These comments are made for the purpose of discussion and should NOT be used as recommendations for or against therapies or other treatments. An individual patient is always advised to consult their own physician.
These comments are made for the purpose of discussion and should NOT be used as
recommendations for or against therapies or other treatments. An individual patient is
always advised to consult their own physician.
Acid Reflux [posted 1/4/99]
Question: My 92 year old mother-in-law, who has been a welcome guest in my home for
28 years, started suffering with back pain about two months ago. Prior to back problems
she was quite active. She knitted, read, went to the hairdresser, and watched television.
While suffering back pain she quit all activities and even watching television was
discontinued and refused to eat proper meals or even get out of bed. She now says her back
pain is gone but she still will not get out of bed except to walk a few feet to the
bathroom and will not eat except for an occasional egg or some cereal. She is still not
interested in resuming any of her activities including television, reading, etc., and just
lays completely still. She refuses to even consider seeing a doctor and is getting weaker
all the time. She now complains of stomach pain, which I believe is caused by not eating.
Her weight has dropped considerably ... would estimate it to be now down to less than
eighty pounds. She was around 95 pounds when first stricken. I don't know what to do for
her stomach ache, but believe if I could stimulate her appetite and get her to eat she
will recover for a while. If not I'm afraid I shall lose her in the very near future. I
would appreciate some advice.
Answer: She needs to see a doctor, don't take no for an answer.
Symptomatic Hiatal Hernia [posted
12/04/98]
Question: Hello, I am a concerned daughter, looking out for
mom. I'm new at this internet thing ,so please bare with me. My mom has been dx. with a
hiatal hernia-reflux, as been using several meds. to relieve pain etc. She has lots of
concerns about the long term effects from using propulsid, and is also looking at
different ave. re: surgery.. needs information re the laporoscopy repair for her
hernia. Thank you for your help, it is greatly appreciated.
Answer: With a symptomatic hiatal hernia ensure the basics have been done. Elevate the head of the bed 4-8 inches, do not eat after 6pm, lose weight, lose weight, lose weight. If these have been done and there continues reflux, the surgery is a good option in most patients. Opt for the laparascope because the recovery is shorter. I have several patients who have had this surgery usually with very good results. They are not always able to stop the medications;but, the dosage is lower and the symptoms much better. The long term outlook in terms of side effects look very favorable.
Vocal Cord Lesion &
Acid Reflux [posted 11/10/98] Answer: The lesions are probably due to acid coming up his esophagus to his vocal cords. They usually take 3 months to resolve, assuming the acid problem does not reoccur. This often requires constant use of meds or a surgical fix of his reflux.
Longterm Effects of Acid Reflux
Treatment [posted 10/20/98]
Question: I am a 25 yr old male who has been diagnosed with a hiatal hernia and
suffers from acid reflux. My physician has prescribed me Prevacid for life (15mg once
daily). It works great but I am concerned about long term effects. Do you know of any?
Answer: Seems pretty safe currently. But, this drug has only been around a few years. Did your physician discuss surgical corrections? This would be an option for one as young as you.
GERD Diagnosis & Treatment
[posted 10/13/98]
Question: I have been diagnosed a small duodenal ulcer after being ascertained
through a gastroscopy. I was treated with losec, klacid and fasigyn. I improved for a
while but continued to have colic. The doc prescribed librax and meteospasmyl as he
suspect a strong element of IBS. Four weeks after I finished the above course of
medication, my refluxes and vomitting came back again. I was put on lansoprazole and
metoclopramide to stop the vomiting. However, my condition didnt' seem to improve. I
developed frequent heartburns, sore throat, cough and continued the vomitting. I have not
been able to retain food nor water. Am i put on the right medication? Do i need a biospy
to eliminate other possibilities?
Answer: You should have been biopsed or treated for H. Pylori. This is a bacteria thought to be responsible for up to 80 -90% of duodenal ulcers.
Problems Related to GERD? [posted
10/13/98]
Question: I am a GERD patient and have also been diagnosed with H pylori. I was
taking prevacid with propulsid, but after I took the medications the symptoms intensified
and did not subside for hours. Due to this, the medications were discontinued. What would
cause this? Are there any other medications that could calm these symptoms?
Answer Offhand couldn't tell you. Pretty uncommon. Maybe related to the closure pressure of your lower esophageal sphincter.
Acid Reflux [posted 10/6/98]
Question: I've been taking Pepsid or Zantac occasionally over the last year for
mild heartburn and indigestion. Now I can enjoy foods that were previously off limits
because they upset my stomach, e.g. ribs, deep fried fish, and ice cream. However, I'm
concerned about potential side effects. Recently, I read where Zantac and Pepcid can
contribute to hair loss. Is this true? In recent months, I've noticed a receding hairline,
which naturally has started to alarm me. Few men of my age can boast of a full head of
hair. Is this coincidence given that I'm in my fortieth year or could these acid
controllers be at the "root" of my minor hair loss? If this is a side effect,
what do you recommend as an alternative? Some natural health food stores recommend liquid
aloe vera to facilitate digestion. Would this work?
Answer: Tagamet can cause hair loss, the other H2 blockers don't seem to have much of an effect. However, it is mentioned on each of their listings in the PDR, so I can't say it won't. Rogaine is available OTC and is effective in 30% of men-especially if the loss is on the crown and not at the edges. Other prescription drugs are available, try Rogaine first. Lastly, there are acid suppressors from different classes-Prilosec, Prevacid etc. which don't have hair loss as a problem.
Acid Reflux [posted 10/1/98]
Question: My HMO has directed me to change from prilosec to prevacid. The prilosec
relieves the heartburn very well for 24 hrs. At a time. The propusid evacuates the stomach
and prevents the regurgitation when lying down. I only take the propulsid as needed,
perhaps on average three times a week. My question to you is two fold: isthere any
negative trade off using prevacid in lieu of prilosec? I'm especially concerned for long
term use. And would anti-reflux surgery be a viable alternative to taking both of the
above drugs? My physician thinks not. But if anti-reflux surgery works, it seems as though
this would be better than taking the above drugs for the rest of my life.
Answer: These are generally seen as equivalent drugs for acid and or reflux. Whether or not to get the surgery would depend a lot on your age. I recommend a lot of young people for the surgery, older patients less so. Also, have you tried losing weight, elevating the head of your bed and the mechanical things we try to prevent reflux? The surgery is fairly simple and completely effective about 50% of the time partially effective about 25% of the time, so you might wind up taking the drugs post op anyway.
Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease
(GERD)
Question: I take 10 mg Prozac in the morning and 0.25 mg of Klonopin in the evening
for Fibromyalgia. The Prozac was recently discontinued as it had done its job and was no
longer needed. Nightly nausea continuing through 9:00 - 10:00 AM caused a trial of 15 mg
Prevacid in the morning with questionable results. 30 mg of Prevacid in the morning
eliminated all nausea. Upper GI showed hiatal hernia and GERD. Propulsid 2 times daily has
been prescribed in addition to the Prevacid. Klonopin has also been discontinued for last
3 weeks. Does Prevacid and/or Propulsid "cure" the problem after a time? How
long a period does one usually have to take these medications? Is there a limit to how
long a period one should be on these medications? Can they safely be take the rest of your
life on a daily basis?
Answer: GERD refers to gastro-esophageal reflux disease. It is the reflux of
acid up the esophagus from the stomach causing "heart burn" symptoms, as well as
occasional aspiration pneumonias. Medications such as prevacid, act to decrease the
acidity of the stomach contents. They usually do not decrease the reflux, but merely the
acidity. GERD will usually persist if one has a hiatal hernia as long as the hernia is
present. This can usually only be accomplished by losing weight or occasional surgical
repairs. Consequently, as long as you are having reflux these drugs will be necessary to
minimize the damage and symptoms from unopposed acid in the esophagus. Other treatments
which help reflux are to elevate the head of your bed 4-8 inches, eat several hours before
going to bed, and avoid nicotine and caffeine.
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