Celiac And Reflux

[sillyken]

Hi all,

If anyone has experienced this I'd like feedback. I was told by my Dr. that I am having some reflux so he put me on a pretty hefty antacid regiment. Today I had diarria. Could this be a reaction from the antacid? Are liquid antacids gluten free?

Ken

[Guest Viola]

Some antacids are gluten free, some are not, either way you need an acid inhibitor rather than an antacid. My doctor told me several years ago to be careful as antacids cause a laxative reaction to empty the the bowel which lowers the pressure on the stomach and lowers the acid as a result. I'm not sure that's a clear explanation, but he just says not to use tums etc. He sugested using Gaviscon as it is an acid inhibitor and doesn't cause the runs.

[tiredofdoctors]

Years and years ago, my doctor recommended Gaviscon, too. I do know this -- according to some publication, Nexium contains gluten -- so check it out prior to taking it. (I took this for three months while they were in the process of diagnosing my gluten ataxia) -- hey, Shirley, that could account for the increase, too! Didn't even think of that . . .

[Guest cassidy]

Gaviscon is the best! (yes, it is sad to get excited about medicine). I've been taking it for over 20 years and it works the best. Make sure you drink a glass of water/juice with it and don't eat for a while afterwards. It creates a foam barrier and needs the liquid to foam up. I take aciphex and that is gluten-free. Between the aciphex twice a day and gaviscon when I need it, I'm doing pretty well, no D unless I have something with gluten in it. Just don't get the Walmart generic of gaviscon, it tastes very nasty, the Walgreens and CVS aren't bad.

[Guest Viola]

Hi Lynne, that's probably what did it I know Tumms are a big culprit for D even in non-Celiacs. That's just how they work. And if you are having a problem with D and are Celiac, watch the amount of Gaur Gum you consume. It is gluten free and used in a lot of gluten-free items. However if the hospital needs a mild laxative they will use Gaur Gum Always good to know if you are having tummy troubles.

My hubby is healing nicely after his knee surgery, so he is spending some time in his den now ... so I'm not running and fetching anymore. But now I have to stay off the computer long enough to get papers and samples made up for my students for a new class next week. Also going to get Happy Mouse painted up this morning, so may pop back on again and check in this afternoon

Good Luck with your Acid Reflux Ken! Hope it settles right down for you.

[Modism]

I was diagnosed with gastro-esophageal reflux disease when I was around 10 or 11. My doctor put me on a drug called prepulsid/propulsid (aka cisapride) and I was on it until I was about 15. This drug cause me major problems. Diarrhea, headaches, weakness, cramps, etc were the side effects. Alot of the drugs used to treat reflux are also used to treat constipation.

So, I had to make a choice, did I want constant diarrhea or heartburn. (they took the drug off the market eventually, thank goodness.)

If the doctor wrote you a prescription, ask about the drug, because it could very well be used to treat other things. If your condition isn't too bad, like others have said, find a over the counter brand that works best with your stomach. And yes, some do have laxative effects.

[Lollie]

Ken,

I have acid reflux for about 10 years now. I have taken just about every kind/type there is. I have found that they typically do cause D for me. I think it has something to do with getting the acid out of your system.

I took prilosec/nexium for the majority of the time. We double checked withthem about the gluten and found they were gluten-free. But I have since discontinued, due to some disturbing side effects that I have read about and some I have actually lived with. An example is: with long term use of prilosec, growths occur in your stomach. Although they are not cancerous, right now, they don't know if there could be long term complications. This came from my doc after had an upeer endoscope and he found them in my stomach. I also found another disturbing article here, I'll paste the link below.....

https://www.celiac.com/st_prod.html?p_prodi...1hH9H1U4Jsf65T-

You might want to read it, if you are taking prilosec, nexium, or the generic. I have found malox to be helpful, now, and I have used gaviscon as well.

Good luck to you, from a long term acid refluxer.

Lollie

[sillyken]

Lot's of great advice. I have to take something because the reflux is hurting my voice and I'm an actor.

Ken

[Canadian Karen]

Maalox is a definite no-no.......

Maalox (Novartis) (800.452.0051) (vp=08/12/02)

Liquid or Tablets (NOT gluten-free)

contains gluten...... I know, it broke my heart. All through my pregnancies, I drank that stuff like mad for the heartburn. I have since learned it contains gluten.

Hugs.

Karen

[Guest Viola]

The best advice my doctor gave me wasn't medication and it didn't cost anything, but it helped my sore throat and heart burn.

Have nothing to eat within 2 hours of going to bed.

Raise the head of the bed a minimum of 4 inches, better yet 6 inches. This doesn't mean putting pillows under your head ... you need to put blocks of wood under the bed frame at the head of the bed. This helps keep the acid from raising up to your throat.

Hope this helps some!

[Ursa Major]

I read of a study last year of older people with heartburn and acid reflux. It was found that they didn't eat enough meat for the stomach acid to be used, so it caused heartburn. They had them eat more meat, to give that excess acid something to do, and after several weeks all of them found that their acid reflux was gone.

I used to get acid reflux, too, but since I've stopped eating any of the things I am intolerant to (which isn't just gluten by far), and eat plenty of meat, I have no more problems with reflux (and I have a hiatal hernia, which doesn't bother me in the least now).

The acid is in the stomach for a reason, and reducing it leads to food not being digested properly. It's much better to allow that acid to do the job it's there to do!

[Guest cassidy]

Ursula,

Interesting study about the meat, and maybe that is the case for some people. Some other people are born with an LES muscle that just isn't strong enough and there isn't anything they can do about it. I'm about to have my second surgery for reflux, because I don't want to be on these meds all my life. I have also heard theories that carbs cause reflux, again, maybe the case for some people, but not all of them.

I agree that raising your bed definitely helps. You can get blocks at Bed, Bath and Beyond