Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Ever heard of this drug?

I've been having intermittent, upper abdomen pain, so I finally went to see a gastroenterologist. I'm scheduled for an endoscopy and colonoscopy, but in the meantime she has put me on Metozolv ODT (orally dissolving tablet). I think she suspects GERD but I think it might be an ulcer fron nsaids. Metozolv treats reflux, but it's a very risky med. Has anyone ever taken it or Reglan? I'm strongly considering not taking it and just holding on til the procedures (2 months!). Do you think it would be wise to call her office and tell them I'm not taking it? You all know how these docs can get their back up if you question or disagree with them.
Would love to hear your thoughts on the matter.

Thanks,
Jessie

was not familiar with either of these drugs but just did a little googling.

guess i have a number of questions.

my husband has bad reflux (when not controlled) and i have bad gastritis (when not controlled). the symptoms are much different. i get pain right under the sternum and it burns, but never up past that point. mint gives me great relief. my husband gets burning up the esophagus, mint makes it worse (relaxes sphincter muscle). i get relief eating right before bed, he gets worse eating right before bed. so there should be a way to tell if its gastritis or an ulcer vs reflux/GERD. but for both of us, prilosec helps, as does mylanta when we need it, especially right before bed. so why the drugs you mentioned instead of an acid reducer?

did the two of you talk about the NSAID use. seems to me that trying to find another med, even cox2 inhibitors instead would be a first step. but maybe she thinks you can take the meds if you take the other meds too, i don't know.

also wondering why you can't get that endoscopy for so long. usually my husband and i can get in within 2-3 weeks, much sooner if it seems to be critical.

i don't know, just seems like we've gotten different care than you did. but i'm not there so don't know why she thinks reflux/GERD though you think ulcer. maybe i just don't have enough information.

Hi Jessie,

I'm also puzzled why this drug was prescribed for you. I've had serious GERD for several years and take rabeprazole for it. I don't use regular NSAIDs but I do take celebrex (cox 2 inhibitor) which so far doesn't seem to have caused a problem. I can't eat before bed without increasing my risk for GERD. I already have a damaged oesophagus so need to be careful.

After reading up on metozolv, it looked to me as though it is normally prescribed to people with GERD who do not respond to the usual meds. Kind of a last resort was how I read it.

I think I'd be tempted to phone the doctor's office and let them know that you are very anxious about this drug and don't want to take it without a further discussion about the risks associated with it.

My GERD pain is almost entirely in my oesophagus rather than upper abdomen but I believe both types of pain can be typical in GERD.

Thank you Wendy and Sue for your replies. What you both had to say was interesting and helpful. I don't feel like I have any Gerd/reflux symptoms. The severe pain that I get always occurs at the same time of day, right before I eat lunch. If I drink a big glass of water when it starts, it subsides fairly quickly. That was a hint I got off of the internet when reading about ulcers and it works. I have been taking nsaids (Voltaren) for almost 5 years, but have always taken Nexium also.

After hearing both you girls describe Gerd and reflux, I'm still leaning away from that as my problem. Thank you for taking the time to write about that.

Not only do I have to wait 2 months for the procedures, I had to wait nearly that long to just get the appt. to see the gastro. Seems the doc is just very busy. Oh well, perhaps it will go away by then................I wish!

Take care,
Jessie

Thank you Wendy and Sue for your replies. What you both had to say was interesting and helpful. I don't feel like I have any Gerd/reflux symptoms. The severe pain that I get always occurs at the same time of day, right before I eat lunch. If I drink a big glass of water when it starts, it subsides fairly quickly. That was a hint I got off of the internet when reading about ulcers and it works. I have been taking nsaids (Voltaren) for almost 5 years, but have always taken Nexium also.

After hearing both you girls describe Gerd and reflux, I'm still leaning away from that as my problem. Thank you for taking the time to write about that.

Not only do I have to wait 2 months for the procedures, I had to wait nearly that long to just get the appt. to see the gastro. Seems the doc is just very busy. Oh well, perhaps it will go away by then................I wish!

Take care,
Jessie

just be careful. you may be like me and get a lot of pain from a little gastritis, which i consider fortunate, helps prevent an ulcer i think. but you could be like others who have bleeding ulcers without even knowing it. i'd talk to your docs about th NSAIDs and stomach pain, all of your docs. i had an aunt die of a bleeding ulcer. aloha ben on here said he almost had the same thing happen. just please be careful. i do hope you are more like me and a little gastritis causes a lot of pain.

here are a few things i do to help prevent gastritis / ulcers.

i don't take NSAIDs or Cox2 inhibitors. you may not have a choice. or you may find that you can tolerate celebrex better. if i were you, i'd at least ask your doctors about switching to celebrex. sounds like even with the nexium that the NSAIDs could be bothering your stomach.

i don't consume caffeine on a daily basis. caffeine makes my stomach flare worse than almost anything..... except for the NSAIDs and Cox2 inhibitors.

i'm very careful with acidic food (underripe fruit, citrus fruit, citrus juice, tomato sauce, cranberries, pomegranates, currants, gooseberries, etc)

i'm careful with dairy. too much dairy causes my stomach to increase acid production. they've discovered that its the calcium that does this. they used to think that milk would soothe an ulcer, but then discovered that yes, its alkalinity did, but then the patients would have rebound acid worse than before. then discovered the calcium connection. and thus i'm careful about not taking too much calcium at one time and not on an empty stomach.

i keep my stomach full. frequent meals. foods high in fiber. water like you tried helps dilute the acid, but fiber seems to soak it up. when really bad, i take a little psyllium a few times a day.

i use mylanta when i'm in an emergency situation and need to stop the burning ASAP. but usually i don't need mylanta.

i drink copious amounts of ginger tea, peppermint tea (peppermint is good for stomach and bowel inflammation and spasticity, not good for reflux / GERD). eat ginger candy, ginger in food, etc. eat mint in foods, etc. ginger and mint.

and i've taken prilosec (similar to nexium) every day for the last 17 years.

just be careful, hope its just a little inflammation and not an ulcer. but even a little bit of inflammation can cause a lot of pain in some of us. i see that as a convenient early warning sign to intervene.