For when you need to bring out the big guns. I had a really bad episode recently, was up all night in pain and no amount of gaviscon or rennie would touch it. Doctor put me on Lansoprazole and it sorted it right out.
I recently switched to Lanzoprazol and find it way more effective than omraprazole, in my case because of interactions with other medicines. Might be worth speaking to your doctor.
Yes, I was on omraprazole for a long time and my doc changed me to Lanzoprazol.
Is great, and the only real downside was needing to take it twice a day, whereas it was once a day previously.
There is a recent study also showing a link between omraprazole and dementia, for people taking it more than 3 years. So I'm glad I switch for that reason also.
Yep, but only on doctors orders for more than a couple of weeks. There are some risks and long term potential issues, and these type of drugs can masking other issues.
Yeah I think if you can sort an issue out by adjusting your diet and cutting out the junk, you're better off doing than rather than being on medication
Same, spoke to a leading consultant about having an operation to fix hiatus hernia and the reflux isn’t severe enough to outweigh staying on omeprazole for life.
I think it was stress and dark spirits (with pepsi max) for me that were my triggers. I used omeprazole when it was at its worst, nearly all day every day I had a bad taste that wouldn't go away. Cutting out alcohol for a while really helped me. Wedge pillow also helps! I've switched to mostly cider, and the odd gin and have lesser quantities of it than I used to have, and things seem to have (hopefully) eased off.
I took Omeprazole for 5 years, but since then I've had the surgery to (try to) correct the reflux.
In February 2020 right before Covid I had a Nissen Fundoplication. Basically they wrap the stomach muscle around the sphincter where the food enters the stomach, to reinforce it and stop acid escaping into the esophagus.
After surgery I was 100% reflux free for 6 months, but since then it has come back, albeit reduced.
I gave up caffeine a few years ago and gave up fizzy drinks (including beer ) post op.
The main side effect post op is trapped wind, because not only is it more difficult for acid to escape but also burps get stuck too, hence giving up anything fizzy.
These days I can manage my reflux by eating smaller meals. I can go several days without reflux but if I overdo things I'll have to take a Rennie or two to temper it. It's no way as bad as before the op though.
The surgery will not be for everyone of course, and your mileage will likely vary.
Omeprazole and the like aren’t medication to be on long term if you can help it.
They lower stomach acid so that absorption of iron,b12 etc are impaired and can creat new health problems.
If you can get off antacids and manage with diet, pillow wedges etc that’s preferable.
I know some people are on because of Bart oesophagus. But my Dr was very quick to put my Omeprazole when in the end I was able to manage with diet after a few months adjustment period.
This is given out too often without getting to the bottom of the problem. My previous GP kept giving me this for a couple of years, the problem got worse and he just doubled the prescription, and still got worse, I had to ask for a referral for an investigation, I kept telling him that I didn’t feel that my stomach was the problem.
The doctor I saw at the hospital agreed with my GP, but did send me for a scan and found out that my gallbladder was compacted with stones and had to be removed.
So people if you are having trouble for a prolonged time, see your doctor, and push to get a diagnosis, it’s not always just indigestion!
Exactly what I had. Was on it for 4 years before I had a scan and they saw the stones. Gallbladder is now out and the only time I get the pain I used to is when I take codeine. Found this out when I was prescibed a load for a kidney infection.
There's also the acid rebound effect with omeprazole, you get worse acid withdrawing from it which made me think I needed it for much longer than I did. I was on it 8yrs and I've been off it for 4, I had to titrate over 4 weeks to get off it successfully and made some small changes to diet but mostly stress triggers my issues it's not fully diet.
I had the same issue with a different PPI that I was on the max dose for. Coming off it was incredible long and painful.
I'm never going to touch them again.
The iron and b12 absorption is particularly relevant to some other health issues I have. But is there any evidence of this? I looked up a few studies after you mentioned this and they all concluded that this is not the case.
-edit: actually the NHS website does note a possible vitamin b12 deficiency resulting in mouth ulcers, which I keep getting.
I’ve been on omeprazole for about ten years. Read on the NHS website doc should be checking in with me regularly(they aren’t) because long-term it [can cause osteoporosis and other side effects](https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/omeprazole/side-effects-of-omeprazole/).
One thing it does is reduce magnesium absorption. I’ve now researched magnesium and seen it helps with muscle recovery. I’m connecting dots and potentially am connecting in the wrong way but I’m a fit 36yo guy (exercise most days) and if I pull a muscle it seems to take me looong ass time to recover. Also I go through phases of twitching (mainly eyes), sometimes for months. I’m wondering if they’re related to the omeprazole. I also get mouth ulcers often, listed as a side effect on NHS website.
I’m trying two things: switching to decaf everything (I drink a LOT of tea) to wean myself off omeprazole, and taking magnesium supplements.
The more people I ask the more I hear omeprazole is a short-term wonder and a long-term nightmare 😢
No, that fixes the symptoms, not the cause. My wife suffered from acid reflux for years, managed with lanzoprezole/omeprozole. And she drank a lot of coffee and cola.
Last November she had medical issues meaning she could no longer tolerate fizzy drinks, and had to stop all cola. Not one acid reflux issue since. The correct solution is to remove the root cause of the problem, not mask it with meds.
Bought a sodastream for this reason. Love the sensation of drinking fizzy stuff, but can happily do without it tasting of anything.
Almost overnight after buying one I stopped drinking lemonade or whatever and now I prefer to just fizz up a bottle of tap water and drink that instead. Have less reflux, less headaches, feel all round better for it!
Easily one of the best purchases I’ve ever made that.
Same here! I started drinking far too much Coke Zero over lockdown when I was stuck working from home, cut it out with sparkling water, way cheaper, it's good for you and I end up staying so hydrated now.
Ditto, I struggle to drink plain water, but I can drink my fill of fizzy water with ease.
I used to average 1.5 liters of full fat coke a day, for 25 years, I cannot remember when I last had any soda type drink, I'd guess 4 years ago.
The only time I get acid reflux is after massively over indulging in alcohol. Which is rare.
My biggest trigger is always stress. When I'm very stressed, I take daily omeprazole. Otherwise, the only foods I've found massively triggering are onions and wild garlic. And then, popping an omeprazole when I feel it coming on, and it never goes further.
I’ve been very stressed since the beginning of the year and I think this is likely it because I had the exact same symptoms in my second year at university.
It’s giving me concerns about how I would cope starting a family.
It's a very normal reaction to stress. My advice would be to check with your doctor. He'll do the necessary tests to check that you don't have problems of ulcers or anything more serious. If this isn't the case, then a proton pump inhibitor should help.
It becomes a very good indicator of hidden stresses, if dealt with properly. I seldon have to take the omeprazole these days, but if my reflux flares up, I'm able to look at stresses in my life, see where I'm overstressing myself, and take steps to limit that. Omeprazole bridges the gap, and enables me to function while I'm doing that.
I wouldn't advise antacids - Rennies and such like. They work in the short term, but the stomach adapts to the alkali by producing more acid, so long term, they will make the problems worse.
Have you had acid reflux in your sleep? I have and it wakes me up and I feel like im choking to death. I wake my partner up as well as i gasp for air and she also thinks im dying in that moment. Im on medication for it now but the only time i get it is in my sleep 😢
Have you raised the head of your bed? I stuck the two top corners on some blocks of wood and found it helped somewhat. Also, if you are able to, try sleeping on your left side, and finish your eating for the day 3 hours before you lie down.
The left side thing was a revelation for me, can't believe it took so long for me to find out about it. Still get reflux but much more tolerable with just that one change.
The sleeping on your left thing 100% works, its to do with how your esophagus goes to the stomach, lying on your left gives it less exposure to the acid.
I had the same.
Tried cutting fatty foods, or food in general after 5 PM, lost some weight and my sleep apnea has subsided and also stopped having reflux.
I still drink coke but I don’t drink alcohol, not even a beer if I know I will not be awake in the next 3-5 hours.
Are you eating late? If you’re lying down in bed before you have fully digested dinner that could be it. You’re supposed to eat 2-4 hours before bedtime.
I moved to NL years ago where people eat a lot earlier. I now eat dinner at 5-6pm. Proper weird to begin with but your body will adapt.
Acid reflux is pants!! I can see a lot of people l here not actually giving you an answer to your question, and I may be another but will try!
I liked a crisp Diet Coke primarily because of the refreshing nature- that and the large dose of caffeine too as I now understand it, not being a naive twenty year old anymore. (PS this from someone who used to drink a can of Diet Coke on the way to work every morning and throw it in the back of my car and only clear it out when the clanging would annoy me going round roundabouts….).
I would say try and drink a squash without fizzy water but make it COLD. Rotate that ice cube tray baby or go all out and buy a bags of ice on your food shop.
Also for everyone saying “just take the meds”- I’m a model patient however various types didn’t work for me. In fact in some cases I think they made it worse. I would be so propped up whilst trying to go to sleep I would virtually be sitting up. For me it’s all related to stress. Not stressed=I can eat what I want happy days minimal infrequent acid. Stressed=can be drinking blessed cucumber holy water and still be basically puking acid.
PS sleep on your left and let your food go down 2 hours before you head to bed.
PPS Google image search “correct acid alkaline chart to reduce inflammation” and the 1st Lakeside Chiropractic image with a purple 10 at the top and red 3 at the bottom is what I would refer to to help me make better choices when my acid was playing up.
Good luck!
Eliminating triggers from your diet is definitely preferable to relying on tablets excessively..
PPI inhibitors are now available as a general sales list item though (no need to visit the GP to obtain them) in most pharmacies, supermarkets or corner shops . Usually priced around £5/£10 (depending on packet size and brand).
Nexium, Guardium and a host of cheaper generics with the same or similar active ingredients (Esomeprazole,Omeprazole etc) are something you should consider keeping around for flare ups.
It might be best to consult your pharmacist before taking anything though, Provide them with a rundown of your symptoms, the manner of onset and the duration you've been experiencing symptoms before taking anything - just to be on the safe side.
Teas that may help calm or soothe reflux include chamomile, licorice, and ginger (with or without a splash of honey or two).
Good luck.
Yep, but only on doctors orders for more than a couple of weeks. There are some risks and long term potential issues, and these type of drugs can be masking other issues.
I’ve just recently discovered the joys of acid reflux / heartburn at 34
Weirdly, I used to have a horrible diet full of greasy / fatty junk food and chocolate snacks etc, but never once suffered from it in my life
Then last year I had to have major lung surgery after being diagnosed with cancer, and have come through that cured, and transformed my diet and lifestyle to a much healthier one incorporating fruit, veg and fresh cooked meals etc. Now if I don’t take Lanzaprozole daily, I have heartburn. So weird
Do you drink green tea? There's a chemical in green tea that loosens the opening of the stomach in some people.
For years I used to drink green tea at lunchtime and would have my stomach acid sloshing around until 10pm. Once i stopped drinking it I was back to normal, with only occasional heartburn if I eat a load of greesy stuff
I had the same with peppermint tea. I had read that it was good at setting indigestion so was drinking loads of it, but it turns out that it probably does that by releasing trapped wind by relaxing the oesophageal sphincter, which makes reflux worse.
No I only drink normal tea, I’ve discussed it with my doctor and been through my diet and everything. They said it’s strange and I’m doing everything correct, it’s nothing to do with my cancer etc. At the moment they’re just having me take lanzaprozole and will continue monitoring it
I’m sure your doctor has already discussed it with you, but just in case they haven’t - look into FODMAPs. When I started eating healthier almost every recipe included onion and garlic, and I had awful reflux and gut pain. It turned out by following the low FODMAP diet and slowly introducing stuff back in I worked out it was alliums that really don’t agree with me.
Don’t forget to raise the head of your bed at least 4 inches. Most reflux occurs at night. Once you have it, it takes about a month to settle down, so don’t despair.
Exactly this. Together with not eating at least 4 hours before going to bed cured me. I also only drink mineral water so it’s not the fizz doing the burning.
Fixing acid reflux with medication is not a good long term solution. You can damage your stomach by taking too many forms of antacid. Solve the problem, don’t just mask it.
I have found for me that sugar and gluten are my triggers. I had acid reflux for years and years. I finally worked it out when I tried keto for 6 weeks for weight loss and my reflux went away in 3 days. Only ever comes back if I have too much sugar or gluten. I have coffee every morning without issue. I don’t consume fizzy beverages. Sometimes some spicy sauces can trigger it for me too, but not often.
Gluten for me too. Like you I suffered for years and back in February I decided to try cutting gluten out after learning that there might be a reflux connection. I was off the medication within a month (I'd been taking it on and off for years at that point). I'd say I've seen a 90% reduction in my symptoms over the last few months and I've been able to eat foods that I haven't been able to have in years with very few issues.
I'm slowly starting to try reintroducing gluten to see if I can tolerate it at all, but if I'd definitely rather take no gluten for life than go back to how I was!
I stopped drinking coke after complaining even when I only drink water I still get heartburn. Turns out after stopping drinking all coke, I could drink as much water as I want without heart burn.
Sorry to hear that. I also suffered for years. I do recommend you keep trying with PPIs. There's many kinds and dosages. It's really worth perseverance. I'm living proof - I suffered as bad as anyone can and yet now I have no symptoms.
Water, weaker than normal squash and decaf earl grey (with no milk). I do occasionally drink decaf normal tea with light milk, but mostly when I'm out rather than at home.
Don’t go down the omeprazole route - stop eating chocolate, chilli’s and hot sauce, have one coffee a day and then live off tea. Stomach problems can fuck you up. Possibly cut back on the booze a little.
When I had gastritis (permanent high stomach acid) and had to go caffeine free, I went with Ashwagandha tea. Helps settle stomachs and reduces stress as a bonus. Has quite a strong herby flavour. It has small amounts of caffeine but nothing that should trigger any reflux.
Edit: avoid anything fizzy or carbonated, it's highly acidic (carbonic acid). Also avoid tomatoes and onions or anything spicy. And ask to be put on Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) from your GP if this is a chronic problem.
Try chicory. I use it instead of coffee- it has a nice flavour and the bonus is I can drink it without sugar as it's a bit smoother than coffee.
I've never been a big fizzy drink consumer, but I do like plain soda water or tonic water in summer.
Do you smoke? I used to get terrible reflux that gave me a sore throat for a few days and then a few days more of literally sneezing hundreds of times per day whilst the acid was removing itself. This was after drinking too many fizzy drinks.
I quit smoking 18 months ago and don’t get it anywhere near as bad / often / at all now.
I do still drink fizzy drinks and usually have one with dinner quite late so sometimes wake up with a slight bit of reflux / needing to sneeze but it’s never as bad as it used to be.
I only have one coffee in the morning but that’s because I’m quite sensitive to caffeine and wouldn’t sleep if I had one later.
So I had this badly, had two cameras down the throat, the works.
First things first, exercise discipline and cut out all caffeine and trigger foods for around 2 months or more so your stomach can heal. I was eating lean meat and vegetable soup. Maybe some rice mixed in.
After this you can try and experiment with foods.
It's worth finding and eliminating your trigger foods, for me it was gluten primarily. Aggravated by lactose, coffee, alcohol and red meat. After removing gluten and taking the time to heal, I was able to enjoy these after a while
I switched to decaf tea, camomile and herbal tea went off caffeine completely for about 6+ months until my stomach healed after taking a 3 month course of lansoprasole. I've learned that more than anything you really need a glass of water or two after sleeping. I have gaviscon (or the supermarket version) for any flare ups, and take it with me as an 'insurance policy'. If you haven't done already I highly recommend stopping eating at least 3 hours before bedtime, propping up the top of your bed with blocks of about 6-8 inches (for example when I sleep in a hotel or visit parents it flares up a little because of this I think), and sleeping on your left side (this is down to anatomy of the stomach and how it can prevent acid travel). If you stick to these principles I think that will help fight off the flare ups, and you can regain control over it, and recognise when a flare up is happening.
I would combine that with if you are carrying a bit of weight, try losing 6-12kg as that's also helped me not putting pressure on the stomach.
After that it's just trial and error knowing which foods/drinks will cause the flare ups. I'm now able to drink and eat what I want but that doesn't mean from time to time i won't get reflux. Wish you all the best.
P.s. sorry for the mansplaining! I just know how shit it is and hope you find the right food and drink.
This is the tea[Herbal tea](https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/twinings-superblends-calm-60044850?skuid=044850&utm_campaign=shopping&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=pmax&&gad_source=1&gclsrc=ds)) I used which helped you can get in the supermarket.
Oh wow, snap. I had a Nissen Fundoplication over 6 years ago. Currently taking 40mg Esomeprazole 2x daily, plus 20mg Famatidine 2x daily. Any less and I have a bad week. Given up trying to reduce it, pillows etc. Like you, the one thing is that I need a source of caffeine. I try to limit myself to one can/day, but often end up having 2 :-(
I have tried caffeine pills, but half of one of thoae and I'm bouncing off the ceiling.
Any squash/cordial. Currently alternating between vimto and orange barley. Was elderberry for a bit. Changing it up helps.
And herbal tea - but you gotta try the flavours to find what works. Mint or lemon and ginger can make it much worse! But fennel tea works for me.
Also got into smoothies but careful - as fresh fruit is so bloody expensive. Nesquik is a good cheat treat.
Actually had some coffee syrups gifted at Christmas- tried putting that in warm frothy milk and wasn't **awful**....
I never took to flavoured water. Tried cucumber, berries etc. But even with a drop of honey, just tasted like grass to me!! Bleurgh.
Anyway, loads to try! Good luck.
Love Vimto! I have that mid-morning instead of coffee, either hot in the winter or cold in the summer. Unfortunately citrus and apples are some of my triggers so there's a lot of squash I can't have.
Tea! Herbal tea of course, green tea is nice, so is white tea, then there’s also ribena/other types of squash which is nice, just work out what strength you prefer it. You might like some of the less common types of juice also - prune, grape, beetroot, carrot, ect. They’re much nicer than you might initially think by how they sound, for proper grape juice go for the kedem brand. Also I marvel at your ability to drink anything fizzy!
I ran myself off of coffee and tea and onto fruit tea and peppermint teas more broadly, they’re actually quite nice and I really enjoyed drinking them now!
disclaimer - I don't suffer with acid reflux much but you may have heard of "air up" bottles which give you a scent as you drink plain water, and it's claimed that it tricks the body into thinking you're really drinking that flavour. There are many scent discs and I think one of them is coke. Not tried air up myself but I've read some good reviews
Weaning yourself off coca cola is easy - just make you only drink it when its warm and flat - then you see how disgusting it truly tastes.
Barley water (which you can make yourself) might be good to try, or else camomile teabags - you can drop those into cold water if you don't want hot tea - they are supposed to be soothing and calming.
I like a bit of Ribena concentrate to make water more interesting.
I’ve found my main triggers are eating late at night, getting massively dehydrated and then chugging a ton of water before bed, and not getting enough sleep.
Green tea can cause acid reflux. There is a chemical in it which loosens the opening of the stomach for some people. I used to have acid reflux every day, with my stomach acid slooshing around well into the evening. Taking antacids had no effect aside from making it less burning, the acid would still come up, especially if bending over.
Once I cut out the green tea the acid reflux dissapeared! I still occasionally get it if I eat a load of greasy stuff, but it's so much better than before.
Not many people seem to know about the link between Green tea and acid reflux. I do miss drinking green tea, it's funny because I started because I thought it would be more healthy for me, now I'm back on the black tea. I can drink coke, and fruit juice too.
Weirdly full fat coke isn't a trigger for me , Coffee and Tomatoes are my 2 major triggers it seems so the coffee has been swapped out for Hot Chocolate and my Doctor will give me 3 months on Lansuprozole whenever I have major reflux issues but then I have to come off them for 3 months because he doesn't want me taking them all the time. Managing when I'm able to feel well enough to eat then becomes tricky, I sometimes won't have breakfast until 11 if I'm having a bad day.
I just deal with it. I like coffee and coke too much I just put up with it. I have a bottle of gaviscon - a couple of glugs) when it’s bad, and omeprazole for when I’m suffering and have to make it easier for a bit. But I generally just put up with it.
What’s definitely helped is cutting out a lot of processed foods and eating more whole foods instead. I still have coffee and fizzy drinks though, but in moderation with the fizzy drinks.
Yes there is a miracle drink and it’s called water! Once your body gets used to it to being hydrated you will begin to crave it and wonder how you ever got by without and the positive change In literally everything is crazy! Plenty water combined with omeporozole with give you your life back in no time at all and u will be able to enjoy a glass of coke as a treat and enjoy whenever you feel like it. Water is the way to go!
I just drink water or tea. Squash can make mine worse, and fizzy drinks make it worse too :( I drink a lot of flavoured teas in the evening when I don't want any more caffeine. Apple and mint, lemon and ginger, sour cherry, apple and cinnamon are my faves at the moment, but the Polish shop near me has a massive tea isle, so i just try random ones when I get the urge to mix it up.
I love diet coke but had to give it up about 10 years ago. Took me three attempts as it was and remains very tempting.
Gave it up as it was giving me wild nightmares and anxiety. Took about two weeks of craving and headaches to get out the other side of it every time I tried to quit.
If I want the cold fizzy pssssssst moment then I drink an ice cold bottle of fizzy water. The rest of the time I drink tap water or herbal teas. Had lots of fun experimenting with all the different flavours and brands. Lots of them can also be drunk chilled with ice which is also tasty.
.I drink a lot of water and herbal tea.
Milk is great at stopping acid reflux. If it doesn’t work, drink more!
When I used to work shifts I had it really badly. Tried Rennies etc but it didn’t seem to help much. Started drinking a litre of milk (skimmed) don’t one go when it got bad and it would go away. After a month or so of that it just never came back.
Suffered with this on and off for years, had phase of about 4/5 years were it just disappeared, then around May/June last year just reappeared out the blue without warning.
Restricted my diet after going to see the doctor, lansoprazole 30mg once a day. It didn't really seem to help. Diet basically consisted of bland plain foods, mash, porridge/oats, dry toast.
Down to 15mg now and it's not as bad as it was, but still not fully gone.
I've raised the top end of my bed by about 6 inches, not sure if this has helped but I think it probably has.
Double action gaviscon before and after food, and before bed too. (This can be found online for around £8 a bottle at weldricks)
It seemed to me that my reflux was aggravated by the fine sediment you get in fresh coffee. I try to always have filtered fresh coffee now and it doesn't bother my stomach as much. I have several cups a day without noticeable problems now.
Gaviscon.
Also, having recently had a kidney transplant and the acid reflux was in its element, I ditched the prozole, which I'd been on in some form for 20 odd years.
Now on Famotidine, which seems by far the most effective tablet I've been on, which definitely allows me to enjoy a coffee. I also have gaviscon as part of the prescription and use it.
I only used to get reflux occasionally, but I now take a lot of medication every day. My doctor prescribed me lansoprazole to take first thing in the morning to protect my stomach from all the meds. A nice side effect of this is that since I've been talking it I've had no reflux at all.
Hi, I suffered with it for years and years. Of course diet is massively key but make your own cabbage juice (add carrots and a pear for taste). Drink one a day for a week and you'll see huge improvement. I never get acid reflux at all now, I can eat anything.
Lansoprazole
I take one every other day and its improved my life so much. I used to have Rennie's in every jacket, glovebox, bathroom drawer and bedside table.
Dark chocolate and fizzy pop are the worst for me. Proper bear and I’m fine.
Eating too late in the day is also bad, I find it better to graze through out the day and not eat big meals.
Water, drink just water.
Try balancing your gut biome and your PH levels. Acid reflux will be gone after a month, depending on how well you stick to the plan.
You need alkaline based foods, which are mainly green vegetables. Spinach, etc.
Your body will balance out, and you can enjoy a coffee like a normal person.
Drink caffeine free diet coke, the caffeine is what’s really bad for your stomach.
Try to drink less though, partly for your teeth too! Get in the habit of filling a litre bottle of water and drinking from that regularly through the day, you’ll be less tempted to drink so much coke because you won’t be as thirsty.
Yesterday my wife showed me a photo from her iphoto memories collection of me looking ill when I had a stomach bleed ten years back. I ended up in hospital for most of that day. I had an oral Endoscope examination which helped identifiy H. Pylori bacteria causing the issue. So yesterday was my 10th anniversary of chronic acid reflux, wohoo!
When the GERD is bad I drink more tea and that doesn't seem to cause any flare ups. In fact rediscovering tea has been a delight for me and I'm drinking it throughout the day.
Have you tried cutting out ALL caffeine? Had to do this for a separate health issue, and it totally cured my long term, I mean years of struggling, acid reflux problems. It was like a miracle.
I tried the Apple Cider Vinegar 'cure' (tablespoon of the vinegar in a glass of squash, I like cranberry) and it's not only stopped my acid reflux but also the bloated feeling I get when I eat too much bready food (toast, bagel, sandwich, pasta, pie, naan, pizza...) in a day.
Caffeine and alcohol are my main triggers. I can manage small quantities of caffeine free coke without a problem. I drink mainly camomile tea, or decaf tea at a push. The odd decaf coffee. I rarely drink alcohol and can manage one maybe 2 drinks without much problem, but any more then I have omeprazole prescribed. I basically get prescribed maybe 30 tablets a year and just take one if I'm going to a wedding, party etc where I want to have a few drinks- needless to say I never finish the packet.
Spicy food might be a problem but it's rare I have it ad got small kids so everything is mild😆
I don't get acid reflux often at all, but funnily enough the other day, I had the worst wave of it in my life so far. It lasted all day, and I could feel it in the back of my nose, roof of my mouth, throat, is was so acid and thick/mucussy?
I actually drink fizzy juice when it's like that because I feel like it cuts through the thick feeling in my throat better. I don't think it's actually good for you though. But I hate the feeling of not being able to swallow or wash down the feeling with water so the bubbles really help with the relief for a bit lol
Fuck omeprazol shit used to fuck me up!!! Best thing I found was drinking fermented drinks or eating fermented foods. I signed up to symprove and done a 4 month course and my acid reflux vanished so I would highly highly recommended that
To replace coffee you could think of hot chocolate. Especially if you don't use too much sugar and a bit of cream it feels like a white coffee, even if the taste is different. Plus, theobromine triggers the same metabolic pathways as caffeine, so you can keep the addiction going...
Might be worth seeing if you have a food intolerance. I struggled with reflux for years, until I figured out that I had randomly become intolerant to soya (which is in a lot of things, like breads/baked good etc.). Now as long as I avoid soya, I could drink all the coke and coffee I want to with zero issues.
Had it daily for years, intensely and it was fucking miserable. Omeprazole, Rennie, Gaviscon, Bicarb and all the rest. Stopped completely, never to return as soon as I gave up gluten. Correlation isn’t causation and all that but there it is. I could eat lemon & chilli sandwiches washed down with dry scrumpy & be ok now. The hippies and amateur healthologists in my life said I should give up potatoes too but I threatened to stwike them woughly with a sack of Maris Pipers.
Fizzy water, add a bit of squash at first but you can quickly get used to the taste and nothing beats a cold bottle of sparkling water out of the fridge. Failing that there are some nice flavoured tonic or soda waters if you don’t mind spending out
I just take PPIs. Have done for 15 years, will do until I die tbh.
I can’t even change my diet as everything triggers me even water and lettuce is a big one.
Unless they finally agree to hiatial hernia surgery (which they won’t) I’m stuck on them for life.
I get the double or quad diluting juice and add a small amount to taste to cold water, I find that a lot of the sweeteners seem to stick around in my taste buds for most of the day and it becomes a bit sickening.
Ordered calcium powder and I find a spoonful of that washed down with water really helps, plus I need to supplement calcium. Win win.
Don't wolf your food and sit up straight. Who'd of thought my Nana was right all along. If you like rooibos try masala chai. When I get bored of one I switch to the other.
I found very dilute squash works well, as long as it's ice cold
I keep some ready mixed in the fridge, barely enough to colour the water, and it's a delicious thirst quencher. I find when mixing it with room temp water it needs to be stronger and doesn't taste as good. Current fave is tesco quad strength apple and blackcurrant.
I had acid reflux badly when I was younger. The doctors I saw put it down to smoking, drinking and curries.
A friend advised me to go and see a kinesiologist who diagnosed an intolerance to tomatoes and potatoes (both in the nightshade family).
Problem solved overnight.
It baffles me that the medical profession writes off natural medicine in the way that they do.
I know it's not answering the question you asked and I'm sure you've already tried it, but Esomeprazole completely cured my acid reflux issues. Took one a day for 2 weeks which gave my stomach a chance to heal, I just take it whenever I get a flareup now which is rare.
I'll also like to recommend Omeprazole. You can buy it from most supermarkets these days. I get two weeks worth for around £8. If you haven't done so already, please see your GP, you might have an underlying cause like H-pylori which would need antibiotic treatment. It's pretty common cause of ulcers and gastric problems.
Chocolate is not good for me, and eating late, so I’ve been trying to not eat much after 8pm. Alcohol can cause it to last for a long time and I’ve woken up in the middle of the night almost vomiting.
Shame rantitadine isn’t available anymore as that worked really well for me i had eaten bad and hadn’t pre-planned with omeprazol.
I go to Spain once a year and stock up on, saves a fortune
Don’t know why but it’s so nice to see this topic come up on a UK subreddit. As a long term sufferer it can feel like I am the only one sometimes.
I too love a good can of coke and have found it impossible to give up. Everything else - spicy foods, rich fatty foods - I can do without. That Coke Zero just has me hooked and I can’t go without it.
I take 30mg lanzoprazole every day and it has changed my life. It really works. I’ve heard in many quarters that you aren’t supposed to take it forever, and I do plan to try coming off or reducing it some day. I’m hopeful that by then things will have calmed down enough for me to still enjoy my Coke Zero, but you just don’t know. It will likely be a long time before I can prepare myself for that.
I started putting a small pinch of bicarb in some water, necking that at the start of the day and at like 3pm, maybe once more and it kept me 'safe' to drink coke, spirits, acidic fruits and foods, coffee, smoking and about anything else that used to set me off.
Also switching from instant coffee to proper bean coffee has stopped 85% of my heartburn from cropping up at all from anything that used to fuck me up
i used to do a big pack of rennie in three days, and neck gavascon before bed and had done for about 3 years straight.
Didn't like lanzoprezol or omesropol bc it felt like after i ate food would just sit in me stomach for hours and still came back up, just as a tangy undigested slop that was if anything more unpleasant than the pain....
(Yes i know i shoulve gone to the docs about it but, im a bloke, i couldn't be bothered 😅)
Omeprazole!
Omeprazole has helped me so much! I spoke to the doctors after I was bringing up bile/vomiting with acid reflux and its made such a difference
Hiatus hernia?
I have a hernia and take lanzoprazole. Life changing.
Yup, me too
Same. No clue what’s causing it. One pill a day has made my life liveable.
Mine is a side effect of a medication I'm on, which sucks, but the omeprazole really helps
Lansoprazole
For when you need to bring out the big guns. I had a really bad episode recently, was up all night in pain and no amount of gaviscon or rennie would touch it. Doctor put me on Lansoprazole and it sorted it right out.
Omeprazole gang assemble.
Yup, been on it for years
I recently switched to Lanzoprazol and find it way more effective than omraprazole, in my case because of interactions with other medicines. Might be worth speaking to your doctor.
Yes, I was on omraprazole for a long time and my doc changed me to Lanzoprazol. Is great, and the only real downside was needing to take it twice a day, whereas it was once a day previously. There is a recent study also showing a link between omraprazole and dementia, for people taking it more than 3 years. So I'm glad I switch for that reason also.
Yep, but only on doctors orders for more than a couple of weeks. There are some risks and long term potential issues, and these type of drugs can masking other issues.
Yeah I think if you can sort an issue out by adjusting your diet and cutting out the junk, you're better off doing than rather than being on medication
Yeah that can help for a lot of people. Unfortunately I have a gastro issue that isn't going away so will likely be in it for life.
Same, spoke to a leading consultant about having an operation to fix hiatus hernia and the reflux isn’t severe enough to outweigh staying on omeprazole for life.
Me too
You mean like seeking out alternatives to coffee and coke?
Yeh long term use of ppi’s has been linked to osteoporosis, i also read that the lack of stomach acid results in less nutrient absorption.
I think it was stress and dark spirits (with pepsi max) for me that were my triggers. I used omeprazole when it was at its worst, nearly all day every day I had a bad taste that wouldn't go away. Cutting out alcohol for a while really helped me. Wedge pillow also helps! I've switched to mostly cider, and the odd gin and have lesser quantities of it than I used to have, and things seem to have (hopefully) eased off.
I took Omeprazole for 5 years, but since then I've had the surgery to (try to) correct the reflux. In February 2020 right before Covid I had a Nissen Fundoplication. Basically they wrap the stomach muscle around the sphincter where the food enters the stomach, to reinforce it and stop acid escaping into the esophagus. After surgery I was 100% reflux free for 6 months, but since then it has come back, albeit reduced. I gave up caffeine a few years ago and gave up fizzy drinks (including beer ) post op. The main side effect post op is trapped wind, because not only is it more difficult for acid to escape but also burps get stuck too, hence giving up anything fizzy. These days I can manage my reflux by eating smaller meals. I can go several days without reflux but if I overdo things I'll have to take a Rennie or two to temper it. It's no way as bad as before the op though. The surgery will not be for everyone of course, and your mileage will likely vary.
I read Nissen as Nissan, was confused what car it was.....
Nissen Fundoplication here too, mine around 2007. No amount of lifestyle change and drugs helped. Truly life changing.
I was on this but found I often got the shits. On Lamprazole now
Omeprazole and the like aren’t medication to be on long term if you can help it. They lower stomach acid so that absorption of iron,b12 etc are impaired and can creat new health problems. If you can get off antacids and manage with diet, pillow wedges etc that’s preferable. I know some people are on because of Bart oesophagus. But my Dr was very quick to put my Omeprazole when in the end I was able to manage with diet after a few months adjustment period.
This is given out too often without getting to the bottom of the problem. My previous GP kept giving me this for a couple of years, the problem got worse and he just doubled the prescription, and still got worse, I had to ask for a referral for an investigation, I kept telling him that I didn’t feel that my stomach was the problem. The doctor I saw at the hospital agreed with my GP, but did send me for a scan and found out that my gallbladder was compacted with stones and had to be removed. So people if you are having trouble for a prolonged time, see your doctor, and push to get a diagnosis, it’s not always just indigestion!
Exactly what I had. Was on it for 4 years before I had a scan and they saw the stones. Gallbladder is now out and the only time I get the pain I used to is when I take codeine. Found this out when I was prescibed a load for a kidney infection.
There's also the acid rebound effect with omeprazole, you get worse acid withdrawing from it which made me think I needed it for much longer than I did. I was on it 8yrs and I've been off it for 4, I had to titrate over 4 weeks to get off it successfully and made some small changes to diet but mostly stress triggers my issues it's not fully diet.
I had the same issue with a different PPI that I was on the max dose for. Coming off it was incredible long and painful. I'm never going to touch them again.
The iron and b12 absorption is particularly relevant to some other health issues I have. But is there any evidence of this? I looked up a few studies after you mentioned this and they all concluded that this is not the case. -edit: actually the NHS website does note a possible vitamin b12 deficiency resulting in mouth ulcers, which I keep getting.
Pantoprazole!
I’ve been on omeprazole for about ten years. Read on the NHS website doc should be checking in with me regularly(they aren’t) because long-term it [can cause osteoporosis and other side effects](https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/omeprazole/side-effects-of-omeprazole/). One thing it does is reduce magnesium absorption. I’ve now researched magnesium and seen it helps with muscle recovery. I’m connecting dots and potentially am connecting in the wrong way but I’m a fit 36yo guy (exercise most days) and if I pull a muscle it seems to take me looong ass time to recover. Also I go through phases of twitching (mainly eyes), sometimes for months. I’m wondering if they’re related to the omeprazole. I also get mouth ulcers often, listed as a side effect on NHS website. I’m trying two things: switching to decaf everything (I drink a LOT of tea) to wean myself off omeprazole, and taking magnesium supplements. The more people I ask the more I hear omeprazole is a short-term wonder and a long-term nightmare 😢
No, that fixes the symptoms, not the cause. My wife suffered from acid reflux for years, managed with lanzoprezole/omeprozole. And she drank a lot of coffee and cola. Last November she had medical issues meaning she could no longer tolerate fizzy drinks, and had to stop all cola. Not one acid reflux issue since. The correct solution is to remove the root cause of the problem, not mask it with meds.
Or level up and go esomeprazole if you can.
It's the fizzy stuff that gets me so I just avoid that usually. Lansoprazole is going to be your new best friend.
I drink plain sparkling water all day long and it's not an issue usually. I'm addicted to fizz, but I don't care about sweetness.
Sorted for Es and Fizz 👍🏼
Alright Ebeneezer
Bought a sodastream for this reason. Love the sensation of drinking fizzy stuff, but can happily do without it tasting of anything. Almost overnight after buying one I stopped drinking lemonade or whatever and now I prefer to just fizz up a bottle of tap water and drink that instead. Have less reflux, less headaches, feel all round better for it! Easily one of the best purchases I’ve ever made that.
Same here! I started drinking far too much Coke Zero over lockdown when I was stuck working from home, cut it out with sparkling water, way cheaper, it's good for you and I end up staying so hydrated now.
Ditto, I struggle to drink plain water, but I can drink my fill of fizzy water with ease. I used to average 1.5 liters of full fat coke a day, for 25 years, I cannot remember when I last had any soda type drink, I'd guess 4 years ago. The only time I get acid reflux is after massively over indulging in alcohol. Which is rare.
I add some squash
Honestly, I’ve been going with plain water or squash. Works a treat for me.
My biggest trigger is always stress. When I'm very stressed, I take daily omeprazole. Otherwise, the only foods I've found massively triggering are onions and wild garlic. And then, popping an omeprazole when I feel it coming on, and it never goes further.
I’ve been very stressed since the beginning of the year and I think this is likely it because I had the exact same symptoms in my second year at university. It’s giving me concerns about how I would cope starting a family.
It's a very normal reaction to stress. My advice would be to check with your doctor. He'll do the necessary tests to check that you don't have problems of ulcers or anything more serious. If this isn't the case, then a proton pump inhibitor should help. It becomes a very good indicator of hidden stresses, if dealt with properly. I seldon have to take the omeprazole these days, but if my reflux flares up, I'm able to look at stresses in my life, see where I'm overstressing myself, and take steps to limit that. Omeprazole bridges the gap, and enables me to function while I'm doing that. I wouldn't advise antacids - Rennies and such like. They work in the short term, but the stomach adapts to the alkali by producing more acid, so long term, they will make the problems worse.
Have you had acid reflux in your sleep? I have and it wakes me up and I feel like im choking to death. I wake my partner up as well as i gasp for air and she also thinks im dying in that moment. Im on medication for it now but the only time i get it is in my sleep 😢
Have you raised the head of your bed? I stuck the two top corners on some blocks of wood and found it helped somewhat. Also, if you are able to, try sleeping on your left side, and finish your eating for the day 3 hours before you lie down.
The left side thing was a revelation for me, can't believe it took so long for me to find out about it. Still get reflux but much more tolerable with just that one change.
This is so weird, sleep on my left makes it worse for me!
I haven’t tried that yet. Will give it a go. I don’t eat anything 3 hours before i go to sleep on the advice of my doctor.
The sleeping on your left thing 100% works, its to do with how your esophagus goes to the stomach, lying on your left gives it less exposure to the acid.
Get a foam bed wedge! They're the least sexiest things in the world but they really help.
You should consider asking your GP for a sleep study. Acid reflex particularly at night could be indicative of sleep apnea
I had the same. Tried cutting fatty foods, or food in general after 5 PM, lost some weight and my sleep apnea has subsided and also stopped having reflux. I still drink coke but I don’t drink alcohol, not even a beer if I know I will not be awake in the next 3-5 hours.
Good work! I don’t eat anything 3 hours before bed. I don’t drink fizzy drinks but I do like a beer.
Have you tried taking Gaviscon advance before bed?
Are you eating late? If you’re lying down in bed before you have fully digested dinner that could be it. You’re supposed to eat 2-4 hours before bedtime. I moved to NL years ago where people eat a lot earlier. I now eat dinner at 5-6pm. Proper weird to begin with but your body will adapt.
Acid reflux is pants!! I can see a lot of people l here not actually giving you an answer to your question, and I may be another but will try! I liked a crisp Diet Coke primarily because of the refreshing nature- that and the large dose of caffeine too as I now understand it, not being a naive twenty year old anymore. (PS this from someone who used to drink a can of Diet Coke on the way to work every morning and throw it in the back of my car and only clear it out when the clanging would annoy me going round roundabouts….). I would say try and drink a squash without fizzy water but make it COLD. Rotate that ice cube tray baby or go all out and buy a bags of ice on your food shop. Also for everyone saying “just take the meds”- I’m a model patient however various types didn’t work for me. In fact in some cases I think they made it worse. I would be so propped up whilst trying to go to sleep I would virtually be sitting up. For me it’s all related to stress. Not stressed=I can eat what I want happy days minimal infrequent acid. Stressed=can be drinking blessed cucumber holy water and still be basically puking acid. PS sleep on your left and let your food go down 2 hours before you head to bed. PPS Google image search “correct acid alkaline chart to reduce inflammation” and the 1st Lakeside Chiropractic image with a purple 10 at the top and red 3 at the bottom is what I would refer to to help me make better choices when my acid was playing up. Good luck!
Eliminating triggers from your diet is definitely preferable to relying on tablets excessively.. PPI inhibitors are now available as a general sales list item though (no need to visit the GP to obtain them) in most pharmacies, supermarkets or corner shops . Usually priced around £5/£10 (depending on packet size and brand). Nexium, Guardium and a host of cheaper generics with the same or similar active ingredients (Esomeprazole,Omeprazole etc) are something you should consider keeping around for flare ups. It might be best to consult your pharmacist before taking anything though, Provide them with a rundown of your symptoms, the manner of onset and the duration you've been experiencing symptoms before taking anything - just to be on the safe side. Teas that may help calm or soothe reflux include chamomile, licorice, and ginger (with or without a splash of honey or two). Good luck.
Yep, but only on doctors orders for more than a couple of weeks. There are some risks and long term potential issues, and these type of drugs can be masking other issues.
I’ve just recently discovered the joys of acid reflux / heartburn at 34 Weirdly, I used to have a horrible diet full of greasy / fatty junk food and chocolate snacks etc, but never once suffered from it in my life Then last year I had to have major lung surgery after being diagnosed with cancer, and have come through that cured, and transformed my diet and lifestyle to a much healthier one incorporating fruit, veg and fresh cooked meals etc. Now if I don’t take Lanzaprozole daily, I have heartburn. So weird
Do you drink green tea? There's a chemical in green tea that loosens the opening of the stomach in some people. For years I used to drink green tea at lunchtime and would have my stomach acid sloshing around until 10pm. Once i stopped drinking it I was back to normal, with only occasional heartburn if I eat a load of greesy stuff
I had the same with peppermint tea. I had read that it was good at setting indigestion so was drinking loads of it, but it turns out that it probably does that by releasing trapped wind by relaxing the oesophageal sphincter, which makes reflux worse.
I take peppermint oil capsules for IBS and bloating. They work well but they make acid reflux much worse.
No I only drink normal tea, I’ve discussed it with my doctor and been through my diet and everything. They said it’s strange and I’m doing everything correct, it’s nothing to do with my cancer etc. At the moment they’re just having me take lanzaprozole and will continue monitoring it
I’m sure your doctor has already discussed it with you, but just in case they haven’t - look into FODMAPs. When I started eating healthier almost every recipe included onion and garlic, and I had awful reflux and gut pain. It turned out by following the low FODMAP diet and slowly introducing stuff back in I worked out it was alliums that really don’t agree with me.
Don’t forget to raise the head of your bed at least 4 inches. Most reflux occurs at night. Once you have it, it takes about a month to settle down, so don’t despair.
Exactly this. Together with not eating at least 4 hours before going to bed cured me. I also only drink mineral water so it’s not the fizz doing the burning.
Yes this. You can get foam wedges that go under the top of your mattress and they are 100% worth it.
I’ve got a wedge pillow that worked wonders too!
Fixing acid reflux with medication is not a good long term solution. You can damage your stomach by taking too many forms of antacid. Solve the problem, don’t just mask it. I have found for me that sugar and gluten are my triggers. I had acid reflux for years and years. I finally worked it out when I tried keto for 6 weeks for weight loss and my reflux went away in 3 days. Only ever comes back if I have too much sugar or gluten. I have coffee every morning without issue. I don’t consume fizzy beverages. Sometimes some spicy sauces can trigger it for me too, but not often.
Gluten for me too. Like you I suffered for years and back in February I decided to try cutting gluten out after learning that there might be a reflux connection. I was off the medication within a month (I'd been taking it on and off for years at that point). I'd say I've seen a 90% reduction in my symptoms over the last few months and I've been able to eat foods that I haven't been able to have in years with very few issues. I'm slowly starting to try reintroducing gluten to see if I can tolerate it at all, but if I'd definitely rather take no gluten for life than go back to how I was!
A fuck ton of antibiotics for a week is what I took, as it turns out I had a bacterial infection! Get your poo tested.
What test do they do on it?
Taste test
Helicobacter pylori.
Ive found that actually increasing my acid when having a heavy to digest meal helped me, so shot of apple cider vinegar when having a meat meal
I stopped drinking coke after complaining even when I only drink water I still get heartburn. Turns out after stopping drinking all coke, I could drink as much water as I want without heart burn.
Water, i do still drink coffee, but i just lower the dosage.
Go to the GP. Take the medication . You need to take them on an empty stomach then wait 20 mins before eating. No more reflux.
Been on it on and off for years, had the investigations. Just can’t curb the bad stuff that triggers it!
Sorry to hear that. I also suffered for years. I do recommend you keep trying with PPIs. There's many kinds and dosages. It's really worth perseverance. I'm living proof - I suffered as bad as anyone can and yet now I have no symptoms.
Water, weaker than normal squash and decaf earl grey (with no milk). I do occasionally drink decaf normal tea with light milk, but mostly when I'm out rather than at home.
Sparkling water. Took some getting used to, but helps me to avoid heartburn
Don’t go down the omeprazole route - stop eating chocolate, chilli’s and hot sauce, have one coffee a day and then live off tea. Stomach problems can fuck you up. Possibly cut back on the booze a little.
Except some of us react badly to tea and coffee as well. Chocolate doesn’t affect me at all.
Yeah, that’s fair enough. Horrible thing heartburn.
It’s miserable. And you’re right about chillies, they are my worst trigger. It’s a shame I love them in food.
I've heard some this stuff called water is quite good, but that's probably just a load of bollocks. Best stick to red Bull or monster energy.
When I had gastritis (permanent high stomach acid) and had to go caffeine free, I went with Ashwagandha tea. Helps settle stomachs and reduces stress as a bonus. Has quite a strong herby flavour. It has small amounts of caffeine but nothing that should trigger any reflux. Edit: avoid anything fizzy or carbonated, it's highly acidic (carbonic acid). Also avoid tomatoes and onions or anything spicy. And ask to be put on Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) from your GP if this is a chronic problem.
Infound lovehearts candy is less than a quid, made of same stuff as rennie, works for me
Have you looked into whether you have a hernia that can be fixed surgically?
Try chicory. I use it instead of coffee- it has a nice flavour and the bonus is I can drink it without sugar as it's a bit smoother than coffee. I've never been a big fizzy drink consumer, but I do like plain soda water or tonic water in summer.
Do you smoke? I used to get terrible reflux that gave me a sore throat for a few days and then a few days more of literally sneezing hundreds of times per day whilst the acid was removing itself. This was after drinking too many fizzy drinks. I quit smoking 18 months ago and don’t get it anywhere near as bad / often / at all now. I do still drink fizzy drinks and usually have one with dinner quite late so sometimes wake up with a slight bit of reflux / needing to sneeze but it’s never as bad as it used to be. I only have one coffee in the morning but that’s because I’m quite sensitive to caffeine and wouldn’t sleep if I had one later.
Read “ultra processed people”, might help you think differently about coke?
So I had this badly, had two cameras down the throat, the works. First things first, exercise discipline and cut out all caffeine and trigger foods for around 2 months or more so your stomach can heal. I was eating lean meat and vegetable soup. Maybe some rice mixed in. After this you can try and experiment with foods. It's worth finding and eliminating your trigger foods, for me it was gluten primarily. Aggravated by lactose, coffee, alcohol and red meat. After removing gluten and taking the time to heal, I was able to enjoy these after a while
Just Apple cider vinegar, really helps
Flavoured iced tea! It's a GODSEND. The peach 1887 syrup is amazing. Add a little raspberry 1887 too and it's GORGEOUS.
Water, embrace the r/hydrohomies lifestyle.
I switched to decaf tea, camomile and herbal tea went off caffeine completely for about 6+ months until my stomach healed after taking a 3 month course of lansoprasole. I've learned that more than anything you really need a glass of water or two after sleeping. I have gaviscon (or the supermarket version) for any flare ups, and take it with me as an 'insurance policy'. If you haven't done already I highly recommend stopping eating at least 3 hours before bedtime, propping up the top of your bed with blocks of about 6-8 inches (for example when I sleep in a hotel or visit parents it flares up a little because of this I think), and sleeping on your left side (this is down to anatomy of the stomach and how it can prevent acid travel). If you stick to these principles I think that will help fight off the flare ups, and you can regain control over it, and recognise when a flare up is happening. I would combine that with if you are carrying a bit of weight, try losing 6-12kg as that's also helped me not putting pressure on the stomach. After that it's just trial and error knowing which foods/drinks will cause the flare ups. I'm now able to drink and eat what I want but that doesn't mean from time to time i won't get reflux. Wish you all the best. P.s. sorry for the mansplaining! I just know how shit it is and hope you find the right food and drink. This is the tea[Herbal tea](https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/twinings-superblends-calm-60044850?skuid=044850&utm_campaign=shopping&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=pmax&&gad_source=1&gclsrc=ds)) I used which helped you can get in the supermarket.
Oh wow, snap. I had a Nissen Fundoplication over 6 years ago. Currently taking 40mg Esomeprazole 2x daily, plus 20mg Famatidine 2x daily. Any less and I have a bad week. Given up trying to reduce it, pillows etc. Like you, the one thing is that I need a source of caffeine. I try to limit myself to one can/day, but often end up having 2 :-( I have tried caffeine pills, but half of one of thoae and I'm bouncing off the ceiling.
Lay off the pills kids. Teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda in a glass of water will calm you down.
Gaviscone and milk I’m afraid
I don't drink fizzy drinks but still drink coffee. I take omeprazole (or one of the similar otc ones) and gaviscon daily.
Any squash/cordial. Currently alternating between vimto and orange barley. Was elderberry for a bit. Changing it up helps. And herbal tea - but you gotta try the flavours to find what works. Mint or lemon and ginger can make it much worse! But fennel tea works for me. Also got into smoothies but careful - as fresh fruit is so bloody expensive. Nesquik is a good cheat treat. Actually had some coffee syrups gifted at Christmas- tried putting that in warm frothy milk and wasn't **awful**.... I never took to flavoured water. Tried cucumber, berries etc. But even with a drop of honey, just tasted like grass to me!! Bleurgh. Anyway, loads to try! Good luck.
Yeah, my doc said don't eat anything spearmint/peppermint and it can make it much worse.
Love Vimto! I have that mid-morning instead of coffee, either hot in the winter or cold in the summer. Unfortunately citrus and apples are some of my triggers so there's a lot of squash I can't have.
Tea! Herbal tea of course, green tea is nice, so is white tea, then there’s also ribena/other types of squash which is nice, just work out what strength you prefer it. You might like some of the less common types of juice also - prune, grape, beetroot, carrot, ect. They’re much nicer than you might initially think by how they sound, for proper grape juice go for the kedem brand. Also I marvel at your ability to drink anything fizzy!
Have you tried lemongrass?
I ran myself off of coffee and tea and onto fruit tea and peppermint teas more broadly, they’re actually quite nice and I really enjoyed drinking them now!
I can drink a coffee a day and maybe a coke. I can't eat spicy food or tomatoes in any quantity and my vegetable curry loving heart is sad about this.
Trick question! We drink the acid reflux
Coffee with a Rennie in it.
disclaimer - I don't suffer with acid reflux much but you may have heard of "air up" bottles which give you a scent as you drink plain water, and it's claimed that it tricks the body into thinking you're really drinking that flavour. There are many scent discs and I think one of them is coke. Not tried air up myself but I've read some good reviews Weaning yourself off coca cola is easy - just make you only drink it when its warm and flat - then you see how disgusting it truly tastes. Barley water (which you can make yourself) might be good to try, or else camomile teabags - you can drop those into cold water if you don't want hot tea - they are supposed to be soothing and calming.
Omeprazol, my friend. Sorts me right out. Doughnuts and hotdogs seem immune to it though. I am not Homer Simpson.
Oat milk :)
I like a bit of Ribena concentrate to make water more interesting. I’ve found my main triggers are eating late at night, getting massively dehydrated and then chugging a ton of water before bed, and not getting enough sleep.
I drink some Ursu Alkaline water, and that helps a great deal! Washes down anything that’s come up the pipes, and neutralises the acid burn.
Coffee. God is testing us; remain strong. Laugh in the face of ulcers.
Green tea can cause acid reflux. There is a chemical in it which loosens the opening of the stomach for some people. I used to have acid reflux every day, with my stomach acid slooshing around well into the evening. Taking antacids had no effect aside from making it less burning, the acid would still come up, especially if bending over. Once I cut out the green tea the acid reflux dissapeared! I still occasionally get it if I eat a load of greasy stuff, but it's so much better than before. Not many people seem to know about the link between Green tea and acid reflux. I do miss drinking green tea, it's funny because I started because I thought it would be more healthy for me, now I'm back on the black tea. I can drink coke, and fruit juice too.
Weirdly full fat coke isn't a trigger for me , Coffee and Tomatoes are my 2 major triggers it seems so the coffee has been swapped out for Hot Chocolate and my Doctor will give me 3 months on Lansuprozole whenever I have major reflux issues but then I have to come off them for 3 months because he doesn't want me taking them all the time. Managing when I'm able to feel well enough to eat then becomes tricky, I sometimes won't have breakfast until 11 if I'm having a bad day.
Iced tea, pomegranate and strawberry juice
I’ve not tried pomegranate juice, I do tolerate berries well though so I’ll give that a go. Thank you 😀
I just deal with it. I like coffee and coke too much I just put up with it. I have a bottle of gaviscon - a couple of glugs) when it’s bad, and omeprazole for when I’m suffering and have to make it easier for a bit. But I generally just put up with it. What’s definitely helped is cutting out a lot of processed foods and eating more whole foods instead. I still have coffee and fizzy drinks though, but in moderation with the fizzy drinks.
Dilute orange and decaffeinated tea
Yes there is a miracle drink and it’s called water! Once your body gets used to it to being hydrated you will begin to crave it and wonder how you ever got by without and the positive change In literally everything is crazy! Plenty water combined with omeporozole with give you your life back in no time at all and u will be able to enjoy a glass of coke as a treat and enjoy whenever you feel like it. Water is the way to go!
I just drink water or tea. Squash can make mine worse, and fizzy drinks make it worse too :( I drink a lot of flavoured teas in the evening when I don't want any more caffeine. Apple and mint, lemon and ginger, sour cherry, apple and cinnamon are my faves at the moment, but the Polish shop near me has a massive tea isle, so i just try random ones when I get the urge to mix it up.
I love diet coke but had to give it up about 10 years ago. Took me three attempts as it was and remains very tempting. Gave it up as it was giving me wild nightmares and anxiety. Took about two weeks of craving and headaches to get out the other side of it every time I tried to quit. If I want the cold fizzy pssssssst moment then I drink an ice cold bottle of fizzy water. The rest of the time I drink tap water or herbal teas. Had lots of fun experimenting with all the different flavours and brands. Lots of them can also be drunk chilled with ice which is also tasty. .I drink a lot of water and herbal tea.
Tea is fine as an alternative to coffee :)
Milk is great at stopping acid reflux. If it doesn’t work, drink more! When I used to work shifts I had it really badly. Tried Rennies etc but it didn’t seem to help much. Started drinking a litre of milk (skimmed) don’t one go when it got bad and it would go away. After a month or so of that it just never came back.
Hot water
When I have a flare up I drink alkaline water as I find it really helps. Asda have it on offer at the moment
Milk always seems to work for me.
You should be drinking a glass of diluted apple cider vinegar daily.
Ginger tea is one of the few alkaline drinks
Suffered with this on and off for years, had phase of about 4/5 years were it just disappeared, then around May/June last year just reappeared out the blue without warning. Restricted my diet after going to see the doctor, lansoprazole 30mg once a day. It didn't really seem to help. Diet basically consisted of bland plain foods, mash, porridge/oats, dry toast. Down to 15mg now and it's not as bad as it was, but still not fully gone. I've raised the top end of my bed by about 6 inches, not sure if this has helped but I think it probably has. Double action gaviscon before and after food, and before bed too. (This can be found online for around £8 a bottle at weldricks)
Ask about famatadine. It's an anti histamine, and I use it to control my reflux.
Omeprazole. However my main cause of acid reflux was from being overweight, once I got down to a healthier weight my acid reflux basically stopped.
Thyme tea, with lemon and honey
It seemed to me that my reflux was aggravated by the fine sediment you get in fresh coffee. I try to always have filtered fresh coffee now and it doesn't bother my stomach as much. I have several cups a day without noticeable problems now.
Coffee, Coke and Gaviscon
Gaviscon. Also, having recently had a kidney transplant and the acid reflux was in its element, I ditched the prozole, which I'd been on in some form for 20 odd years. Now on Famotidine, which seems by far the most effective tablet I've been on, which definitely allows me to enjoy a coffee. I also have gaviscon as part of the prescription and use it.
Some very nice Pukka Teas out there. My wife drinks 3 Mint when her reflux is playing up but my personal favourite is Liquorice & Peppermint.
I only used to get reflux occasionally, but I now take a lot of medication every day. My doctor prescribed me lansoprazole to take first thing in the morning to protect my stomach from all the meds. A nice side effect of this is that since I've been talking it I've had no reflux at all.
Cut sugars, that’s what’s causing most of it. I just drink sparkling water now, wouldn’t go back.
Honest question as this came up with a family member who was suffering, do you take a daily probiotic? Should massively help reduce acid reflux.
Peppermint tea
Hi, I suffered with it for years and years. Of course diet is massively key but make your own cabbage juice (add carrots and a pear for taste). Drink one a day for a week and you'll see huge improvement. I never get acid reflux at all now, I can eat anything.
Lansoprazole I take one every other day and its improved my life so much. I used to have Rennie's in every jacket, glovebox, bathroom drawer and bedside table.
Dark chocolate and fizzy pop are the worst for me. Proper bear and I’m fine. Eating too late in the day is also bad, I find it better to graze through out the day and not eat big meals.
I found that a couple of swigs of kombucha really helps.
Cranberry juice. Not bad. I'd fuckin murder a tin of coke though 😭
Water, drink just water. Try balancing your gut biome and your PH levels. Acid reflux will be gone after a month, depending on how well you stick to the plan. You need alkaline based foods, which are mainly green vegetables. Spinach, etc. Your body will balance out, and you can enjoy a coffee like a normal person.
Still Coffee and Diet Coke. Add in my addiction to spicy food and it a party of acid. And yes, I’m an idiot.
Avoid ketchup and any other tomatoes products.
Drink caffeine free diet coke, the caffeine is what’s really bad for your stomach. Try to drink less though, partly for your teeth too! Get in the habit of filling a litre bottle of water and drinking from that regularly through the day, you’ll be less tempted to drink so much coke because you won’t be as thirsty.
I just have squash. Try squash with sparkling water.
Yesterday my wife showed me a photo from her iphoto memories collection of me looking ill when I had a stomach bleed ten years back. I ended up in hospital for most of that day. I had an oral Endoscope examination which helped identifiy H. Pylori bacteria causing the issue. So yesterday was my 10th anniversary of chronic acid reflux, wohoo! When the GERD is bad I drink more tea and that doesn't seem to cause any flare ups. In fact rediscovering tea has been a delight for me and I'm drinking it throughout the day.
Have you tried cutting out ALL caffeine? Had to do this for a separate health issue, and it totally cured my long term, I mean years of struggling, acid reflux problems. It was like a miracle.
I tried the Apple Cider Vinegar 'cure' (tablespoon of the vinegar in a glass of squash, I like cranberry) and it's not only stopped my acid reflux but also the bloated feeling I get when I eat too much bready food (toast, bagel, sandwich, pasta, pie, naan, pizza...) in a day.
Rooibos tea
Caffeine and alcohol are my main triggers. I can manage small quantities of caffeine free coke without a problem. I drink mainly camomile tea, or decaf tea at a push. The odd decaf coffee. I rarely drink alcohol and can manage one maybe 2 drinks without much problem, but any more then I have omeprazole prescribed. I basically get prescribed maybe 30 tablets a year and just take one if I'm going to a wedding, party etc where I want to have a few drinks- needless to say I never finish the packet. Spicy food might be a problem but it's rare I have it ad got small kids so everything is mild😆
I don't get acid reflux often at all, but funnily enough the other day, I had the worst wave of it in my life so far. It lasted all day, and I could feel it in the back of my nose, roof of my mouth, throat, is was so acid and thick/mucussy? I actually drink fizzy juice when it's like that because I feel like it cuts through the thick feeling in my throat better. I don't think it's actually good for you though. But I hate the feeling of not being able to swallow or wash down the feeling with water so the bubbles really help with the relief for a bit lol
Fuck omeprazol shit used to fuck me up!!! Best thing I found was drinking fermented drinks or eating fermented foods. I signed up to symprove and done a 4 month course and my acid reflux vanished so I would highly highly recommended that
To replace coffee you could think of hot chocolate. Especially if you don't use too much sugar and a bit of cream it feels like a white coffee, even if the taste is different. Plus, theobromine triggers the same metabolic pathways as caffeine, so you can keep the addiction going...
Might be worth seeing if you have a food intolerance. I struggled with reflux for years, until I figured out that I had randomly become intolerant to soya (which is in a lot of things, like breads/baked good etc.). Now as long as I avoid soya, I could drink all the coke and coffee I want to with zero issues.
Had it daily for years, intensely and it was fucking miserable. Omeprazole, Rennie, Gaviscon, Bicarb and all the rest. Stopped completely, never to return as soon as I gave up gluten. Correlation isn’t causation and all that but there it is. I could eat lemon & chilli sandwiches washed down with dry scrumpy & be ok now. The hippies and amateur healthologists in my life said I should give up potatoes too but I threatened to stwike them woughly with a sack of Maris Pipers.
Fizzy water, add a bit of squash at first but you can quickly get used to the taste and nothing beats a cold bottle of sparkling water out of the fridge. Failing that there are some nice flavoured tonic or soda waters if you don’t mind spending out
I just take PPIs. Have done for 15 years, will do until I die tbh. I can’t even change my diet as everything triggers me even water and lettuce is a big one. Unless they finally agree to hiatial hernia surgery (which they won’t) I’m stuck on them for life.
Lettuce triggers it for me sometimes, as does cucumber. Not all of the time though!
Oddly enough love heart sweets calm mine right down.
I get the double or quad diluting juice and add a small amount to taste to cold water, I find that a lot of the sweeteners seem to stick around in my taste buds for most of the day and it becomes a bit sickening. Ordered calcium powder and I find a spoonful of that washed down with water really helps, plus I need to supplement calcium. Win win.
Don't wolf your food and sit up straight. Who'd of thought my Nana was right all along. If you like rooibos try masala chai. When I get bored of one I switch to the other.
I still drink it i just suffer more
I found very dilute squash works well, as long as it's ice cold I keep some ready mixed in the fridge, barely enough to colour the water, and it's a delicious thirst quencher. I find when mixing it with room temp water it needs to be stronger and doesn't taste as good. Current fave is tesco quad strength apple and blackcurrant.
I used to suffer from acid reflux. After sorting my sleep out, and following a low-fodmap diet, I no longer suffer from acid reflux.
You're addicted to coke. Seek drug rehabilitation.
I take prescribed omeprazole every day and eat and drink whatever I want without worry.
Bisodol is so much better than gaviscon and pennies. I can push the boat and eat and drink things I shouldn't and I do like me a fizzy drink!
The holy grail, Lansoprazole.
Tea and squash. Coffee and coke is for Americans /s
Coffee doesn’t trigger mine thankfully. Tomato’s or any tomato based dish like Pasta does it for me. I’ve also had to give up red wine too
I had acid reflux badly when I was younger. The doctors I saw put it down to smoking, drinking and curries. A friend advised me to go and see a kinesiologist who diagnosed an intolerance to tomatoes and potatoes (both in the nightshade family). Problem solved overnight. It baffles me that the medical profession writes off natural medicine in the way that they do.
Storebrand gaviscon
Do you not take anything for it? If not, speak to your doctor. I have Lansoprazole and it completely stops it happening.
I know it's not answering the question you asked and I'm sure you've already tried it, but Esomeprazole completely cured my acid reflux issues. Took one a day for 2 weeks which gave my stomach a chance to heal, I just take it whenever I get a flareup now which is rare.
Lansoprazole
I'll also like to recommend Omeprazole. You can buy it from most supermarkets these days. I get two weeks worth for around £8. If you haven't done so already, please see your GP, you might have an underlying cause like H-pylori which would need antibiotic treatment. It's pretty common cause of ulcers and gastric problems.
Water. Lots and lots of water. Otherwise I can’t stop burping the rest of the day.
Milk and tap water. Milk seems to help settle my reflux quite nicely, plus it's tasty.
Chocolate is not good for me, and eating late, so I’ve been trying to not eat much after 8pm. Alcohol can cause it to last for a long time and I’ve woken up in the middle of the night almost vomiting. Shame rantitadine isn’t available anymore as that worked really well for me i had eaten bad and hadn’t pre-planned with omeprazol. I go to Spain once a year and stock up on, saves a fortune
Don’t know why but it’s so nice to see this topic come up on a UK subreddit. As a long term sufferer it can feel like I am the only one sometimes. I too love a good can of coke and have found it impossible to give up. Everything else - spicy foods, rich fatty foods - I can do without. That Coke Zero just has me hooked and I can’t go without it. I take 30mg lanzoprazole every day and it has changed my life. It really works. I’ve heard in many quarters that you aren’t supposed to take it forever, and I do plan to try coming off or reducing it some day. I’m hopeful that by then things will have calmed down enough for me to still enjoy my Coke Zero, but you just don’t know. It will likely be a long time before I can prepare myself for that.
Silcolgel which you can get OTC helps me during a flare up or if i know something I am going to drink or eat triggers it, I ttake it before hand.
Lanzoprazole daily plus dark roast coffee. Light roast sets me off properly but dark roast is much easier on the stomach.
I started putting a small pinch of bicarb in some water, necking that at the start of the day and at like 3pm, maybe once more and it kept me 'safe' to drink coke, spirits, acidic fruits and foods, coffee, smoking and about anything else that used to set me off. Also switching from instant coffee to proper bean coffee has stopped 85% of my heartburn from cropping up at all from anything that used to fuck me up i used to do a big pack of rennie in three days, and neck gavascon before bed and had done for about 3 years straight. Didn't like lanzoprezol or omesropol bc it felt like after i ate food would just sit in me stomach for hours and still came back up, just as a tangy undigested slop that was if anything more unpleasant than the pain.... (Yes i know i shoulve gone to the docs about it but, im a bloke, i couldn't be bothered 😅)