Indigestion - can't shake it (taken meds) Any suggestions?

[AwakeWithTheSparrows]

I took omeprazole at 7am. I then took two rennies at 9.15 but I still have awful heartburn. Anything else I can try?

Have you tried ranitidine? Omeraprazole (sp?) does t work for me at all the but the cheap ranitidine £1 a box from asda does for some reason.

I think I read on here before massaging the bottom of your rib cage in a circular motion helps relieve it but I've never tried it myself.

You need to be on omeprazole for some time before it's effective .
Gaviscon Advance should help ,it contains an alginate which forms a " raft " to float on top of the stomach acid and thus reduces reflux .

Yes. Go to your GP. It's not normal.

A couple of plain crackers usually helps me, I find it gets worse if my stomach is empty.

Have you looked at your diet? Mine is particularly triggered by fruit (esp citrus), spicy things, milk, fizzy drinks, chocolate/high sugar foods and tomatoey things.

I've been on omeprazole for ages (although I've reduced the dose and now only take one a day).
I think the indigestion is worse at the moment because I'm on antibiotics. I haven't tried ranitidine, usually omeprazole is fine. I'm guessing you can't take both together.
I've tried eating but it's still here. Grrrr. Very annoying.

I suffer terribly with reflux and indigestion and on particularly bad days I take double dose of my pantoprazole and gaviscon liquid, which usually sorts me out.

Peppermint tea sometimes helps too

What did you eat? Try pureed apple.

Peppermint can make it worse so be careful with that.

If its not lifting I would seek medical help. My dad thought he had indigestion and he had actually had a heart attack. He is 73 though.

If the pain goes round under your right rib and then round the back up to your shoulder and you feel dreadful including throwing up its a gall stone.

That is how my gall bladder issues started.

hot water - the hottest you can bear.

DH had an ulcer and it was the only thing that worked

LOL! If I hadn't had my gall bladder out 7yrs ago I might be more worried about gall stones

Still hasn't shifted. I've tried more rennies but they haven't sorted it. It's not so painful that it's making me worried, just a bit burny and uncomfortable. I might try another omeprazole I think. I'm sure the wretched antibiotics are the cause. Thanks for the help everyone, I'm going to try the hot water next (will it being in the form of a cup of tea harm?!)

Hey OP. Heartburn is the worst I suffered for years. I took Gaviscon, Rennie, Rantidine etc and I didn't go a single day without heartburn!

Did you know that heartburn sufferers almost always suffer from LOW levels of stomach acid? The flap that keeps your stomach acid in your stomach where it belongs is very sensitive to changes in the PH balance of your stomach. If you bung a load of antacids and acid suppressants down there over time this changes your stomach PH balance and causes the flap to become lazy. Hence the nasty burning.

A tip for you. And yes IT WORKS. Take a small glass of filtered water, add 2 tablespoons of Aspells Apple Cider Vinegar and gulp it down. It works every single time I promise (I was really sceptical at first but willing to try anything).

Antacids are a trap, you need more and more over time to have the same effect. I would strongly advise against a proton-pump inhibitor like Omeprazole. This reduces stomach acid levels to near zero which is very bad news for your gastrointestinal health.

I also have gallstones and this apple cider vinegar trick has stopped a gallbladder attack (aka bile reflux) many times.

A grain free diet helps enormously too.

All the best.

Oh and OP (sorry for double post). I noticed you said you already had gallbladder surgery. I think this sounds like bile reflux as your gallbladder is no longer controlling the flow of bile.

The vinegar should help with this.

I really sympathise bile reflux pain is AWFUL.

I agree with Zoot. I had low stomach acid which caused reflux, and I was just making it worse by taking antacids!

Here's a test you can do to see whether this is likely. Add a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda to a glass of water and drink it on an empty stomach. If you have normal or high amount of stomach acid, it will react with the soda and you'll be belching away within ten minutes. If that doesn't happen, it's likely you have too little stomach acid and should stop taking the antacids for a while to give your body a chance to get onto an even keel.

You may get some very short-term relief from acid reflux simply by drinking a glass of water.

Doxycycline gives me terrible heartburn. I can't take it at all. Is that the antibiotic you are on?

Antibiotics give me terrible heartburn. I find Bisodol is the only thing that gets rid of it.

I haven't taken antacids for three years now. It's true what captain soot says. I have lemon juice squeezed into hot water every morning as it alkalises the body and it is supposed to help with gall stones.

The only time I get heartburn now is if I overdo sugary/ fatty things.

As Im trying to lose weight I'm not even having sugar.

I believe heartburn is the stomachs way of letting us know it's not happy.

I gave up wheat and dairy three years ago and have been so much better.

I found I couldn't take apple cider vinegar sadly as it is good for lots of things. I take a tip of bicarbonate of soda in water instead. Always handy to keep some in the house.

I've never drank fizzy drinks. I just have water or fruit teas.

I also gave up pain killers three years ago. I think they were gumming up the works. Our digestive systems need to be in tip top condition to extract what precious nutrients there is in food these days and I know painkillers weren't helping mine.

It is curable with dedication and some sacrifice.

Dowser I agree with a lot you say but....if there is a structural weakness/defect which means that the sphincter at the top of your stomach is impaired you will get the contents of your stomach refluxing into the bottom of your oesphageous .

The oesphageous isn't designed to cope with the acid from your stomach and reflux can sometimes cause changes in the lining that may lead to cancer .

There are of course actions that can be taken to lessen reflux which do not involve using chemicals - loosing weight ,sleeping sitting up ,not wearing tight clothes - but as someone who had had their oesphageous removed after years of heartburn ,I wouldn't rule out using drugs to reduce acid if you suffer from heartburn.

I'm not convinced about the magic of these lifestyle changes. Mine just got better, without me changing anything after about 5 years.

I was also never overweight.