Heartburn sufferers

Pazuzu · 09-15-2009, 01:37 PM

If anyone of you health nuts happens to suffer from frequent heartburn like I do (drink too much, smoke too much, eat crappy food, stress at work...)

I found, at my local grocery store, the greatest little tablet ever. EVER.
Omeprazole

It's the non-prescription version of Prilosec, and it's generic. 14 days of pills works for 4 months. I started the 14 day regiment and have had zero pain, even on day one. I was up to 5 Zantac a WEEK before this. I think that 2 cycles (8 months) was $14.

Just an FYI. It's rare that an off the shelf drug works better than it claims to.

BlueSkyJaunte · 09-15-2009, 01:48 PM

5 Zantac a week? What is this, amateur hour???

Glad you found something that works for you. Until I got put on meds I lived in fear of every meal.

Wintermute · 09-15-2009, 01:50 PM

Interesting, I may have to give that a try. I just use Famotidine, 20mg to prevent it, twice a day. It works well, but you notice it when you forget a dose.

Pazuzu · 09-15-2009, 01:51 PM

That's just when I couldn't grit my teeth through the pain

I was on Prilosec YEARS ago, cost me $35 a month and didn't do the job, but I had an actual ulcer from grad school back then. I was just surprised to find something like this, in generic form, for dirt cheap, at the store. Almost passed it over as a fly by night deal until I looked up the name (it's just called Omeprazole on the box, no reference to anything else).

tcar · 09-15-2009, 01:58 PM

Omeprazole is nothing more than generic Prilosec.

SpeedracerIndy · 09-15-2009, 01:59 PM

You're preachin' to the choir!

This is basically 1/2 strength Prilosec, Protonix or Nexium, which is a proton pump inhibitor. Not the same as Tums, Zantac, etc. I was prescribed Protonix and it was a life saver drug for me. I had heart burn so bad that I was waking up several times at night, couldn't eat, couldn't lay down, and was basically miserable the majority of the time. I took Protonix for about a year pretty regularly, and it has nearly cured me. I very rarely take anything now and Tums will usually be enough. Before, I could eat 6 tums and it wouldn't do anything for me. If you have chronic heartburn, and you take it regularly, your pyloric valve has a chance to repair itself. If you have frequent heartburn I would recommend looking into one of these drugs to avoid the consequences (eroded esophagus, cancer, etc...)

As a side note, my insurance company decided after about a year of taking Protonix that they didn't want to cover it anymore, and they suggested I re-visit my doctor and have him prescribe me Prilosec. I presume because someone at the company who makes Prilosec apparently bought someone off at my insurance company. While I'm sure Prilosec works just as well as Protonix, I said F-U to my insurance company and switched to the generic. I now just take the generic when I have an episode that Tums won't cure, and it works just fine.

BRPORSCHE · 09-15-2009, 02:02 PM

After I eat lunch, no matter what it may be, I'll get heartburn. It sucks. Take two tums right after lunch, because I know that I will get a bad case. It's like clockwork.

on2wheels52 · on2wheels52's Garage

I'm not sure I've ever had heartburn. I take it isn't the same as acid reflex. Could you give a brief description of what it feels like to us non-sufferers.
Jim

SpeedracerIndy · 09-15-2009, 02:53 PM

Yes, it's the same as acid reflUx. Just much more severe. It's like constant searing pain at the base of your eusophagus. It's particularly bad when burping. I used to find myself holding in burps to avoid the pain.

BlueSkyJaunte · 09-15-2009, 03:29 PM

I've been blessed with a hiatal hernia as well as other digestive issues. After an upper endoscopy I was put on the 1-Prevacid-a-day-every-day plan, but then got switched to Nexium. Now I'm on Prilosec, the OTC stuff, since it's actually cheaper for me. If the Omeprazole generic works just as well then I'll switch to it for certain.

The difference between having heartburn/reflux and not having it is like night and day. I'm a pretty obnoxious, abrasive mofo to start with but when I'm suffering from the effects (and side-effects) of heartburn I'm downright intolerable.

red-beard · red-beard's Garage

You might also get checked for H. pylori, just in case. I had bad heartburn for YEARS and it was a combination of a hiatal hernia and H. pylori. The H. pylori was unknown/untreated until my ex-wife, doing an office study (She was an M.T.), about 10 years ago, needed some extra people to sample. I was positive. They treated me and I haven't had a problem since.

Tobra · Tobra's Garage

Like Red said, you need to go see a GI guy and maybe get scoped if this is a chronic thing.

Super_Dave_D · Super_Dave_D's Garage

Go to the stomach doctor and get it checked out. I had whats called a stricture - when you get this - you know something is wrong. Extremely painful!!!!

What Is a Stricture?

The lower esophagus can open to the size of a quarter or wider. When recurrent inflammation occurs in the esophagus, scarring develops, underlying tissues become fibrous, and the opening narrows. In advanced cases, this narrowing, or stricture, can be severe. The opening may be reduced to the size of a pencil or even smaller. Food and fluid are delayed and only move slowly across the opening into the stomach. A large piece of food, such as meat, may completely block the esophagus. As mentioned, cancer can narrow the esophagus in the same way. Therefore, it is critical that the physician rule out this diagnosis.

mjohnson · mjohnson's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Super_Dave_D

What Is a Stricture?

The lower esophagus can open to the size of a quarter or wider. When recurrent inflammation occurs in the esophagus, scarring develops, underlying tissues become fibrous, and the opening narrows. In advanced cases, this narrowing, or stricture, can be severe. The opening may be reduced to the size of a pencil or even smaller. Food and fluid are delayed and only move slowly across the opening into the stomach. A large piece of food, such as meat, may completely block the esophagus. As mentioned, cancer can narrow the esophagus in the same way. Therefore, it is critical that the physician rule out this diagnosis.

I've been on that routine since I was 10. The Drs say that my esophagus is too straight at the junction with the stomach - too easy for acid to get up there and cause scarring. Scarring = dilation every two years or so as to avoid a visit to the ER for them to fish out whatever got stuck. Down side is when at the ER you don't get as much of the good drugs that you do on a scheduled upper GI. Not exactly pleasant.

Daily control of the stomach acid helps slow the progress. While Nexium is (for me) the gold standard, the generic prilosec works pretty well. Only difference is that I get rebound heartburn with the prilosec. It seems to flush from the system faster than the Nexium. Unfortunately the HMO thinks the high dollar stuff is too good for me, so generic OTC it is...

Visit your gastroenterologist! Things can go wrong there that are no joke. Esophageal cancer is one of the less pleasant ones from what I hear.

Joeaksa · 09-15-2009, 09:57 PM

Purple pill changed my life...

Bill Douglas · 09-15-2009, 11:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joeaksa

Purple pill changed my life...

As I get older I'm hoping blue will change mine.

Pazuzu · 09-16-2009, 06:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tobra

Like Red said, you need to go see a GI guy and maybe get scoped if this is a chronic thing.

When all you own is a hammer, the whole world looks like a nail...

I don't need to see no stinkin' specialist! I know that I had ulcers, and that I had a H. hernia. That was all 8 years ago, and once I gradumicated, my stress level dropped to the point that the symptoms went away. They're back now because I'm getting out of shape from this stinkin' job, my metabolism is finally starting to drop from high school, and I'm almost a decade older. I don't need no stinkin' specialist to tell me why I have heartburn.

This thread was to give some poor lonely indigestion sufferers a beacon of cheap easy hope at their local Pharmacy of Love, not for a buncha quacks to diagnose my gullet

flatbutt · 09-16-2009, 06:17 AM

An EGD will reveal any problem you may have. I infrequently get some reflux (like once a year) and I get the scope to gauge the extent of any damage. Once I needed the PrevPak combination of Prevacid / Nexium and it cured me within 2 months.

I also use Tums as a prophylaxis for spicy meals. Tums is not a cure but is very effective at knocking down acid temporarily. Full disclosure...Tums is one of the products I manufacture.

john70t · 09-16-2009, 06:17 AM

Switch to green tea and oatmeal, no more PARF, with yoga and meditation 3x/week.
There are a lot of "lifestyle choices" that could reduce insurance costs.

Z-man · Z-man's Garage

I'm on Nexium for acid reflux. Last week, I was lazy and didn't pick up my rx, and I ran out. Big mistake that I'm still paying for -- 3-4 days without it, and I'm coughing, had terrible heartburn...etc.

Yes, the purple pill changed my life too. Now if I can only straighten out my diet, I'd be far better overall....

-Z-man.