Acid reflux - alternative to Omeprazole?

[Judystilldreamsofhorses]

I’ve suffered with reflux for a few years - since peri menopause I think - and am on Omeprazole. I tested positive for H Pylori and did the treatment for that. The Omeprazole doesn’t control it as well as I would like - tonight has been awful - and I am wondering if there is an alternative I can ask for?

As context, I am not overweight, don’t smoke (do drink alcohol though) and do sleep on a wedge pillow. I have a pretty healthy diet, mainly vegetarian, and have cut out my trigger foods which were chocolate (sob), onions, and tomatoes. I also now use lactose free milk in tea. Tonight I had gnocchi with pesto, peas and halloumi and have had the most massive flare up out of nowhere (M&S fresh pesto so maybe something in that?).

Thanks in advance for any help!

I take Esomeprazole AKA Nexium, which I’m told is the most effective PPI. I take 40mg twice a day half an hour before food. I also take 10mg of Amitriptyline. I’ve tried all the other PPIS and Ranitidine and this regime works for me.

Ranitidine did nothing for me. Esomeprazole only really deals with the worst of flare ups but doesn't control it longer term. Lansoprazole is the only PPI that seems to keep on top of my symptoms on a long term basis.

There are many on the market which end is zole

Lansoprazole is another I've used alongside string dose of antiflams naproxen so needed reflux /digestive tablets

I've started using Lansoprazole and doing the Acid Waycher diet and one week in its having a really good impact. I've also cut out trigger foods but also realised heavy stodgy carbs are a big no no so I'd say it's the gnocchi I'm afraid. I can only manage a handful of wholewheat pasta or rice noodles.

I’m on lanzoprazole which works for me - dr switched prescription from esomeprazole which gave me headaches (although this is a potential side effect of all of them). Pesto wouldn’t be great for me if it had cheese in it & halloumi as well has caused a flare up in the past. But it does sound like your diet is pretty good generally so fingers crossed it was just a one off or something

Another on lansoprazole.

With pesto, for me it would be the garlic. That and chilli are my two biggest triggers.

Oh thanks so much for all the replies. Great to know there are other options. My dose is supposed to be one tablet once a day but I need two to keep on top of it really - tonight has been so bad even with that.

There was nothing tonight I haven’t eaten numerous times with no issue so I can’t understand it, but I did have a migraine earlier so I wonder if the tablets I took for that have had a hand in it?

Oh god I did have a slice of garlic bread on the side - but again something we eat often and doesn’t usually bother me!

Did u take ibruprofen for the migraine?
That caused me AR to flair last week.

@Justwingingit2005 i took Migraleave and then yes, ibuprofen later on - so maybe just a bad combo.

I wonder if it is worth asking to repeat the HP test? The GP seemed to think that treating that would solve all my problems but it didn’t. (My DP did the test after in case he also had it but he was negative, however I work as a lecturer so am exposed to all the bugs outside home!)

Have you tried cutting out wheat?

@Galadriel90 i haven’t. I feel like I have cut as much as I can (living without tomatoes when you mainly eat veggie is tough!) but maybe that needs to be the next step. I find buying lactose free products so expensive, and the cheese is rubbish, so I expect wheat free would be a similar gig 😡

I have horrendous acid reflux after having my gastric band removed. I used to wake up in the night choking on it.
I find if my last meal is no later than 4pm and I take gaviscon before I go to bed I'm fine.
Gaviscon tastes disgusting though.

My husband tried different medicines, with little success. He uses a rising pillow so sleeps at an angle and this made a huge difference

I have terrible GERD Lansoprozaole 30mg helps. I don't really eat much bread toast is better. No very spicy foods , not much pasta always have more sauce same with rice. I'm fine with jacket potatoes. Very Stodgy food really doesn't agree with me. I'm fine with tomatoes or garlic though which is weird.

Alcohol is a terrible trigger for me so I'm pretty much teetotal.

My daughter had horrible side effects ( vertigo) with Omaprezole - Famotidine works for her, also going gluten free has really helped.

That’s really interesting. I’m on it and am permanently dizzy. I hadn’t made a connection.

So interesting to read all the different experiences! @Landlubber2019 i do sleep on a wedge pillow - not very sexy but we move! @Fifi0000 alcohol doesn’t bother me at all, whereas a bar of chocolate will make me horribly acid-y and cough-y.

I’ve been at home today and my food has probably been more stodgy than usual now I think about it properly:

Late breakfast/brunch - one slice of toast with two poached eggs, sriracha

Snack - hot cross bun with peanut butter

Dinner - pea and pesto gnocchi topped with grilled halloumi. Slice of garlic bread.

Usually I have porridge for breakfast, lunch in work is usually one of those John West tuna salad things, at home usually soup (but with bread) or some sort of egg/toast combo, tonight’s dinner was fairly standard, last night we had a vegetable stir-fry with rice noodles, tomorrow is a baked chicken thing with rice and coleslaw.

I really don’t think wheat/bread is an issue for me normally. I don’t eat loads of it but when I do I am never like, aha, like I am with some foods.

@Sunriseinwonderland that sounds so miserable! I used to wake up coughing but the Omeprazole/wedge pillow have solved that. I can’t imagine eating dinner at 4, I would be ravenous by about 7 and chomping crisps!

I'm on Esomeprazole- mainly because I'm permanently on anti-inflammatories, but to be honest I think I have reflux anyway because I notice if I have t taken it, even before I take any anti-inflammatories!

One thing that helps is to take it a decent amount of time - at least half an hour - before eating/drinking in the morning (or an hour or more after breakfast if I forget!).

I am wheat free for other reasons - not sure if it helps!

I’m really sorry that you have such bad reflux; I used to be similar. I don’t get it anywhere near as much since going teetotal to ttc. I appreciate that you say alcohol doesn’t bother you but I find the effects happen a few hours to half a day later so it might not be that apparent that alcohol is the culprit. Just a thought.

I’ve also cut out takeaways (I used to have McDonald’s, KFC and Chinese food a lot). That’s really helped and so I suspect that oil is a big culprit. Was your halloumi fried in oil? Spray oil works much better for me as it’s so minimal.

As others have said, try and avoid ibuprofen too. You know what else? Pineapple is very good for acid reflux despite that seeming contradictory. Tinned pineapple works for me so maybe try that. Half a can a day perhaps?

I hope this advice might help, you really have my sympathy xx

I am also struggling w reflux / am on lansoprazole 30mg now (I take it around 30 mins pre breakfast) which I hope kicks in properly soon. Have had all tests under sun so is a case of managing it.
look at acid watcher diet - it’s harder if you’re veggie as I eat a lot more fish and chicken now and barely any cheese.
Also garlic/onion/fatty food is a major no-no - garlic bread and halloumi would not be allowed!!
Major foods to avoid are garlic, onion, chocolate, coffee, tomato, citrus, alcohol, fizzy drinks, spicy food. You can look all this up online!
I also sleep on a wedge pillow and don’t eat 3-4 hours before bed. Eat more calories earlier in the day.

Your dinner would have definitely set me off gnocchi pesto and garlic bread all quite stodgy.

@Feliciacat i did dry Jan and didn’t notice any difference so I don’t think it’s a trigger for me.

Interesting to see people say my dinner wasn’t any use - that’s a standard evening meal for us that we’d have once a month or so! It must be easier to manage this if you live alone I think…

It sounds like the medication doesn’t really work for most people and major lifestyle changes are the thing? I have friends with reflux who have no symptoms unless they skip a tablet - are they unusual?

Omeprazole made me dizzy AND triggered migraines.

Cutting out carbs and sugar (I did the mumsnet boot camp last year) works like a charm.