FATS AND DONT EAT WHITE BREAD. I KNOW THERE IS MORE THAT I HAVEN'T TOLD YOU BUT IT'S LATE AND MY MIND ISN'T WORKING VERY WELL. I HOPE THIS HELPS YOU SOMEWHAT. GOOD LUCK AND IF I CAN HELP ANY FURTHER, JUST ASK.

Tropicalmom - How sure are you that it is the Atacand which is causing your GERD? Did the Gerd only start up once you started on the Atacand or did you already have it prior to that?
You mention being on two different types of BP medications - what is the other one?

I was dx with GERD in 2002, but it rarely bothered me. In Dec. 2008 my bp kept climbing and I tried several different meds and all of them irritated my GERD-Atacand, Lisinopril,HCTZ and Norvasc. I take a beta blocker, Tenormin, but it does not bother the GERD.

Wow - Your cardiac Dr sure has you on a truck load of med's. And *all* of them have the capacity to cause gastric issues so you are taking Atacand which is well known for leading to possible gastritis, ditto on the Norvasc and Tenormin to boot. Shoot girl, I am amazed that you can actually walk upright with that combination!
Have you discussed with your Cardiologist that it might not be better for you to be on a Proton Inhibitor Drug such as Nexium, Pantoc or any of those in that particular class? Perhaps even a 20 mg tablet daily might help the acid issues which this nasty med combination is creating.
Naturally, if you can control the hyper acidity by staying on the Pepcid and Gaviscon - less 'hard liner' drugs are always the better choice but I am kind of worried that continuous use of Pepcid might cause a worsening of the acidity issues.....
But then I'm guessing your Physician is fully aware of all the meds you are taking as well so best you go along with his advice but shucks, you surely do have my sympathy.
Best of luck, I hope you eventually manage to bring your B/P down so that you can come off at least one or two of those medications....

Oh, I'm only taking tenormin and atacand and they are controlling my bp very well. The tenormin I've taken for about 20 years and it has never bothered me. My dr. wants me to try Mavik, an ACE inhibitor, but when I tried Lisinopril, another ACE inhibitor, it started bothering me within an hour. So I'm not going to try the Mavik. The others are drugs I tried and they all gave me reflux symptoms after a few days to a week.

My gastro doc may put me on a ppi, but then the additional problem is that I take macrodantin for urethral syndrome (to prevent urinary tract infections) and that medicine needs acid and food to work. The ppi cuts off the acid. I did take OTC Prilosec for about a week and it helped, but I had to take 2 or 3 macrodantin a day instead of the one I take now. So that's my dilemma.....

I forgot...I filled n rx for the catapres patch--that would bypass the stomach but I am absolutelyl terrified to use it.
Do you know anyone who has ever used it?

You have my sympathy, Tropicalmom! I take Diltiazem (a calcium channel blocker) for HBP and it has not only worsened my GERD, it's managed to slow down my digestion to the point that I have an additional diagnosis of Gastroparesis. Like you, I have no choice but to take this drug, in my case because I have allergies to ACE inhibitors, ARBs,and diuretics and can't tolerate beta blockers.

Like gramybear, I've significantly changed my diet (although my triggers are different then hers). I suggest you really try to figure out what foods make your condition worse and eliminate or at least minimize them. Eating less more often has also helped me tremendously. Instead of three big meals, I eat 5 or 6 mini-meals over the course of the day and have decreased the number of calories I eat overall.

In addition, I make sure I don't eat much for the three or four hours prior to sleeping, and if I need to rest during the day, instead of lying prone, I got myself a zero gravity recliner from Relax-the-Back that allows a better position for those of us with reflux (and is also wonderfully comfortable).

Finally, I take 20 mg. Aciphex a day, although now that my symptoms are starting to get better, I'm only taking the Aciphex every other day whenever my symptoms (or lack thereof) allow. If the meds you're taking work for you, though, I don't think you need to ask for anything different.

Good luck!