Spasm in throat/chest, heartburn? What helps?

[Thecatgotmytongue]

Last night and the night before I was awake most of the night with this .. It's like a spasm in my throat and chest, at regular intervals. Very scary and unpleasant. Ive been prescribed omeprazole but before taking that the symptoms were rare and milk, since taking it and stopping again it's become much worse. I've now bought ranatidine and been taking that, also have liquid gaviscon. Nothing seems to help.

Is there anything I can take that will stop it? Painkillers?

What meds for reflux are the best?

I've been reading up all night and will cut back on my consumption of coffee (decaf) and chocolate and also try and cut out my ecig, as I understand these are all things that can aggravate it.

Any advice would be great ... I'm so tired but can't lie down!

I'll make an appointment, but my doctor hasn't been in all summer holidays and there's always little point seeing one of the others.

[sadie9]

Are you back on the Omeprazole now? It takes a good week to get going and maybe a bit longer than that to see a real relief of symptoms.
With the Omeprazole to get the best effect you have to take it every day I find.

[Thecatgotmytongue]

No I'm taking ranatidine at the moment, daily.

[gingeroots]

Do you get it in the day at all ?

For night time try propping yourself up with pillows so that you're not lying flat .
I use several + one of those V pillows .Plus ones at my side and one under my thighs or pulled up to under my bottom to stop me slipping down .
Some people find that a duvet folded into 4 behind them is better than pillows .

I have a feeling ( may be wrong ) that there can be a rebound effect on stopping omeprazole and similar whereby your body then produces more acid .

And obviously you MUST go back to GP .

[Thecatgotmytongue]

I did wonder if there was a rebound effect.

I sometimes get it in the daytime but mostly nighttime. I tried to prop myself up last night, but it was so painful in my throat and chest,I felt really uncomfortable.

Today it's lessened after taking ranatidine and drinking only water and eating porridge.

I'll make an appointment to see my gp.

What medication do you take?

[gingeroots]

I take omneprazole .Hope you get an appointment soon - let us know how it goes .
Um and try not to panic if they refer you for an endoscopy .Choking in the night is one of those red flag things that should result in that .

[Thecatgotmytongue]

I have made an appointment for the 14th September ...

I' m not choking in the night, it just burns and feels tight and scary. I don't want an endoscopy - I have a vomiting phobia and couldn't tolerate anything down my throat.

I've been reading lots online about omneprazole rebound ... before taking it I had few symptoms, just a tightness of the chest ... since taking it I have this awful heartburn and reflux - I'm furious! I hope it'll go away eventually ... any ideas what I can take in the meantime, are there likely to be rebound side effects from taking normal gaviscon?

[sadie9]

You said you are not taking omeprazole?
When did you stop taking it?
The endoscope is done under sedation, so you are asleep and don't feel anything. You feel nothing in your throat at all. You go to sleep and then what seems like seconds later someone calls you and it's over.
I remember someone told you on here the last time that there was a lot of 'bad reports' about omeprazole on the internet or some such.
There is bad reports about nearly everything on the internet.
The rantidine isn't as effective as the PPIs like Omeprazole.
You could give the Omeprazole a few weeks and see how it goes. It's been a life saver for me. I've been on it for 4 years+ so I'm biased I suppose.

[Thecatgotmytongue]

I only took it for about a week about a month ago I think, then researched online, didn't like what I saw, so stopped taking it.

[gingeroots]

I think that there are different types of Gaviscon ,you need to get the one that's desrcibed as double action .
It's supposed to form a sort of physical barrier floating on top of your stomach contents .

[Thecatgotmytongue]

I have the liquid double action.

[Eva50]

I find bisodol tablets are the only thing that eases it for me and I must have tried most things over the years. I just suck 2-3 and the pain settles. Gaviscon does nothing for me.

[Thecatgotmytongue]

Thanks Eva. If I don't get on with Gaviscon I'll try that.

I've eaten really sensibly today, drunk only water. I'm scared it'll come back at bedtime.

[SickInBedOnTwoChairs]

I have had laryngeal spasm and oesophagitis as a result of reflux and I found going onto the paleo diet was the one thing that helped most. Carbs just give me so much trouble and i was desperate. I stopped eating after 5pm too. Laryngeal spasm is terrifying. Sleep partly sitting up will help too.

[Thecatgotmytongue]

I don't know what is spasming, but it is terrifying. Absolutely awful. I've followed low carb before and will try again. I just struggle with breakfast, prefer porridge or ryvitas to eggs etc.

[BillyDaveysDaughter]

That sounds like oesophageal spasm (corkscrew oesophagus). Very painful, I've had it on and off for 30 years - it's a cramp like any other intestinal cramp, but you get it in the food pipe and it's horrible. Does it go through to your back, and radiate up to your jaw? Starts like you've just accidentally swallowed a big boiled sweet? Can last a few minutes or several hours?

If so, then no antacid in the world will make any difference. I get it under control by;

1. Laying flat on my back OR;
   
2. Deep breathing exercises plus;
   
3. Buscopan (standard muscle relaxant you can buy over the counter, usually used for IBS). But do bear in mind that an anti-spasmodic can make reflux worse, and I suffer that like a bitch too haha.
   

Never identified a consistent trigger, but stress, tension, hot and cold are a good precursor. I was suppose to have a gastroscopy years ago but I'm severely emetophobic too. They can shove a camera down my throat when I'm good and dead.

[Thecatgotmytongue]

Billy, you understand!

Yes, I think it does go into my jaw and sometimes it makes my head hurt. It feels like something's stuck in my throat. Then it spasms, on and off, regularly. Awful . I tried everything last night, nothing helped.

I can't take Buscopan, it makes me severely constipated.

[BillyDaveysDaughter]

Ooh I think you're getting it higher up than me - to make your head hurt I mean, unless that's tension from the pain. I sometimes get it right up in my throat but I think it's referred pain. Feels hard to swallow and you can't talk very well. I got it once at work so bad they thought I was having a heart attack - doctor even sent me to the chest clinic at the hospital! I was on a huge dose of omeprazole but still getting the pain for hours at a time, so they just stopped it.

Once I learned what it was (its safe to google) and calmed the hell down about it - it used to scare me to death, especially as an emetophobe - it sort of became easier to deal with. I've sometimes found that changing position helps - if I get it sitting up then I lay flat, if I get it when I'm laying down I sit up or curl up into foetal position.

Pity about the buscopan for you, but tbh I've only ever resorted to it a few times - I can't stress the breathing exercises enough, they really work. Deep long breath in through the nose for count of 7...long breath out through the mouth for count of 11. The deeper you can breathe in the better, you can feel it easing. Rinse and repeat.

And honestly, when you feel less frightened about it, it bothers you less and less. Oh I forgot - having someone rub your back is very effective too, or rubbing your chest in broad slow circles (tricky with boobage but still works).

I've never met anyone else who gets it, we must be proper weird

[Thecatgotmytongue]

Thanks! Do you find it hurts when you breath?

I had an attack once when I was waiting for my bf at the doctors and I asked to see a doctor. They did an ecg, took my blood pressure, everything was fine. That helped a bit. But when it happens late at night it's still frightening .

[BillyDaveysDaughter]

Yes sometimes - that's probably because your windpipe runs right beside the oesophagus. Sometimes a breath in can make the pain move around - before I discovered the powers of deep breathing, I would hold my breath and the pain would ease - only to return as soon as I breathed in again, but on the other side or move from front to back!

I am living proof that although it's very unpleasant, it doesn't seem to be harmful. I must say I've never had a formal diagnosis as the doctors aren't really that interested when they are sure you don't have a heart condition. But I can get it at work now and not have to drop everything to lay flat or go home - I can just do my breathing and soldier on. Had it for 4 bloody hrs the other afternoon, was distracting and exhausting!