My doc put me on strong antiinflammatories and my stomach couldn't tolerate them. Now, I am off them, but my stomach still hurts. Also, I am getting hiccups after I eat, reflux, etc...

This issue along with pain pushed me to go on a diet to treat my AS .

Should I take Omeprazole to heal the gut or heal it naturally through foods? I am taking a probiotic but it is not enough.

Shari

i posted this for someone else here this week:

http://www.kickas.org/ubbthreads/ubbthre...true#Post462670

i developed really severe gastritis in 1993. at the time i was only taking an occasional ibuprofen for migraines. i just really can't do nsaids at all. but if i do the things i list in that post, i can manage my gastritis.

we're all different, but for me, i must manage my stomach with diet (see post), herbs like ginger and mint (see post), and meds like prilosec (see post).

you may be able to get away with just one or the other. i need to hit it from all angles just to keep it under control.

do be careful, glad you stopped the nsaids. i'm lucky my gastritis is so painful. i had an aunt that died from a bleeding ulcer. sometimes that can happen without a person having much stomach pain and not realizing the seriousness of the situation.

there is talk about prilosec being linked to osteoporosis. but i just take my Ca/Mg/D supplements and for me, the benefits outweigh the risks.

dying from a bleeding ulcer or stomach cancer like a few of my relatives have, is a real concern for me with gastritis that must be carefully managed. but i am an extreme case i think. still what works for me, could help someone else.

I would suggest going back to your doctor and at the very least letting them know what your reaction to them was. Stomach ulcers and NSAID damage shouldn't be taken lightly, as Sue suggests, and you may need active treatment rather than just stopping the NSAIDs.

Omeprazole is what I take, twice a day sometimes. It is prescription Prilosec.
I am sorry to hear your condition, but you can overcome it.
I have had a spastic stomach my whole life, eventually coming down with Gastritis.
The meds weren't working alone.

I must say that my relief came from fasting, and prayer.
The night after my fast was the the worst, I didn't expect it to cure me, so there was no disappointment. I had never fasted before.
The next day.....after years of suffering from spastic stomach, constant gurgling and groaning, and fermenting sounds.
It went away.....

that's very interesting. i'm glad that helped you. maybe a food allergy was causing you problems? for me, the very worst thing i can do to my stomach is let it go hungry. it needs to be fed every few hours or it gets mighty unhappy. when its bad, it can't even go a whole night of sleep without being medicated in the middle of the night. really does show how different we can be at times.

PPIs can lead to osteoporosis - thinning bones. You can manage reflux/GERD with diet. Many foods will act as a trigger for reflux, one being, starch. I also have reflux/GERD problems and was once on NSAIDs until they rotted out my guts.

Suggest that you have a chat with yr doctor - don't be surprised if he wants to put you on PPIs, but of course you don't have to go there! But see him just to clear up the stomach issues then you can use diet to address the problem. Diet does work - whenever I eat whatever I shouldn't (including having an extra drink) can be sure to throw a blasted reflux...

Take care -

Molly C (France)
Keeping on Keeping on (as we all do)

http://search.mercola.com/search/Pages/results.aspx?sq=1&k=treatment%20for%20acid%20reflux

ALL you'll ever need to know about Acid Reflux including the alarming fact that insufficient acid leads TO acid reflux and that the drug trials into acid reflux were skewered...very interesting.

Good reading - oh yes, and each of the many sections is backed with sound and well researched information. Ant-acids are a huge cash cow for pharma, past accounting showed more than 6 billion just for Prilosec! Present picture :-

(snip...) "The heartburn drug Nexium, the object of a half-billion-dollar marketing campaign to move people off the prescription medications predecessor, Prilosec.
Top 10 Pharmaceuticals
Prilosec slipped from the number-one to the number-two selling prescription drug last year after its patent was about to expire and maker AstraZeneca shifted its promotional muscle to the "new Purple Pill," Nexium.

Drug Treatment U.S. Sales
1 Lipitor Cholesterol
$5.22b
2 Prilosec Heartburn $4.61b
3 Zocor Cholesterol $3.68b
4 Prevacid Heartburn $3.55b
5 Celebrex Arthritis $2.61b
6 Epogen Anemia $2.56b
7 Procrit Anemia $2.55b
8 Zyprexa Schizophrenia $2.51b
9 Zoloft Depression $2.27b
10 Paxil Depression $2.15b

The Life Cycle of the
Purple Pill
Worldwide earnings from the Purple Pill grew annually from the time it was introduced in 1988 until just before its patent expired last year."

(Interesting stats.)

"I can assure you the number of people who actually need this drug is less than one in 100 of those taking it. In other words, people are being prescribed drugs for heartburn when it is one of the easiest medical problems to treat. Most people ignore that heartburn is an important clue from their body and rely on a drug to suppress the symptoms.

"This is the equivalent of driving your car and ignoring the engine light that comes on on your dashboard to warn you of a problem. Using a Band-Aid like Prilosec to cover the light allows you to ignore the problem and, although it may solve the problem in the short-term, the implications for ignoring this important clue are quite obvious. You could be looking at more costly repairs by not acknowledging the symptom.

So what is the solution for heartburn?

There are several key points:

1. Drink adequate amounts of clean water.
2. Follow the nutrition plan being careful to avoid sugar.
3. Use one to two cloves of raw fresh garlic per day to eradicate H. pylori, which is a factor for many with heartburn.
4. Use high-quality probiotics.

And what is the solution for not getting burned by the pharmaceutical companies any more?

Knowledge.

"You can start with some of the "Related Articles" below, and I also strongly recommend you read "Trust Us, We're Experts." This accessible and often startling book blows the lid right off the industries who manipulate "scientific fact" to ridiculous (but, sadly, effective) ends to sell gobs of their harmful products. It truly belongs on every American's bookshelf.

Related Articles:

Why Inhibiting Acid Production With Prilosec and Prevacid Could Make Ulcers Worse

Prilosec and Prevacid Natural Alternatives

How to Cure Your Heartburn Now That Prilosec Will Go Over the Counter (OTC)

Dissatisfaction with Heartburn Drugs Common (more...more...more...)

Molly C

My GI put me on Nexium after he did a scope. I have never has any Acid Reflux, just gastritis. As long as I take the Nexium, I am fine, but if I skip it for a few days, I start getting nauseous. Also, like Sue, I need to eat something every few hours. If I get empty, I get uncomfortable.

This is not something that should be treated without having it checked out by a GI first. For many people, it is nothing serious, but it can be dangerous if you are one of the people with an ulcer. Have it checked out.

Another of the big problems with the PPIs is that the stomach becomes addicted and then cannot manage without... I posted on them a few years back now, mebbe 4 yrs ago? When 'addicted' can take a year and plus to get off the PPIs. It is quite an involved subject, but one well worth checking out in all its complexities.

Here's a bit of info -

Proton pump inhibitors drugs benefits and side effects
www.raysahelian.com/protonpumpinhibitor.html - Similarto Proton pump inhibitors drugs benefits and side effects
Proton pump inhibitor drugs benefits and side effects, danger.

Side Effects of Antacids and Acid Blockers
refluxdefense.com/heartburn_GERD_articles/side-effects-antacids... - Similarto http://refluxdefense.com/heartburn_GERD_articles/side-effects-antacids-and-acid-blockers.html (this guy is good - everyone on PPIs should have knowledge of this information)

Side Effects of Antacids and Acid Blockers
The side effects of antacids, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), H2 antagonists, omeprazole and other acid blocking drugs. Stomach acid is an essential part of the ...
The Side Effects of Proton Pump Inhibitors | Are PPIs Safe? | ...
stopacidrefluxpro.com/ppis-side-effects/
Are PPIs safe? Beware of over-the-counter ppis. Your stomach needs good acids as well as bad acids in order for it to digest food. The side effects of proton ...

---------------

Ray Sahelian is balanced , here's a snippet - but read his whole input, this is just a snippet from 'one' observation -
"Even in those without previous heartburn symptoms, proton pump inhibitors can give rise to such symptoms after the drugs are stopped. "It thus seems that the drugs induce the symptoms they are used to treat, which might lead to dependency on such drugs," says co-author Dr. Christina Reimer, from Køge University Hospital, Denmark. Such dependency might explain why use of the medications is increasing. Gastroenterology, July 2009."