Gerd or LPR symptoms. what worked for you?

Forgot to add this (can't edit posts) I have started to look at gut health as well.

What I mean is to take certain probiotics to hopefully make things better with my digestion. This has started to help with my usually noisy tummy and has certainly helped with my bowel habits. Cutting right down on dairy, apart from some natural yogurt, and eating live sauerkraut could also be helping.

It hasn't helped as I'm on a course of antibiotics at the moment (six weeks) as I'm 3 months post OP maxiallry sinus surgery and I'm recovering from a chronis sinus infection.

But I do believe that gut health plays a role here with helping this situation, not helped when I had used PPI's.

Then again I also think that, for me, anxiety issues only make it worse.

Can i ask how did you wean off from ppi? and did you use any supplements when you started to wean off? i am on nexium but want to stop taking it because is not helping at all and my lpr got worse since i started nexium. i am afraid to stop it and get a rebound acid. i don't know if it is safe to start suplement and probiotics with nexium or do i have to stop nexium completely befor starting on probiotics and supplements. any advice would be appreacite. Thank you!

I was first given Omeprazole by the first ENT consultant that I saw, with instructions to use Gaviscon advanced at night. This continued for three months.

The situation got worse, certainly not better. He wanted to me to keep on them.

I decided to stop seeing him and found another ENT.

He placed me on pantoprazole for six weeks to see if they would help. They didn't.

Each time that I stopped taking the PPI'S I was told that it would be fine to stop .

But I went to half dose for two weeks and then stopped. Any feelings of excess acid I used Peptac or simple antacid tablets until things stabalised. Sipping water with a high PH also helped.

My Gastroenterologist has never wished to place me on PPI'S , in my opinion if PPI'S are needed long term then that should be assessed by a Gastroenterologist and not just an ENT person.

Thinking about gut health as been a recent thought for me . So I was never thinking about that whilst on PPI'S .

I can understand if PPI'S are not working for you, please chat that through with who prescribed them for you, to stop taking them.

I can not see an issue with using Probiotics even with being on Nexium.

As well as Probiotics, as mentioned, I'm eating unpasteurised sauerkraut and taking colostrum as a supplement .

I'm really trying to improve my gut health and for me the PPI'S seemed to do the exact opposite .

I also use DGL licorice before meals, in tablet chewable form. They also help.

Best wishes and hope the above helps you.

My reply is waiting to be moderated. Not sure how long that takes.?!

did you you had any rebound acid when you took the half dose of ppi? i tried taking just half of the dose i take and i started get burning sesations in my stomach and more heartburn.

Nothing that lasted for long, for excess acid. I did up the use of Peptac for a little while and simple antacids. That helped until I readjusted.

Overall since they never helped me I knew that it was only going to be good to get off them.

sorry, one more question. did you noticed that when you started probiotics you had more gas and bowel movement changes in the first week or so? i had that issue before when i took probiotics and stopped because thinking it was not working and makiing things worse. but some people have tell me that this could be my body adjusting to probiotics and that should pass. do you had any problems when you started taking them. Thank you!

I did notice those changes but they were not severe. Perhaps it reflects the type of Probiotics used and how well you tolerate them.

I use one called Bio-cultures complex from the rain forest place which contains 5 different Probiotics.

I seem to tolerate that one ok.

When I initially tried a different one that one caused the issues you describe, and not in a good way.

We are all different and what might suit one may present some difficulties for another.

Check on the acidity of the probiotics. You want to skew your diet to alkanline foods and away from acids. The problem is that some foods are hard to distinguish, for instance many yogurts are highly acidic but not all.

That a very good point that I hadn't considered, especially yogurts. Thanks.

Apart from the Kefir the other Probiotics are in capsule form.

There is the live unpasteurised sauerkraut and I am aware that comes in a brine.

I am cautious with fruit, apart from bananas and water melon.

I have also got a water filter which increases the pH of the water from 7 to around 9 or slightly more.

Lots of things to consider.

Keep away from fermented and pickled vegetables as they often have vinegar in them.

Point taken, I had mentioned the brine in sauerkraut.

I have been interested in helping my guy bacteria more so in these last few weeks due to being on a six weeks course of antibiotics. The course might be twelve weeks. Not happy with that but kinda limited options.

The Probiotics are helping, and they are, with my stomach and digestion which has in the past been badly affected with certain medications.

You write that " in the past been badly affected with certain medications". I had similar problems when doctors did not say WHEN or HOW to take meds they prescribed for me. After I found out how to take them, that is with or iwthout food, I began to feel better,

I have also experienced problematic side effects of great significance which have been largely dismissed by a doctor. At one time I was taking a SSRI, took it for two years, then I was told to just stop altogether. The anxiety levels went crazy for several months and yet I was told that the drug was fine to just stop.

Then there are times when you can be prescribed to take a second drug to help with the side effects of the first one.

Sometimes it can be challenge just to be informed.

Best wishes

May I suggest when a doc tells you to stop a drug, you should taper off and not stop cold turkey. This is because many drugs cause side effects that affect patients differently and I ALWAYS found I fared better when I weaned off a drug, even if the doc did not say to do so.

just my 2c.

You are right about that and that is a good point to make.

Often it is not acknowledged that you need to do so, but my experiences have suggested differently.

The Nortriptyline that I'm now taking, told to take it for a year, the specialist actually warned me to not stop taking it abruptly, but to wean off slowly. That is the first time a medical person has informed me of that need.

I have bought a pill cutter which can be useful.

Good idea using a pill cutter. I do too. Keep well.

Sorry for the late reply. You too keep well.