Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: Frustration about GERD, the pill, IBS, etc

Dear Angie;
Hi,been a long time!Angie,I've suffered from GERD from jump and I need to tell you it's nothing to fool around with.Constant acid refluxes can gradually erode the lining of the esophogus until it RUPTURES-it happened to a friend of mine.Zantac is basically harmless,but I know from personal experience that MANY "harmless" meds can aggravate IBS.There's virtually no research being done on this yet,so it's still basically a complete mystery why this occurs with most medications.I WILL warn you about something,though-most doctors who diagnose you with GERD will try very hard to convince you to start a regiment of proton pump suppressors-these are medications that actually block the proton pump biochemical pathways that are needed to synthesize HCL in the stomach.Some of the better known ones are Prevacid and Protonix.I SERIOUSLY would warn you to not consider these meds unless your GERD proves resistant to all other methods of treatment-thier long term side effects are not very well understood yet and from personal experience I can tell you they are NOT joyful meds to be on.Not only do they effectively halt digestion and leaves food to just sit in your gut undigested-I once had pieces of undigested chicken FROM 2 DAYS BEFORE in my stool when I was taking them-they can greatly increase the inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract and this triggers not only spasms, but your entire gut feels like it's on fire.They DO greatly reduce acid,but the side effects aren't worth it.Another problem is peppermint oil,one of the VERY best gastrointestinal agents for controlling spasms and pain with IBS,is also sadly one of the WORST things for aggravating GERD. Take it in the enteric coated tablet form ONLY-AVOID peppermint tea(I know,it's yummy,it really sucks.......)For the GERD,I suggest Tums Ultra,BERRY FLAVOR ONLY. DO NOT USE THE TUMS ULTRA WITH PEPPERMINT OIL.Works GREAT for GERD-it's a VERY strong antiacid and a good source of calcium.Please avoid aluminium based antiacids like Mylanta and it's ilk-the long term metal toxicity effects are well documented.
Just a little common sense and know how-GERD isn't that hard to combat.Now if you have a haital hernia like I do,that's a different matter.I suggest you get checked for that-a lot of GERD cases are a direct result of a hiatal hernia ( look it up if you don't know what that is,that will explain it a lot better then me).Good luck and good talking to you again!
Andrew L.

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