Lansoprazole experiences

[maeve84]

Hello! I’m just wondering how good people have found lansoprazole for acid reflux? My GP recently switched me from omeprazole after I saw her about a persistent tickly throat. The throat symptoms have not improved after 2 weeks of lansoprazole and additionally I’ve had 3 attacks of heartburn which I have very rarely suffered with before. I’ve also been having back and chest discomfort which comes and goes, this could be anxiety because I’ve got myself utterly convinced that I have cancer of the esophagus.

I got one of those v shaped pillows that helps with being more upright. Sadly you do have to try to manage your symptoms unless you are prepared to go down a surgical route.

I didn’t and it was fine . I didn’t want to sit about afterwards, no sedation and I was out ten minutes after the procedure. Have done it twice.

Sorry what are PPI’s?

Sorry again - ignore me - have found the information

I will absolutely be taking sedation, hats off to those who can do it without, but I need to make it as easy as possible.
@sequinpantiesi do have a v pillow. Perhaps I’ll try that. But I love sleeping on my front 😭

That's great for you but for most people it is a horrible experience.

I've done an upper one without sedation - they could get nowhere near the area to have a good look - not only was my gag reflex in top spirits but I was anxious and panicky - I'd most definitely have sedation. No prizes for doing it the hard way.

My husband did it with no sedation as well
because he was driving, he had 3 I think ax he has a family history. It’s not pleasant but really it’s not the worst.

Youre right to take sedation. I’ve had two - one I was out of it and the other I was just thinking I didn’t care what was going on! The mouthpiece annoyed me but other than that …

Diagnosed by an ENT consultant with LPR in December 2025. Referred myself privately coz GP useless. Already had a chest X-ray to confirm cough was nothing to do with lungs. I was coughing in morning and constantly needing to clear my throat. No indigestion pain tho.

ENT specialist put a scope up my nose and looked at everything and I saw the picture and it was all inflamed from the acid coming up.

Put on Omeprazole twice a day and gaviscon advance after every meal and before bed.

Omeprazole gave me stomach pain after about 2 weeks. spoke to consultant and he said give it up the Gaviscon is more effective with LPR.

So a year later I started to get some indigestion pain. Not in chest but a bra level. GP said I should try Lansoprazole. It was even worse so I gave up after a month. Pain is now quite rare but still cough

Haven't been back yet but I think I should push for an endoscopy to get to the bottom of what is causing the acid.

I just take Gaviscon advance religiously and it is costing me a fortune. I end up going on holiday with bottles of the stuff coz you can’t find it abroad.

almost glad to see that PPIs have caused other people pain

I haven't read the full thread but my experience of PPIs were I went to the Dr with a tickly throat and ended up on omeprazole for 8 years. Dr never did any further investigations or gave any warnings about long term use, just said keep using them if needed.

Any time I tried to stop the horrible burning and pain between my shoulder blades would start within 12-24 hours.

I stopped them over a year ago - what allowed me to stop them was significant weight loss and change of diet (supported by weight loss injections).

This then made it easier to spot the triggers - anything tomato based, chocolate, greek yoghurt and some other yoghurts, rhubarb (miss that one!), fizzy drinks, citrus, excessive sugar. Another one is leaving too long between meals. If I keep away from my known triggers I am usually ok, if I eat one I can mostly manage with rennies or if bad gavison advance. Sleeping on left side really does make a difference. I do still sometimes get bad attacks - some cheesy baked beans on toast were a nightmare last week and nothing was helping!

The diet changes are restrictive, but I was experiencing unpleasant B12 and magnesium deficiency symptoms from being on PPIs for so long I had to do something.

Good luck with your gastro appointment, hope they are able to do something to bring some relief.

And BTW the ENT consultant said that the Taison liquid is the more effective. So I only use the tablets if out

*Gaviscon not Taison

@lazymum99interesting about the liquid. I’ll have to hunt around for liquid peppermint. I can’t do aniseed which is what my local shops all seem to stock. I know what you mean about being glad to know you’re not the only one who reacted in a weird way to the PPIs. I wish I could go private, the 16 week wait is killing me. But my husband changed jobs and the new health insurance has a moritorium and so nothing that started within the last 5 years is covered 😭

@WeAllHaveWingsyour story is so similar to mine. I had no heart burn symptoms before I started the PPI. But now coming off them is agony so I’ve ended up back on. (Also I’m scared if there is something like an ulcer that I’ll do more damage trying to get off them!)

based on everyone’s experiences overall, my own gag reflex and my fear it will be sedation all the way for me. I’d like to be able to drive myself and not worry anyone else but I know it won’t work and I’ll end up having to wait for another appointment which would be soup destroying!

The Gaviscon advance (not the double action one) liquid is the best for me for bad attacks.

It is a thick alginate and works mechanically, it doesn’t neutralise the acid like rennies do, it instead forms a raft above your stomach contents to physically keep the acid down.

it is most effective just after meals or just before lying down for bed.

The raft will be disturbed/diluted if you eat again, or drink so best to just sip any drinks after.

Peppermint can trigger reflux in some people (it is a relaxant and relaxes the lower oesophagal sphincter muscle which should keep acid down), I find the aniseed one better but perhaps that is all in my mind, I put the spoon as far back in mouth as I can an let it flow down the back of my throat so I don’t taste much 🤦🏻‍♀️

Gaviscon advance is truly disgusting but needs must!

@maeve84 I get it off Amazon. It is slightly cheaper than the chemist

Thanks @WeAllHaveWingsthats really interesting. I really don’t think I can manage the aniseed one. Especially if I stop omeprazole and need it multiple times a day!
@lazymum99ill check out Amazon, thank you

I'm so sorry you're having such a tough time. It feels relentless doesn't it. I was coughing so much and so croaky I got referred to speach n language. She was the one who said swin gaviscon advance by the bucketful and advised me about diet. I guess you should follow GP instructions for now. I watched an insta clip by DR Amir Khan and it was then I weaned myself off slowly. Good luck!!

In a turn of events I’ve ended up with an ENT appointment tomorrow (for a separate condition that’s been monitored for a couple of years), so I’m going to mention the tickle/throat issues and see if they’ll do a nasendoscopy to at least see what’s going on at the top end. They might not as it’s a separate issue and might want a new referral but we’ll see 🤞🏻

Good luck tomorrow

Thanks @justasking111
I’m a bit nervous about what they might find 😬

Good luck!
Ive just restarted omeprazole again after coming off Ppi for a bit. My symptoms got bad and diet/gaviscon advance isn’t making much difference. Only started this morning and already feeling fewer symptoms. I wish it didn’t have to be this way.
I’m having a couple of ‘quiet’ weeks in terms of socialising so I’m really going to try and get a grip of it all and have no late dinners/compromise on my diet & maybe I can wean off again.
its such a fucker.

Well. I got a letter from ent today to say my biopsy result indicates the need to remove half my thyroid so….. apparently I will not be worrying about the reflux issue at my appointment tomorrow as I have a whole new scary thing to discuss

I’m glad the omeprazole has helped @Boredofmygutsbut I’m sorry you’ve had to start it again. Although I don’t mind if it can just take a few of them to get a bad patch under control and then come back off… I just don’t want to be constantly on them forever!

Sorry to hear re the thyroid, but it’s a treatment plan at least.
i would still mention the reflux if the ENT is open to discussing it as its still best to know what’s going on.
i just looked at my omeprazole which I confess I found from an old prescription bag (!) and it’s just out of date 🤦‍♀️ I thought it was a more recent one. I just had a mare w the GPs getting a repeat sorted for other meds im on so cba w contacting them again … nothing is simple these days.