Would you .......

Only if he prescribed another drug for me because that drug may react to my alternative medicine drug.

Find out if there are any contra indications to your present alternative drug- better to be prepared.

Yes, I would.
Some natural remedies eg. St. John's Wort have undesirable side effects when taken with some medications. Others can affect blood clotting times and the central nervous system.
It would be dreadful if something went wrong during surgery or you had an abnormal blood result that implied something serious.

As long as it's not an illegal substance I don't see why you shouldn't tell your GP.

If the 'alternative' medicine is working and it's got anything to do with the problem you and several of us posted about earlier in the year, please share what it is! I think I've exhausted all known remedies and I know what you mean about being desperate!

(I am currently experimenting with DGL)

I would tell my GP and the gastroenterologist for a whole variety of reasons. You cannot expect them to be straight with you if you are not straight with them. Some prescription drugs hang around in the system for a long time, so even if you have stopped them there could be the risk of interactions. Some alternative medicines are in themselves dangerous; being "natural" does not make them safe - belladonna is natural, but can bump you off in a flash.

I had problems with the migraine medication I was prescribed and discussed this with my GP - I had gone onto the review of the efficacy of treatments on the Migraine Trust website and selected a couple of less toxic potential solutions that had proven good effects for some people. GP backed me up, as he could see that the drugs I was taking were doing harm; and he could see that the ones I proposed to try had proven efficacy.

Please try researching in detail the new treatments you have elected for and see if you can find any proper double-blind trials that prove that they do good - and that they do no harm.

Ana let me know how you get on with DGL. Please. Was thinking of that myself!

I think it would depend on what the alternative remedy is. Is it a food supplement? Probably best to mention it anyway.

That explains a lot, Ana

I have no idea what it is!

Huh, trust you to assume the worst, roses!

DGL is not an illegal substance, I'll have you know, it's sold in all reputable Health Food shops...

Yes. You wouldn't need to mention that to your doc, I wouldn't think. It's like a sweetie, without the sugar added.

In answer to Petra I think that I would tell my GP if I thought he aught to know, in case it reacted with something that he had prescribed for me.

Just looked at DGL, didn't know what it was. Yes, it's the bloody acid reflux thing. I went to see a Chinese Dr in my area. He's been there for as long as I can remember (so he must be doing something right) mustn't he, please say yes lol.
Anyway, I went through the whole story with him. I was with him for an hour, he asked things that my Dr never asked, not his fault, only so much you can ask in 10 mins.
I've never had the burning in the gut, never had what people describe as having a heart attack. Mine is all in my throat and ears and sometimes teeth (yes, teeth)
Anyway, Chinese Dr thinks I have infection in my ear. He asked me how I felt when this started (over 6 months ago) and at that time I felt Ill at times, really Ill.
The camera up my nose and the camera down my neck have all come back clear. Hence, my Dr sending me to a Gastroenterologist.

I would definitely tell my GP and my consultant if I was not adhering to the regime they prescribed for me and especially if I were taking something else (which I wouldn't do anyway). You're not being fair to these professionals if you are not completely honest with them and you may well be compromising your own health. There is an enormous element of trust between physician and patient and if this breaks down then the treatment is unlikely to be effective. If you are unsatisfied with your physician's plan for you you should talk to them. That's what they are there for.

Forgot to add that no medication worked, nothing.
A month ago I went on a savage stricked diet to see if it eased, nothing changed. Hence the alternative med. And it's foul, not for the faint hearted.
I think it's a case of: if it doesn't kill you it will make you stronger.

I have the same symptoms, petra, including occasionally the teeth! And it's only one ear with me, but sometimes very painful. I don't know what brought it on and I've tried all the acid-blockers etc. my GP prescribed but they actually made it worse...

Is it from the Chinese medicine bloke? I thought about doing that too.

From what I've read online it's an acknowledged fact that the usual melds don't touch it.

It does start to attack your teeth.

I'm finding Gaviscon Advance after every meal and at bedtime seems to be controlling it slightly, but I never know when I wake up in the morning whether I'll actually be able to speak or not as my latest symptoms are hoarseness and voice loss!

The Gaviscon isn't cheap either - the stuff my GP prescribed (supposed to be the same thing but is actually a weaker version) doesn't work.

Teetime. I hear what your saying, but as I say, there's only so much you can say in 10 mins and my Dr is a one man band under exteme pressure.
Ana and Jingle. I have spoken to my Dr about what I've read concerning the drug companies high jacking this condition. It's HUGE business, and it's at the cost of the experts looking more closely as to what's going on.
My Dr agreed. In fact his exact words were: Don't you think I know that!!
And the more you look into these acid blockers the more you find out that they aren't very nice tabs.
All I do know is that since I've been on the Chinese gunk (that's what it looks like) I have felt 10 times better in myself.

Ana. My voice got so deep sometimes I thought of setting up a business making dirty telephone calls.lol. You have to laugh.

Sometimes I can't even do that!

Presumably it's the stomach acid coming up into the throat that cause those Problems? I had a big problem with acid reflux last year, but eating smaller meals ( not that I was eating gigantic meals before) seemed to help a lot, and now I only get it now and again.

I was plagued with acid reflux. but now have it controlled with an Omeprazole capsule every three days - iit was initially prescribed for daily use, but I found once in three days to do the job for now. It actually curtails the production of stomach acid.

My purchases of Gaviscon and Alka Seltzer have diminished from constant to almost never!

I too am on Omeprazole, but it really worries me taking it long term. I tried last year cutting it back to every three days, but after two or three weeks of this I began to get the horrendous choking episodes that had sent me scuttling to the doctor in the first place. They really are frightening, I can't get my breath, can't swallow - it really is desperately painful and alarming and the episodes can last up to 10 minutes. When these choking episodes first started, I tried drinking water but that made it much worse, because it felt as if my oesophagus was being strangled, so there was nowhere for the water to go - it was almost like I imagine drowning would be. After being sent for a barium swallow (horrid procedure) it transpired I have a sliding hiatus hernia. So I guess I have to live with it, and the only way it seems that I can cope is to take these awful acid blocking meds, which I really don't think are healthy, but what can I do? There seems to be nothing else - unless, of course, any Gransnetters know better...