Scary acid reflux event

I was first diagnosed after a similar event, now on 20mg Famotidine twice a day (I can’t take Omeprazole) and a good slug of Gaviscon Advance at bedtime. Our bed is raised on blocks at the head end too.
I’d consult your GP to up your prescription, good luck, it’s scary.

My Mum takes Omazaprole in quite a high dose I think, one tablet daily after lunch which has stopped all the awful acid reflux problems, she’s been taking it for around 12 years.
Before that she was hospitalised as all the acid had burned her throat and she was literally gasping.
See your GP straight away.

I have changed my diet and now rarely have acid issues. The times my sleep has been affected by severe reflux have been when I have eaten something I shouldn't. My worst issues have been with garlic and fizzy drinks.
Is it possible you ate or drunk something different yesterday which caused this?

You can try a triangular pillow that keeps you in a position where acid can't come up as easily. Gaviscon last thing at night helps too.

I've had quite a lot of episodes like yours; waking up with acid in my lungs, mouth and nose, and vomiting up acid.

It really is horrible, but not dangerous, from what I can make out.

I usually get up and sip cold water, and try something like Rennies.

A couple of times over actually been sick (unintentionally) and that seems to help, although it's horrible.

It's just a matter of riding it out, I think.

I have had this.....after a 4 month course of famotidine it has eased considerably

Esomeprazole works better and faster than Omeprazole. And Sainsbury's own-brand is cheaper than the big name brands.

I found cutting down on alcohol helped. I rarely get heartburn or reflux in the way I used to and I am not on any medication.

I one had a endoscopy and that was enough to make me change my lifestyle habits. That was about four years ago and it cured my reflux!

Thank you for your replies.

My daughter has a triangular pillow that she used for ante-natal exercise, so I will try that. I am going to keep a list of the food and drink I have so that I can pinpoint what may trigger another episode like this. I am still learning what does and doesn't agree with me foodwise.

It's so helpful to get some good advice. Thank you all again.

An old friend of mine from childhood and I were chatting in the street. He suddenly stopped and knocked on the window of a large car parked alongside. The driver was taking a big slug of Gaviscon. He opened his window and my old friend was telling him something and the much younger chap looked shocked.

He then came and told me that over some time he was using more and more Gaviscon for his “heartburn” problems. One night it was so bad his wife insisted on calling paramedics who confirmed he was having a heart attack and had had two others in recent weeks but the Gaviscon had masked them. They said almost every home they were called to for suspected heart attacks they saw bottles of Gaviscon.

He was now warning other people and the younger man in the car was now going to see his Dr urgently and thanked him very much.

I heard a similar tale from a woman I used to work with. Her elderly Mum died of a heart attack and when they cleared the house they found a massive stock of Gaviscon. She was always complaining of severe heartburn and acid reflux so liked to keep Gaviscon in as it soothed the pain.

keepingquiet

I found cutting down on alcohol helped. I rarely get heartburn or reflux in the way I used to and I am not on any medication.

I one had a endoscopy and that was enough to make me change my lifestyle habits. That was about four years ago and it cured my reflux!

Yep....I reckon Lockdown did it for me - ie Lockdown wine that I upped the quantity of from about 3 weeks after the "2 week"(so we were told and I actually believed them....duh...!) Lockdown started. I've cut right down from "not that bad" to darn nearly non-existent consumption (helped by the fact I can't seem to drink it at lunchtime any longer - as it makes me fall asleep of an afternoon).

I do recall occasionally having heartburn before Lockdown - but it was very infrequent till then.

I'm still frequently getting attacks of it at the moment - though they're not as bad as they were and I've read about Gaviscon side-effects and hence I've come off it. When it happens now I put a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda in half a glass of water and that does the trick of getting back to normal pretty much instantly (burping is to be expected - and a sign that it's working).

Having made out a list of the issues my body has = I'm having to work my way through them in order of priority to get rid of them for good (as there's about 10 of them and I feel I can't focus on that many issues at once and living a life). But once heartburn rises to the top of that list then my plans are centring round digestive enzymes at every meal and/or "Swedish bitters" until I get rid of it totally.

I have acid reflux due to hiatus hernia- take occasional omeprazole or similar- regular use gives me bad side effects. Use Rennies, and sometimes famotidine. Apart from being careful about what I eat, I mainly avoid the nighttime episodes like described by OP and others, by sleeping on a raised pillow and sucking Gaviscon tablet as I go to sleep.

I have suffered from Acid Reflux for 25 years plus and I have a hiatus hernia. I used to take Omeprazole morning and night which was prescribed 20 years ago after an endoscopy but heard bad things about it so have tried to cut it down in recent years to one at bedtime. Consequently I am going through a lot of Gaviscon. The waking up choking during the night is horrible. I think I have a lot of scar tissue in my oesophagus now because swallowing is difficult. I don’t think there is an answer to this problem.

Many people take Omeprazole, which is ideal over short periods of time, but not long periods of time. Famotidine is what you want.

The best answer is to continue with the Omazaprole.If you don’t, the acid reflux not only harms the throat but causes problems in the stomache such as lesions in the lining of it.

Primrose53 you are absolutely right.A resident in my care home was thought to be having a heart attack and an ambulance was called.The paramedics examined her and realised it was caused by acid reflux but they assured her and us that it was important to call them out as an episode like that imitated a heart attack but could well have been dismissed by somebody with a history of acid reflux as only that when it wasn’t!

wibblywobblywobblebottom

Many people take Omeprazole, which is ideal over short periods of time, but not long periods of time. Famotidine is what you want.

People must be guided on this matter by their GP as to what’s right for them.
Mum has been taking Omazaprole for many years with no ill effects and had talked to her doctor about continuing or not.

I've been on a 40 mg dose of omeprazole each morning for many years now. When I was in hospital they refused to give me 40 mg in one go and gave me 20 mg before breakfast and when I tried to eat my meal I promptly threw up all over the blankets. I have found that the adjustable bed has been a godsend to raise my throat above the level of my stomach. I bought the bed for a different problem.

It’s obvious.
Take a higher dose of Omeprazole.

Were you prescribed a higher dose and refused it for some reason?

After fifty years with hiatus hernia and many instances of acid reflux, my first comment is that there are many helpful tips but not all work well for everyone

You may want to try these self help tips which revolve mostly around food and lifestyle, you can divide them into 3;
TIMES of eating...
Best eat your biggest meal of the day at breakfast or lunch
Space your meals evenly through the day
Try more, smaller meals
Never eat shortly before bedtime, my current routine is breakfast at 7, dinner/lunch (big meal) at 12, tea at 4 or 5

FOODS you eat...
My personal "nevers" contain fat and white flour, worst is pork pie, second sausage roll
High fibre diet, wholemeal bread preferably with seeds
Butter needs more acid to break it down than "spreads"

HOW you eat...
With a sigh, best not to drink alcohol or to drink any liquid with a meal
For many years I swore by peppermint tea but that helps wind and can actually cause acid if used to excess, now I find lemon and ginger a great help
Try to eat slowly, chew carefully

Hope this is helpful sisters...we suffer more than men because many "HH's" are the result of pregnancy!

One last thing: until the arrival of Omeprazole I took bicarb, as already mentioned the joy of burping helps and the bicarb (alkali) supresses the acid but it's very bad for your blood pressure

Thinking of you all-good luck!

I have a drink of cold milk that helps me.

Try raising your bed on bricks or wooden blocks, adjustable beds are great if you can afford one( dunlopillo ) do a double or king but are expensive.
I take lanzoprazole for a few weeks, then stop-I have heard it doesn’t help your bones in the long term.

Sarnia
Dont let it go too long! I did and ended up with Barretts Oseophagus which can be pre cancerous. I was caught in good time and massive antibiotics caught it. I thought it was just heartburn getting worse and thought it a damn nuisance.
And, as previously mentioned watch Gaviscon

I don’t take gaviscon anyway, it doesn’t touch my reflux, have been on a higher dose Omeprazole for many years. But even taking this I can get an episode if I eat stupidly or late in the evening. And that feeling of your airways filling up with acid and being unable to breathe strikes a cord with me. I am usually sick then have to sit propped up in bed for most of the night.
If you like a cup of peppermint tea would strongly advise you to stop, this relaxes the top of your stomach and so lets the acid come gushing up.