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Pregnancy

Heartburn -- done to death, I'm sure, but HELP!

58 replies

TobyLerone · 27/09/2013 09:07

Gaviscon makes me boak, even the tablets.

I don't drink milk, but only because it's disgusting, not because I'm intolerant or anything.

Standard Rennies are the only thing which doesn't make me heave, and they do take the edge off for a few minutes. I'm waking up in the night with basically a mouthful of acid. My GP won't give me omeprazole or ranitidine.

What can I do?! I have googled and every site which promises 'remedies' actually gives 'ways to stop getting heartburn' instead. I know not to eat big meals late at night, not to bend over/lie down, to avoid spicy food/citrus/greasy stuff etc. But REMEDIES are what I need!

What's your secret? Ice cream? Apples? Sacrificing the cat by a full moon?

OP posts:

Report

BummyMummy77 · 28/09/2013 16:42

brettgirl it's not sad. When you've spent evenings not sleeping puking up acid going to the moon and back makes sense lol.

Weird that they'll use the new ones in the states and not opramazole. Wish I'd known that, I waited for ages to get a prescription and could have just used my good old opramazole!

Can you have the op for the hernia? I'm getting it done as soon as baby is out.

brettgirl2 · 28/09/2013 15:48

You can buy Omeprazole otc so I suppose potentially dh could say it was for him.

The Lanprazole/ panprozole etc they prefer not to prescribe because they are newer so there is less evidence re safety in pregnancy.

Your dr is just being an arse, they are meant to agree treatment with you.

I have hiatus hernia by the way so I took omeprazole throughout both of my pregnancies. Lots of people take Omeprazole so there is lots of evidence its safe.

The USA 'evidence' is a load of bollocks, basically they have a load of pregnant rats about 20x the normal dose. It seemed in baby rats to cause heart defects in the study. But we are human beings not rats and if you fed them 20x the normal dose of 'safe' paracetamol it would kill all of the rats.

It's sad but I researched it a lot.

BummyMummy77 · 28/09/2013 13:43

I thought peppermint was one of the top things to avoid? It's awful for me and a couple of friends it know that much.

TobyLerone · 28/09/2013 10:23

I'm happy to anything which might help to the list. So mint choc chip it is!

When I was suffering with gastritis before I got pregnant, peppermint tea actually made it worse. But that was more indigestion pain, rather than heartburn. I haven't tried recently, so it won't hurt to give it a go.

Thanks :)

OP posts:

wickedwitchNE · 28/09/2013 09:55

Hey I know you have a super long list anyway, but my friend cant stand milk or gaviscon - she highly recommends mint choc chip ice cream!

Anything with peppermint in can help stave it off, the tea is good straight after eating as hot water helps too apparently, and then when it comes on she uses natural yoghurt or ice cream to soothe it. As a last resort I have sat and sucked on ice though it is obviously very temporary.

Hope you find something which works for you!

TobyLerone · 28/09/2013 08:18

*so

OP posts:

TobyLerone · 28/09/2013 08:18

Will add chewing gum to the list. And I always have porridge oats in, do will give that a try :)

OP posts:

Ginnytonic82 · 28/09/2013 08:14

I find chewing gum helps during the day, especially peppermint flavour. Also my mum told me to try eating porridge, it's weird but it does seem to keep it in check!

TobyLerone · 28/09/2013 06:51

Thank you, fish. You're so right!

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FishCalledWonder · 28/09/2013 00:04

No advice, just sympathy. I think heartburn in pregnancy is nature's way of making you long for childbirth.

katebakes · 27/09/2013 23:59

penny I think omeprazole is ok to take during pregnancy. The warnings on the NHS website say that it is deemed safe which is very rare, because
even if medicine is totally pregnancy safe the warnings are never as clear cut. So if they're willing to say it's ok, then it really must be.

TobyLerone · 27/09/2013 21:37

Manuka honey is ON THE LIST!

Thank you :)

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BummyMummy77 · 27/09/2013 21:03

I've heard of the honey thing too. Lots if people swear by teaspoon of honey, teaspoon of baking soda and couple of teaspoons of apple cider vinegar.

To be honest I'd drink cow piss if it got rid of my acid.

Bending over does NOT sound silly. If I bend it's toast. Acid coming out of my mouth for hours.

bonbonpixie · 27/09/2013 20:28

Hi OP, I completely understand how awful you must feel. I had heartburn from around 5 weeks in until 5 minutes after DD was born! It's horrendous. However you are looking for non Gaviscon remedies.... I used honey. High strength manuka honey. I had a spoonful three times a day and I can honestly say that it really helped. Also completely stopped bending over - sounds stupid but I guess we all do it so often don't think about it until I was making conscious effort to stop. You will look a bit silly picking things off the floor but for me it made a big difference.

BoreOfWhabylon · 27/09/2013 18:09

I was also going to suggest propping up head of bed, or just put pillows under the mattress at head end.

TobyLerone · 27/09/2013 18:03

Did you tell me that before? Someone on here mentioned lovehearts and refreshers and I'd forgotten. Added to the list, thanks!

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Purplefrogshoe · 27/09/2013 18:02

I had awful heartburn and i found the only thing that helped for a little while was loveheart or refresher sweeties

CrispyFB · 27/09/2013 15:51

There is another drug similar to omeprazole but hasn't been around for as long. It is used in the US in pregnancy. Lansoprazole is the name. It costs more to the NHS however..

Worth looking into if you haven't already?

BummyMummy77 · 27/09/2013 15:09

Gavison makes me barf at the best of times.

Interesting the opramazole has come up ok in the UK testing. I usually trust the NHS more than the US health service.

I ripped the house apart in tears the other day trying to find some opramazole from the UK that I got for bad hangovers lol. Oh those were the days.

I'm shocked at the docs not prescribing. I'd have thought mum's lack of nutrition and sleep not to mention the dangers of GERD would outweigh any tiny potential problem they haven't even found with the drug.

Acid reflux is taken a lot more seriously here, I can't wait to have the op after this baby is out. I'm not getting pregnant again until I do!

TobyLerone · 27/09/2013 14:49

Cider vinegar works!? Right. Adding that!

Oddly, I think I could swallow that just fine. I think it's the milky consistency of Gaviscon which disgusts me so much.

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TobyLerone · 27/09/2013 14:48

I'd wait a week or so and go back to a different doctor and say its worsening and affecting how much nutrition you're about to keep down.

It's not.

Propping up the head of the bed is a great idea! No annoying pillows. Will get on that when DH gets home to help.

Coconut water, almonds, papayas, a syringe to shoot Gaviscon down my throat. All going on the shopping list.

Thanks, all. I'll keep trying new things!

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sleepcrisis · 27/09/2013 14:45

Ooh yes cider cinegar really works. Pickle juice is delicious but I find if it doesn't work then I get pickle burps all day which is pretty unpleasant.

Nhs website says its safe to take omeprazole in pg. very odd that GPs are going against this. Also my doc showed me the bfN which also said fine to take. If I remember correctly it was ranitidine which was more ambiguous in its wording.

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PinkParsnips · 27/09/2013 14:34

Oops sorry posted too soon!

Meant to say mine is terrible at night, I'm having reflux while I'm asleep which is making me choke and vomit.

The only thing I've found is to not eat for 3 hours before bed but that doesnt help if yours is all day.

I must admit I have taken a ranitidine when it's been really bad as NHS website says they are ok but I don't like to, so am watching with interest.

Also just to say I read that propping up with pillows actually squashes your stomach and can make it worse you really need to prop the whole head up the bed up apparently.

PinkParsnips · 27/09/2013 14:26

I totally feel your pain. My doctor wont give me ranitidine or omeprazole, he wouldn't only give me their cheaper version of gaviscon which is rubbish.
Milk also makes mine worse not better -

The only thing

BummyMummy77 · 27/09/2013 14:24

Just googled it, you can get pantoprazole in the UK.

I really don't want to scare you and I'm sure it's rare but bad prolonged stomach acid can damage your oesophagus and lead to throat cancer. Every doctor and midwife here thought prescribing aggressively outweighed risk to the baby.

And I'm a massive hippy that probably won't even immunise for quite a while.

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