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?

It's not for the GP to say what he does or doesn't want you to take, it's their job to discuss risks/benefits of different treatments with you and YOU decide whether the risks/ benefits are worth it! That kind of attitude by doctors winds me up!

Generic ranitidine would have been ok and a lot cheaper!

Yorkie You are absolutely correct and I'm disgusted by the attitude of the OP's GP. I was trying to point out his ignorance and lack of empathy and that if he had actually gone through the woe of 'minor ailments of pregnancy' he would have a very different perspective. There is an underlying attitude that women should suck up their suffering when pregnant without having effective treatments and i think this is a clear example of that.

Beyond I was actually recommending the OP buy her own and take 150mg up to twice a day if she needs it. Obviously if she struggles to afford this she can get it on prescription, but it's fairly affordable for most and can be picked up with the supermarket shop.

dementedpixie I agree that genetics are equally effective, but have sometimes found little difference in price between unbranded ranitidine and Zantac.

Hope it works for you OP!

My GP also yells at me. I'm not pregnant. He yelled at me a few years ago when I needed anti-depressants when a man I knew through work said he was leaving his wife for me - it came as a complete shock and triggered a breakdown. The doctor wanted to send me for STI tests and wouldn't believe me when I said I hadn't had sex with the man, we hadn't even held hands. He shouted "Men don't talk about leaving their wives without having sex, Chips!" That's not the only time. He shouts, treats me as a liar, or sneers at me. I will change doctors, if I can find one who seems half-human. I'm not someone who is in the surgery all the time, I try to keep away.

OP, my dd was on all sorts of things for what seemed like reflux when she was pregnant. It turned out to be a much more dangerous condition. Don't be put off. Find a doctor who will take you seriously.

Highly unlikely the doctor actually yelled at you or there would have been other people in the room so see what was going on.

Try going gluten free. Resolved the painful issue for me

Highly unlikely the doctor actually yelled at you
Erm, I think people can tell when they are being yelled at. I certainly could.

My gp prescribed me omeperazole (wonderful stuff) but was very 'don't take it unless you need to' and I don't want you coming back asking for more - she's quite scary! I found taking it every other day worked quite well for me. My 14month old takes the child version every day, along with ranitidine. Go back and see a different gp.

I'm another one that recommends ranitidine.

I can believe that your GP yelled if they were acting so defensively. They need to work on their communication skills. Personally I hate omeprazole as it causes havoc with my intestines - might be handy during pregnancy though! Avoid caffeine and sleep propped up with pillows.

Ranitidine!
I didn't discover it until Pg 3. I can't believe how I suffered just swigging gaviscon in the first two pregnancies.
Your GP clearly had no empathy. Maybe he'd had an awful day, maybe he's always like that. Either way, not good. We're all human though - maybe he had an upsetting previous patient or private life issue. If he's always unsympathetic like that then certainly complain.

I don't have any advice but it reminds me of when I was dehydrated and vomiting 30 times a day in my first pregnancy and the doctor told me his 'wife used to feel sick in the mornings but she'd have a rich tea in bed then be fine' and asked why didn't I try that. Honestly if I hadn't been so weak from the vomiting I think I'd have throttled him.

A GP told me when I was 10 weeks that vomiting 'wasn't important because it would end at 12 weeks'. It felt important to me and I was still throwing up when I gave birth at almost 42 weeks. I went back to a different GP...

Milk. I drank 12 litres per day. I had a carton of milk in my hand constantly. If I went to the shops, walking the dog , cleaning, a bottle of milk was in my hand.

Gaviscon was useless my doctor was useless. Didn't know there was anything out there you could get at the time.

Might be worth asking your midwife which (more sympathetic) GP you could see at your practice. Midwives often have insider knowledge.

I imagine doctors are concerned about prescribing medication to pregnant women unless absolutely necessary because of the chance of babies being born with horrific malformations, as happened with Thalidomide in the 1960s. I don't for one minute accept it's because they've not been pregnant.

Balconettes are rubbish for me too as I have no fullness in the top of my breasts.

Wrong thread! 😂