Do You Suffer From Acid Reflux / Heartburn?

On a lesser note if I hadn’t damaged the tendon in my thumb I wouldn’t have been made aware of my cholesterol level.

 

Well i wouldnt say i suffer from it,i dont take anything as i dont actually get it for weeks or months ,just the occasional evening if ive had a large meal ,late with alcohol,i dont drink weekdays ,and only a couple of pints normally when I do drink..
Even this isnt every time I have a big meal out ,we had a curry and beer 2 weeks ago ,was stuffed (I generally dont over eat like that ),and was fine .
I assuming I dont need to worry ,or should I ?

 

I've had it on and off for a few years and found out recently it's mostly drinking coffee within an hour or two of bed. It can happen if eating a meal before bed but I think that might still be coffee related, like i've drunk so much its damaged something, though maybe not permanently.

 

Kudos to the OP for this thread; and much good advice here.

Another reason for trying to avoid / come off Omeprazole or other PPIs is that major studies have now shown a connection between long-term PPI use and dementia:

https://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/news/20230810/long-term-use-acid-reflux-drugs-linked-dementia-risk

 

Long story short ..... as we get to middle age and beyond , the pyloric sphincter ,
which is at the top of the stomach , just does not close as tightly as it did when it was fresh from the factory .
And so we suffer with gastric reflux .
So what are you going to do about it ? ..... whinge to god ? ..... " Oh Lord , we beseech thee ! "

Down at the dark end , there is the anal sphincter , but let's not go there , eh ?
(Ooh ! .... suits you Sir ! )

So , yes , Omeprazole ...... the sledgehammer-to-crack-a-nut thinking of Big Pharma
.... why don't we just chemically suppress all gastric acid secretions ? ...... Doh !

Other alternatives ? ...... constantly spending silly money on the likes of Gaviscon , Rennies and Tums ?

A better solution .
it's literally that ..... a solution of Sodium Bicarbonate ( half a teaspoon ) in a little warm water
.... you will know that it worked properly when you belch like a hog
( and the added bonus is that really hot babes absolutely love that ! )

© Disclaimer - some of what I write is the product of an unbalanced mind ,
and a fair chunk of the rest comes from being a pathological liar ,
...... I'll leave it to the reader decide .

 

Thanks for the link, somewhat concerning as I’ve been taking them for about 4 years already (albeit at half the dose I’m prescribed). It changed my life as I would get indigestion frequently and when I got the serious acid reflux reaction it felt like I was having a heart attack.

But since taking 1 a day I’ve only had the issue a couple of times. Time to have a chat with the GP as my dad had dementia and it’s my biggest long term health concern.

 

I forwarded this to my neighbour who is a doctor just to get his views. He said that often these studies can throw up ‘concerns’ like this which are later watered down. He said there was a lot of this around Statins when they were launched but that the long term benefits massively out weighed the side effects.

He’s going to take a look at the actual research paper and let me know what he thinks (he’s also a long term user hence his interest)

 

This is his reply
-
I just downloaded the actual paper that’s mentioned in the article and read the research. It’s a high quality prospective 5 year long trial, so that’s actually good evidence.

Definitely something that’ll be studied more in the next few years because that’s a worrying link. And something to think about with my lansoprazole. I’ve been on it for several years now!

 

Thanks for this Twin4me. My GP struck a similarly sceptical initial note - we all die of something etc - but said he'd try to look at the research and work out whether it was cause or correlation. It's a conundrum alright. If for example you have Barrett's Oesophagus you're prescribed PPIs to inhbit its growth and reduce the likelihood of cell change, and there aren't many alternatives.

 

Good news that

 

That reminds me, some years back I implemented a similar system with a lower cellar drain that would flood in very heavy rain fall. I used the ball from a toilet cistern and a silicone flange weighted down by a piece of heavy, perforated circular steel.
When the water table rises so does the ball and seals the drain stopping any potential water ingress
Has worked with great success so far.
Maybe I should write to plumbers monthly see if I can get a feature.

 

Yes, me too although only the last few years on Lansoprazole. It was Omeprazole before but the tablet supply got too generic and didn’t always work. Andy

 

I’ve not had heartburn for nearly a year now after a low fat, low/no alcohol/caffeine diet has been forced upon us by my mrs wait to have her gall bladder operation.

 

Tough love!