Misery of acid reflux perimenopause

[applespearsbears]

I'm not sure if anyone has any suggestions I just need to know I'm not the only one suffering! I'm having full blood count done and I have a gp appointment next week. I tried HRT and managed 3 days as I felt so awful on it.

I have near constant acid reflux, burping and wind and bloating after eatingI've read it can be linked to perimenopause as I have many other symptoms and my cycle is getting shorter and lighter. It's making my life a misery. I think it might be worse from ovulation onwards?..I've tried all the pharmacy stuff and it temporarily helps, I eat ginger, have a nausea band etc.

Does anyone else relate to this? I had no idea menopausal symptoms could be so strong ( don't get me started on the tinnitus, brain fog, fuzzy dizziness and the rest)!

Hi! I have chronic acid reflux. Have had for about 9 years. I hear you!! First thing is to have the investigations to rule anything out like H.pylori or a stomach ulcer etc. So blood tests and/or endoscopy can be revealing.

Proton Pump Inhibitors are amazing. I have lanzoprazole which I take daily before food. They inhibit the production is excess acid. You may be prescribed omeprazole instead. It's good but I found I became immune to it after a while.

Gaviscon tablets work short term. Do try them. I prefer the berry flavour.

Try cutting out the following also: wine, fizzy drinks, dark chocolate, tomatoey stuff that kind of thing.

Drink plenty of water, avoid eating late in the evening and consider propping up your bed at the head end to encourage the acid to keep in your stomach.

@SophiaLarsen thank you! Is yours related to any menopausal symptoms did you find?
I will get some gaviscon tablets again but they turned my poo white last time I'm going to push for investigation with the gp, just feeling miserable at the moment

Also do you have it all the time? Mi e is pretty much all the time

Omeprazole has been my saviour!

I've suffered quite badly with this since I turned 40, and all the various tests I've had haven't pointed to anything other than "gastritis" which is inflamed stomach lining (I think!).

Unlike PPs I didn't find PPIs very helpful - they helped initially but then the symptoms came back later but worse. I am now just learning to live with it, and that my digestion is 'sensitive'... What I've found helpful is:

• a good quality pro-biotic or digestive enzyme (I alternate)


• apple cider vinegar tablets


• activated charcoal tablets for bloating


• healthy eating - very little processed food, not too much bread, not too much fat, not too much alcohol


• drinking lots of water and herbal tea


• a swig of gaviscon before bed to keep everything in place overnight (and more through the day if the symptoms are bad - luckily not often now.

Sigh - it's quite boring really so lots of sympathy!

I am going to try everything! Anybody find it gets worse at different times of their cycle or should I not bother looking into this? The only thing hrt did seem to help with is the acid when I was on it for a few days!

I have tablets from the doctor for acid reflux they are very good. I have bouts of it then nothing for ages

Slippery Elm helps

It's been really bad today, horrible feeling up my throat and a sore spot in my stomach under my left rib 🙁 nothing had worked

I've had mine since I was 35 so don't think it's perimenopause...although tonnes of other symptoms there!

It's pretty constant. I can sometimes go a day if I forget the capsule but never 2 days.

Seeing an earlier poster say about omeprazole not working, same happened to me and that's why my GP moved me to Lanzoprazole and my dose has not changed since.

Definitely chug down that gaviscon until you can get a doc appointment. Do not leave it. My GP is very clear that I must never neglect it due to the risk the reflux can cause the oesophagus.

Thank you, mt DH has just come home with gaviscon advanced so I'll slug that back u til my gp appointment

I did have it but it's gone with HRT & cutting down alcohol.

I had it terribly and the Dr said in our fifties we have to eat less as the stomach can't cope with a high volume of food , little and often was suggested .
It is better however I still periodically have to take gaviscon.

I have found that acidophilus tablets have helped with digestion, as well as cleaning up my diet (sadly 😬).

Peri is awful, you have my sympathy, it is ever changing and not in a good way 😩

Gallstones did this to me. Had my gallbladder out and no more constant acid reflux! Do you get any pain under your right ribs at all?

I had very sudden onset gastric reflux towards the end of 2019 and it was awful. If I lay down in the day, for an exercise class, for instance, I would feel it coming up my oesophagus and nearly vomit. I had a constant taste of bile in my mouth, it was HORRIBLE! Went to see the GP, who didn't make a connection with peri-menopause and neither did I at that point, he wanted to rule out something serious first (I can't remember what it was - but I had to go on one medication temporarily, then do a stool test), and when I got the all-clear he put me on lansoprazole, which has largely cured it.

Likely you have certain 'trigger' foods OP, most people do. Mine are fizzy drinks, spicy food, high fat foods, garlic - you need to keep a food diary to figure out which are the worst culprits - but there is help out there. I found Gaviscon pretty useless really, you need a PPI to control it.

@tiredanddangerous no no pain at all just an acidic burn that starts u set my left rib at the top of my stomach.

@zafferana yes that's pretty much it - I have read of the link with peri and my other symptoms have come on at the same time.

All the usual trigger foods are my favourite things 😭

Hello ladies,

I have this aswell. It’s all the time pretty much and I think it’s made my tongue and mouth really sore. 7 and half months on and still struggling.

I’ve not long started hrt, but feeling pretty rubbish on it at the moment, although I started on a wrong patch and then had two full days without it so it can go away.

im going to book in with a menopause specialist - may aswell I’m booked in for other specialists aswell through my doctor.
I am so tired of it, it actually makes me really tired. Are you similar?

I get really bad indigestion for half of my cycle, the half after I have ovulated. I am fine again as soon as my period appears and then for the first half of the cycle. And then for the second half really painful reflux.
But it's happened for me for years even if I think I am now in the peri-menopause (blood tests didn't confirm this but the length of my period has changed and I keep getting thrush).

Ladies do you get like bubbling in your ribs from reflux?

Hello,
I have reflux and sore tongue and mouth - had for 9 months. It’s awful!

I started hrt - it got worse to begin with but it does seem to be calming down. I also take omeprazole aswell. Can’t cope without both.

it got so bad I really went to a dark place but I have more energy and am not fatigued anymore!

I hope you feel better. One night I just woke up with this, I’m 99% it’s hormonal. 3 doctors said it’s long covid or gastro related but tests booked in. I’m certain it’s hormones.
xxx

Chew gum! Sounds ridiculous but it really works. I think it's because it produces saliva and that neutralises the acid.

I get this too, found cutting out tea made it virtually disappear, but if I do get a flare up, I take Esomeprazole (the other PPIs made me worse) for three days then I'm ok. Have moved on to coffee with milk and I can tolerate this with no issues. Fizzy drinks also don't help mine or lots of spicy food. Gaviscon works wonders but has to be the Double Action one for me. The other doesn't touch it.

Acid reflux, burping, wind and bloating are common during menopause and show imbalances in your digestive system. You may also be sensitive to certain foods which are creating these symptoms. By re-balancing your digestive system, and finding out what foods you're sensitive to, you will overcome those symptoms and they'll disappear and be behind you for good

Just reviving this thread to ask anyone on PPI if they are all n them long term? A number of people have told me you can't take them long term but it's the only thing that keeps it at bay. Also if you do take them long term what does are you on?