Is acid reflux disease a permanent problem?
Sunday, July 25th, 2010 at
10:00 am
Has anyone had GERD or acid reflux and used medication that made it go away permanently? Or will I have to take medicine for the rest of my life?
Tagged with: Acid • Disease • Permanent • problem • Reflux
Filed under: Acid Reflux Medication
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pretty much. Happily, the meds have little in the way of permanent side effects. What you want not to happen is the scaring of your esophogeal area. Over the counter things work well.Pepsid AC,and or Ranintidine, take two for the script dose of 150 mgs. All of them cheaper than script, and work just as well.
I had it bad and I started taking calcium on a regular basis and I dont have a problem any more. It also took care of my restless leg syndrome. I take only the best, its not cheap, like what you get at a store, but its worth every penny. Go to the site and find a distributer near you. The vitimans I use are from Shaklee.
It is curable ,see a surgeon .
Before you take off on the medication route, you might want to consider keeping a food diary.
Fourteen years ago, I had that problem and was eating purple pills daily, until I realized it was (*gasp*) chocolate that was the problem. Not wanting to believe what my body was trying to tell me, I tried it again, not once, but six times, and guess what, every time, I had the most miserable pain all the way up into my jaw. Finally resolved to quit eating the stuff and have not had to eat another purple pill since.
Hopefully, for you, it won’t be chocolate, but that is one of the worst offenders.
I have acid reflux too. I dont believe that it will go away. If you medicate it properly though you will probly have times in your life when you wont have to take medicines for it. I take it only in the mornings (prilosec) and for the past couple of weeks i havent been on it. And i’ve been fine. Just watch what you eat. And are taking in
Good luck!
In addition to medication, try to find out what you’re ingesting that’s making this more problematic and research holistic approaches that accompany but not replace your current regimen. Listen to your body when you eat or drink certain things, and make adjustments in your diet.
I had GERD for 15 years and went through various meds. with constantly increasing dosages. Finally, I had a surgery to fix the problem and I have never felt so good. The surgery is called nissen fundoplication. I haven’t had any issues in 4 years. What a blessing
if medication doesn’t sort you out, then there is a surgical procedure to correct the muscle that is malfunctioning and allowing the acid reflux to occur.
You can read more about the surgical procedure on the website below.
Acid reflux otherwise known as gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), is an easily treatable condition that is present in a majority of the population. It is caused when the sphincter muscle that controls flow between the esophagus and stomach weakens and lets acid back up into the esophagus.
You can treat the symptoms of GERD by taking medicines that mainly decrease the acidity of the stomach. People who take these medications can be on them for life – and often are, fortunately there are a couple other options.
1. Avoid the things that worsen the reflux: this means avoid alcohol, smoking, coffee, chocolate, anything with caffeine, tomatos, and some spicy foods. ALSO, don’t eat late at night before going to bed, and prop your head up a little when you sleep. By doing this you may be able to avoid having to take medications.
2. If you have very SEVERE reflux that is only responsive to medications then you are either stuck taking medications the rest of your life or if the medications are not working you can have a surgery to correct it. The surgery is called a nissen fundoplication and involves the following:
The “fundus” (hence the term fundoplication) of the stomach (top portion of the stomach) is wrapped around the back of the esophagus until it is once again in front. The portion of the fundus that is now on the right side of the esophagus is sutured to the portion on the left side to keep the wrap in place. When completed, the fundoplication resembles a buttoned shirt collar. The collar is the fundus wrap and the neck represents the esophagus inside the wrap. This has the effect of creating a one-way valve in the esophagus to allow food to pass into the stomach, but prevent stomach acid from flowing into the esophagus and thus prevent GERD. The procedure is performed with the patient under general anesthesia in one of 2 ways ether ‘open’ or ‘laparoscopically’. The laparoscopic is the more popular way of doing it because it is less invasive.
“PLEASE REMEMBER: any surgery comes with complications and risks; the surgery may work for one person and not for another. Also, it’s not like a surgeon will do this procedure just because you “ask” him to. Because these procedures involve risks they are reserved for people who have failed multiple trials of medications.
It is important to know that if your GERD is UNCONTROLLED this can lead to esophageal cancer or lung problems. – so PLEASE speak with your physician about this!
Good Luck,
not according to TV commercials
All I can tell you is that my grandson had it from birth, milk coming out of every hole in his head. He was given some meds and now it is gone (he’s 3)
no, it isnt. go see your doctor and he might prescribe nexium.
i have it pretty bad, but i just go thru periods of taking prevacid which heals the damage. then i stop for awhile, and if it starts up again, i keep tums at my desk. mine seems to be aggravated by tomato-based foods (which i love). i also find drinking more water helps (and less coffee!) I have a book on GERD and it also says to try to lower your stress level. once you have it, you just have to monitor it & take care of it when you get the symptoms. i would not have surgery for this unless it was an emergency situation. they may improve the procedure so i will wait.
It can be treated.
I had a friend/co-worker that had that. Instead of taking costly prescriptions, she decided to try the cider vinegar cure first. It Worked for her. She takes a teaspoon every morning and she’s okay now.
i’ve had it for many years. i have to take medications for life for it. many meds claim to heal the problem, but its only a temp situation. once the damage is done, you are stuck with it. its when your stomach proton pump puts out to much stomach acid and can eat away on your stomach lining, phinxter and throat.
I take Nexium. Mine comes and goes. Have had it for about 3 years. When it isn’t bad, I take Zantac. Maalox helps, too.
Try this link, you will get more information regarding acid reflux.
http://www.home.hawaii.rr.com.
i have GERD. and if you dont want to have surgery like i did. keep taking it. the acid caused the lining in my esophagus to scar and built up excess scar tissue. it closed up my esophagus and i ended up having a piece of food get stuck. i was rushed to the ER and had the food pushed through. then they removed all the scar tissie that built up, and used like these forcips to widen my esophagus. So, yes its a permant problem. keep taking the previcid or whatever the doc gave you
I had the same problem 10 years back. I had to hospitalize. I had fully recovered after the treatment. I had taken cisapride+MPS combination 15 min before meal and 1 antacid after each meal for about a month.
Yes, afraid so. Nexuim claims to heal it, but I can’t take it due to side effects. Surgery can correct the problem but if it’s permanent, I don’t know. I don’t anyone who’s ever had surgery for it. My doctor has me take Prilosec at certain times of the year when it bothers me the most. Taking stomach medicine all the time messes up your stomach’s natural ability to digest, etc and you get dependent on the medicine–not like “drugs” but because you need it to keep the acid down all the time. That’s what my doctor told me.
I’ve had acid reflux for a long time. My advice is watch what you eat . Avoid spicy foods and no, you don’t have to take meds for the rest of your life. :O) If it gets worse then by all means see a doctor.
yes
IT can be a deadly problem if not treated. The acids will eat away at the esophagus and cause verecies that will bleed. Yes you will need treatment for the rest of your life. By the way Nexium is supposed to treat and cure any esophageal scarring.
no its not permanent just your doctor about the medicines you can take for the problem
No. ask a docter for meds
I take Protenox every day from my doctor. Last weekend I forgot because I was away & didnt take it. My heartburn came back really bad. You cant forget to take the pills or it seems to come back worse.
The earlier it is detected the better chance to prevent permanent damage.
I caught mine early and had an endoscopy done. That is when a tube is enserted through the mouth down to the stomach to check for uclers and or damage caused by the acid reflux. I found that my AR was a result of stress that I was going through at the time. Since then I have had no reoccurrances I was on medication for a short period of time, and now with diet & personal management I no longer have it.
So I beleive if you take care of yourself, eat right, and not stress (too much anyway) that you ca beat the symptoms & the disease.