Does anyone know why AD's can cause acid reflux?

[JinglyJangly]

I took AD;s for anxiety but had to stop taking them because I was getting terrible acid reflux which would cause me to cough at night & keep me awake.

I am looking into trying natural/holistic methods to combat my anxiety but so far only AD's have worked but it looks like I can't take them because of the reflux.

Just wondering if anyone knew why AD's can cause this in some people?

It happens because ads act as a relaxant. One of the things which can be affected by this is the sphincter at the bottom of the oesophagus, and this allows the contents of the stomach to reflux back up into the oesophagus.

Thanks LongMeg - Does this mean I won't be able to take AD's ever again?

I would suggest that you ask your GP to refer you to a psychiatrist - they have far more detailed knowledge of the ins and outs of ads and would be able to prescribe something which might be less likely to cause the problem.

Which ones have you taken? My understanding is that it's often the older ads which are more likely to cause this problem, and that some of the more modern SSRIs aren't as bad.

LongMeg - It was Citalopram and escitalopram.