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Gastric reflux - how dangerous is it?

Posted , 3 users are following.

carina62
carina62

i've suffered from this for years and am now getting worried that GERD is dangerous and that i've damaged my insides.  For the past week, i've not felt very well with it and have increased my dosage of Omeprazole to 30mg daily (from 10mg) and i still don't feel right with it ie burning sensation up my back, discomfort under my right shoulder blade etc and i'm getting quite scared.  Am due to see my GP on Friday about it.

1 like, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • christine_fay
    christine_fay carina62

    Posted

    If Omneprazol isnt stopping your reflux are you sure it is right? It is such a dangerous concoction to take and not worth the side effects if its not working?

    Shouldnt be taken for longer than eight weeks anyway...very hard and painful to wean off.

    • carina62
      carina62 christine_fay

      Posted

      hello, i was prescribed Omeprazole about 12 years ago and up until recently i was taking it on and off (ie not daily but just when i got flare ups) but over the past week or so my gastric reflux has flared up again and this time it's lasting a bit longer than usual so i have decided to increase my dosage to 30 mg a day (ie i take one 20mg tablet with each meal.  if by this Friday, i feel it hasn't helped, then i will go and see my GP am just not sure whether i need to worry or not as years ago the GP who diagnosed my gastric reflux said that they don't normally refer for endoscopies unless there are other symptoms like vomiting, bleeding etc ie they don't gve them out lightly unless they (the GP) thinks it needs it so what i'm saying is i've never had one but wondering if i need one now after all these years - i am confused!
  • wknight
    wknight carina62

    Posted

    Don't believe everything you read on the forums, its quite safe to take acid reflux medication under medical supervision for longer than 8 weeks. I have been on it for about 10 yrs now and its not addictive either. I could stop at any time, but why would I when it controls my symptoms.

    Its important to see a dr because the specialist, not your GP, will confirm that there is no other problem and then you can findout the dose that works for you if that is what you need.

    One of the benefits of taking the medication is that it actually heals inside, people forget that fact when they scare people off with side effects and addiction.

    If you really worry about your health then don't drive a car, in 2013,  1713 people died in road traffic acidents

    Don'y worry, hopefully its nothing.

    • christine_fay
      christine_fay wknight

      Posted

      Opinion nothing to do with forum... Advice came recently from Gov.UK website.

      Stopping Omneprazol made distressing long term arythmia cease immediately.... I count that as a BIG reason to stop..... but it was the most excruciating thing I have ever done.... Perfectly OK now and after 10 years on it I will never touch it again.

    • carina62
      carina62 wknight

      Posted

      thanks for your post.  I have started to worry about it lately because i have scared myself by reading stuff about oesophagul cancer etc which has terrified me so i have to be honest, i have been worrying myself silly this weekend thinking i have the symptoms relating to it ie i have a discomfort behind my right shoulder blade and i can feel something moving up and down when i swallow although i can still eat and drink OK but get this feeling.  I may ask my GP for an ultrasound scan to have a look at this area i am referring to before i ask for an endoscopy (if needed).
    • wknight
      wknight carina62

      Posted

      An endscopy can tell lots of things and if you have it with sedation its a breeze. The nhs prefer you not to have sedation because it means thay can see more patients, simply say no I want sedation. My consultant did endscopy first and ultrasound afterwards when symptoms didn't go away. 

      BTW there are other drugs, lots people here take omneprazol, I take Lansoprazole and some research shows its more effective.

       

    • carina62
      carina62 wknight

      Posted

      thanks.  I will discuss this with my GP on Friday and see what he says about possibly changing my medication.  I've given in to GERD for years and sort of accepting the symptoms but when i get bad flare ups, it really does distress me.  I am also very overweight and am dieting at the moment so i hope the weight loss improves it a lot.  I know one GP told me he suffered from this and by losing a lot of weight, his symptoms disappeared - i can only hope!  i will keep you all posted.
  • willett10764
    willett10764 carina62

    Posted

    To be honest, untreated GERD can lead to bleeding from the esophagus, ulcers and in some cases - cancer.  Not to scare you, but just to make you aware.  I not only suffer from GERD for the past 8 months, I'm also dealing with an infected Gallbladder that I'll be having surgery to remove the gallbladder this April.  For my GERD problems, I had to become vigilant about EVERYTHING I ate and drank.  I had to cut out 95% of my "favorites", but it was worth it to control the burning pain.  It's not just a little discomfort; as you know.  It's REAL pain that takes hours to calm down and it's no way to live.  Take care of yourself.  Tell your GP everything that's been going on - leave nothing out of your consultation.  The doctors have their "agenda" of care that they have to follow.  You do not want them putting you on this new medication or that new over the counter drug.  You want them to "fix" the problem.  I've been dealing with both my problems for years.  It's just that they became unbearable last Spring which sent me to the emergency room.  I never want to experience that again.  Best of Luck and the Best of Health to you.

     

  • wknight
    wknight carina62

    Posted

    Being overweight I am sure doesn't help. I suffered for 20yrs before a new GP diagnosed my condition. Before that I developed a way of sitting so that I was stretched out and not bent over as that aggrevated the condition.

    As others have said you need to learn which foods trigger it and leave them alone. I can eat chocolate but not juices like apple and orange unless I have eaten a lot beforehand. Lots of fizzy drinks will aggrevate it. Now I am on the medication I am sympton free most of the time and on the rare times it comes on I take an extra dose of meds to stop it before it gets worse.

    Hope everything goes well on Friday. I would write  all your symptoms down so you don't forget anything and give that to the dr to read at the start of the consultations so they have the full picture before they start asking questions and you get side tracked and forget to tell them something important

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