Horrific indigestion and heartburn - yelled at by GP

[Alex1807]

Hi everyone! I'm 22 weeks into my first pregnancy and suffering with really bad indigestion and heart burn to the point where it's making me vomit, I'm taking Gaviscon more or less constantly but it's really not doing anything to help

Have been to see my GP this afternoon and he basically yelled at me for not coping with it! Said "I can give you a prescription for something but if you care about your baby you should just get on with it" and it made me really upset

Has anyone else ever had this kind of guilt trip from their GP?

[Lules]

Sounds completely bizarre. I've had terrible heartburn and GPs have been completely happy to prescribe omeprazole if gaviscon isn't working.

[TuckMyWin]

Make a complaint and ask for omeprazole. It's magic. I discovered it in pregnancy number 2 and wished I could have turned back time and not suffered so much in pregnancy number 1. You can buy it over the counter so maybe try that first to see if it helps.

[Alex1807]

Thanks guys, I've heard about Omeprazole from a friend who had the same issue, the GP checked this whilst I was there but it said use with caution so he said he would rather I didn't take it

I was back and forth at the beginning of my pregnancy with near constant sickness so had a few different sickness medications but that settled down at around 18 weeks now this has started and get the feeling he just thinks I'm a hypercondriac!

[Branleuse]

You need a new doctor

[Ratbagratty]

Have they taken bloods, blood pressure? This could possibly be something other than heartburn. Get a second opinion and talk to midwife too.

[OuchBollocks]

Your doctor is an arsehole. Ranitidine (sold as Zantac and generic forms) is absolutely fine in pregnancy, confirmed by a good friend who was the chief pharmacist covering antenatal hospital patients and the NHS website. Pick some up in the supermarket this evening, they kick in fairly fast.

[TuckMyWin]

Well, he might rather you didn't take it, but if it's so bad that you're being sick, then I think it's gone beyond 'just suck it up'.

Omeprazole is licensed in pregnancy and this page from the NHS suggests that it is fine to take. Of course it's always better to avoid taking anything, and almost nothing is "definitely" ok in pregnancy because it's not ethical to test on pregnant women, but acid reflux that is causing sickness is surely going to have its own risks if left untreated. Mine caused the most horrific cough- i lived with that for months (it was so bad people on the other side of my office would turn around and look horrified) before I linked it with the acid reflux and asked my doctor for something better than gaviscon.

beta.nhs.uk/medicines/omeprazole

This has the evidence as well, and says it is widely used in pregnancy. Honestly, I'd ask to see a different GP, it doesn't sound like he takes anything related to pregnancy entirely seriously.

www.medicinesinpregnancy.org/Medicine--pregnancy/Omeprazole/

[thatorchidmoment]

How utterly ridiculous. A female GP who has gone through a pregnancy is unlikely to have spoken to you in such a dismissive manner. Complain if you have the energy. It might save another woman a similar experience!

Omeprazole is indeed used quite a lot in pregnancy. However, ranitidine (Zantac) is safe, extremely effective and available over the counter or at your local supermarket. It is much better than gaviscon. I have taken it when I need to in all my pregnancies towards the end. (Medically trained here, btw). Omeprazole can have an unpleasant rebound effect of terrible heartburn when you stop taking it, which I haven't found with ranitidine.

Ps: you can safely take 150mg ranitidine which is two tablets although the packet will tell you just to take one.

Hope you manage to get something that helps!

[blondielocks29]

How awful for you!
I'm in the same boat being sick from the heartburn! My GP has finally prescribed me some tablets (haven't picked up the prescription yet tho so not sure what).

In the mean time I've been going through gaviscon like nobodies business and have bought some ranitidine from Tesco, wasn't expensive and it's been a life saver!

Hope it works for you and don't be afraid to complain if you feel like you need to! Xx

[BeyondThePage]

Ps: you can safely take 150mg ranitidine which is two tablets although the packet will tell you just to take one

but then you'll have to beg to have your next month's prescription "early" as they will only prescribe 1 a day.

[rainbowsandsunshine]

I had the same problem with my consultant at the hospital yesterday. On Monday I was prescribed Omeprazole by the walk in centre as I was vomiting stomach acid and blood. Yesterday the consultant asked me if there was any reason why I couldnt cope with gaviscon or if it was so bad zantac! I said neither did a thing to help and I was vomiting blood! She still looked at me asif I was crazy...

Some people are bizzare OP, I'm sure you can buy 10mg Omeprazole over the counter?

[notevernotnevernotnohow]

Did he actually "yell" at you? Really? Any chance you are exaggerating a little?

[TuckMyWin]

Honestly, it makes my blood boil. In any other area of medicine doctors prescribe treatments, based on evidence, in order to reduce a patient's suffering. Faced with a pregnant woman however, evidence is thrown out of the window in favour of 'let's do nothing just in case' and it doesn't matter how much the patient is suffering, because she's pregnant, what does she expect? Gah.

[WeaselsKingHenry]

Is your blood pressure OK? The reason I ask is that I thought I had bad heartburn - it was actually the epigastric pain that goes with pre-eclampsia.

[Giraffesonabigboat]

Make an appointment with the practice manager if a gp yelled at you

[AlternativeTentacle]

but then you'll have to beg to have your next month's prescription "early" as they will only prescribe 1 a day.

Or just buy it off the shelf...they sell it in supermarkets. Also Nexium which is basically Omeprazole.

[YorkieDorkie]

A female GP who has gone through a pregnancy is unlikely to have spoken to you in such a dismissive manner.

Yes but you shouldn't have to have a female GP who's had a child to be treated with decency at an appointment.

[BiscayTrafalgarFitzroy]

On the small chance that this is true you need to complain to the practice manager and see a different GP.

However, sounds more like your interpretation of events tbh. GPs don't yell at people.

[Kadena127]

Oh yes gps do yell!!

[Cherrytart6]

I had severe indigestion while pregnant and my consultant recommended going gluten free. It was amazing, as long as I was gluten free I had no indigestion at all!!! Occasionally tested the water but I was immediately in pain again each time.

[MrsSkeffington]

I'm on 600mg of ranitidine so you can take a lot!
Omeprazole can be quite dangerous - I had a lupus reaction to it so I don't recommend it

[BiscayTrafalgarFitzroy]

Oh yes gps do yell!!

Really, a doctor has shouted at you in a loud and sharp way?

[Alex1807]

Thank you everyone for your responses

I have popped to the shop and bought some Zantac so will give that a try :-)

Last time I had blood pressure checked was at 16 week midwife appointment and it was normal at that point, last bloods were all fine too so hopefully nothing to sinister but if there's no let up in the next few days I will try and see a different GP.

I desperately need to move to a different practice, this is the same surgery that told me to try ginger at 13 weeks after I'd already lost 12 pounds and hadn't kept much down in 5 weeks!

[ShiningWhit]

I couldn't take Gaviscon - dr wouldn't do Zantac or Nexium either. They would do Maalox which was considered safe but difficult to get hold of. There may be other drugs out there that are safe but just not used much.

[Alex1807]

He definitely yelled, he came across like he was frustrated that I was there or was in some way being selfish for wanting to take medication, I'm not normally someone who'd take this kind of thing but pregnancy hormones made me more upset than angry :-/