Nocturnal Acid Reflux Help Needed

You could try metaclopramide instead of the domperidone, you can add in an H2 antagonist such as ranitidine 150mg bd to the present regime. But it sounds like you need to be referred to an upper gastrointestinal (GI) surgeon( if you would consider surgery. They can perform a laparoscopic fundoplication....key hole operation which stops the reflux. It is a bit unpleasant eating ( initially liquid and slowly building up to solids) for 6-12 weeks. If you get a good surgeon the results are fantastic and you probably won't need any medication and will be able to eat anything and sleep horzontal. Some people find that after 6-10 yeas the "magic" wears off and they may need intermittent omeprazole 20mg again. I don't think there is a more effective PPI. Lansoprazole and omeprazole are equally effective and the most cost effective. You can take gaviscon advance in addition to all that has been mentioned above.

I think I will go back to my GP and seeing if ranatidine and metaclopramide might help. I'm a bit terrified of surgery and have read that the nissen fundoplication does have quite a long recovery time and potential side effects, so I really want to leave that as a last resort.

thanks again

tried every medication on the planet; I thought there was no end to my misery.

About 3 yrs ago, I did a little research into the importance of a

PH balance in the diet, and learnt that to maintain a healthy body

we require an equal alkaline/acid balance.

Most people have incredible acid lifestyle i.e. stress, smoking , drinking and working hard etc.

My point is increase your alkaline intake; and hydrate your body

I started drinking Wheatgrass juice, which is incredibly alkaline.

The healing effect was almost immediate and other countless health benefits have changed my life for good.

I was taking PPI and following loose advice regarding my diet (no tomatoes, no spices, little fat, ...) and not getting any better.

I had problems sleeping as well.

Then I tried following a very strict diet based on the book by Jamie Koufman: no fat at all (no nuts, no oil, no fatty meat, no cheese), only food with Ph above 5 (no yoghourt, no fruits except melon watermelon and bananas), no trigger food (coffee, chocolate, spices, tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, ...).

So I eat only oatmeal with bananas, vegetables except trigger food, melon watermelon sometimes pear, chicken breast and lean fish, rice, potatoes, lentils and beans, nothing else, and no oil or dressing.

Also I am drinking water Ph 8.8 in between meals (evamor).

I started getting better very quickly, the improvement has been tremendous after just one week.

I sleep most of the night now.

Unfortunately when I stopped the dexilant some of my symptoms came back even though I was still following the diet.

I suffered for a few days then decided to try DGL licorice three times a day 20-30 minutes before my meals.

The effect has been spectacular, I feel normal again.

I don't know about other GERD sufferers in general, but the longer I have had this illness, the more I realise that for me this is really a 'mechanical' problem: as in the LES valve between my stomach and oesophagus simply doesn't close properly, (when I had the gastroscopy, the specialist noted this also).

Whilst watching what you eat and eating slowly makes a minimal difference, it is the affect of gravity (i.e. when laying down) or doing things like bending over to pick things up, playing with my children, or heavy physical activities that might put pressure of the stomach which I think really causes my reflux problems.

I also realise that sadly there isn't a miracule cure (& believe me I have tried every homeopathic remedy to no avail). Ultimately, your oesophagus takes time to heal (it doesn't get much respite as you have to eat ), and, whilst the PPI's reduce the acid sufficiently to reduce the symptoms, it is simply due to the LES valve not functioning properly that the reflux of liquids still occurs - however, as my stomach contents is not as acidic it doesn't do the damage or is as noticeable it would be without the use of PPI's. I'm still on the same dose of Omeprazole 2x per day along with Domperidone and whilst I still need a wedge pillow at night I'm overall at lot better, and sleeping better. It took a good six-to-nine months or so for some of the nasty symptoms in my original post to start to dissipate. I just have to be more careful about what activities I am doing, and try to avoid the affect of gravity on my throat and oesophagus.