Is taking an H2 blocker instead of a PPI worth it?

Welcome to the forum, helioseed.

Sorry you had to come find us. There is a lot of information here, so read the threads at the top of the list to find the basics and a lot of links. Also put your key words into the search box at the top of the page to see what's in the older posts.

We're not doctors so all we can do to help is describe our own individual experiences. While you may find some of this helpful, there will be a lot of things that don't apply to you at all. We can diagnose or advise.

Forget all those diets and find your own triggers. That's how I got rid of my refluxing/burping/heaving, and in my specific case - tachycardia. You've already started in that direction. My allergist had me keep a FOOD JOURNAL (Put that into the search box!) Now write your own experiences down! I found out I had specific food intolerances! When I got a partial list I googled it with "food allergies" and fount there was one chemical in my trigger foods, drinks and meds causing all my reactions. I still had a bad LES, but my refluxing events stopped. Before you can treat a problem you need to find out what you're treating.

Nothing wrong with the H2 blockers in my experience. I took them for years until PPIs became available. Then I took those for many years and was perfectly happy until I was in an accident that shoved my stomach into my chest and I had to have surgery. Ignore the horror stories. People who don't have problems don't post, and they are by far in the majority. Ignore the herbal remedies too. You don't know what's in them. Avoid wacko-quacko treatments and see a qualified, board certified gastroenterologist.

With as much trouble as you're having you really need to see a doctor. You must get insurance. If you're in the US that's not hard and there's subsidies if you don't have much income. Go online and check it out. If I'm off base and ignorant, please let me hear your experience. I have insurance, so haven't checked it out personally.

Is your dairy problem lactose or the protein? Have you tried lactose-free milk? Many adults lose the ability to digest lactose. I can't drink regular milk or eat regular ice cream, but I tolerate some cheese and yogurt. I keep lactase tablets on hand.

Is the carb problem wheat or all gluten? There are a lot of related problems, so keeping the food journal/log/diary will help you identify the exact ingredients. You can't just avoid ALL carbs.
Drinking a bunch of alkaline water is more expensive than popping some Tums. I actually used those before the H2 blockers came out. (Yes, I've been around for a while.)

Alcie said...
Welcome to the forum, helioseed.

Sorry you had to come find us. There is a lot of information here, so read the threads at the top of the list to find the basics and a lot of links. Also put your key words into the search box at the top of the page to see what's in the older posts.

We're not doctors so all we can do to help is describe our own individual experiences. While you may find some of this helpful, there will be a lot of things that don't apply to you at all. We can diagnose or advise.

Forget all those diets and find your own triggers. That's how I got rid of my refluxing/burping/heaving, and in my specific case - tachycardia. You've already started in that direction. My allergist had me keep a FOOD JOURNAL (Put that into the search box!) Now write your own experiences down! I found out I had specific food intolerances! When I got a partial list I googled it with "food allergies" and fount there was one chemical in my trigger foods, drinks and meds causing all my reactions. I still had a bad LES, but my refluxing events stopped. Before you can treat a problem you need to find out what you're treating.

Nothing wrong with the H2 blockers in my experience. I took them for years until PPIs became available. Then I took those for many years and was perfectly happy until I was in an accident that shoved my stomach into my chest and I had to have surgery. Ignore the horror stories. People who don't have problems don't post, and they are by far in the majority. Ignore the herbal remedies too. You don't know what's in them. Avoid wacko-quacko treatments and see a qualified, board certified gastroenterologist.

With as much trouble as you're having you really need to see a doctor. You must get insurance. If you're in the US that's not hard and there's subsidies if you don't have much income. Go online and check it out. If I'm off base and ignorant, please let me hear your experience. I have insurance, so haven't checked it out personally.

Is your dairy problem lactose or the protein? Have you tried lactose-free milk? Many adults lose the ability to digest lactose. I can't drink regular milk or eat regular ice cream, but I tolerate some cheese and yogurt. I keep lactase tablets on hand.

Is the carb problem wheat or all gluten? There are a lot of related problems, so keeping the food journal/log/diary will help you identify the exact ingredients. You can't just avoid ALL carbs.
Drinking a bunch of alkaline water is more expensive than popping some Tums. I actually used those before the H2 blockers came out. (Yes, I've been around for a while.)

Thanks for your help. I have been keeping a list of personal trigger foods, but I didn't think to look into any further than that, like you did. I will definitely start doing that though! If you don't mind my asking, what was the chemical in the food that was bothering you?

I actually have insurance, but I can't afford to meet my deductible and can't find any doctors willing to work with me about the payment. I'm strapped for cash and living paycheck to paycheck without any means of increasing my income. That's why it's been so hard to see a doctor.

Yes, I'm lactose intolerant and have been eating lactose-free ice cream and milk lately and taking lactase tablets with yogurt and cheese, but it seems to cause post nasal drip (another problem I've had for years actually). Before I developed GERD, I thought I had LPR, but I'm not sure what's going on anymore. Dairy seems to sit well with my stomach, but I find myself choking afterward because of the post nasal drip. I'm not sure which is worse.

I'm not sure about the carbs. Things like bread, chips, crackers, rice, buckwheat, and cereal make my stomach burn and cause post nasal drip. Since the GERD developed, I can't tolerate potatoes and bananas either. I've just been trying to avoid most carbs because they bother me the most. My diet right now is basically:

Breakfast: Eggs, mild breakfast sausage, sometimes egg whites if I'm having trouble

Lunch: Ground turkey/turkey patties, steamed green beans/a little butter

Dinner: Ground turkey/chicken or patties, another steamed vegetable with a small amount of butter

Snacks: Cheese sticks, deli ham or turkey, mixed nuts (only in small amounts), low fat yogurt, lactose-free ice vanilla ice cream

It seems like it'd be enough, but I'm only eating about 800 calories a day. I've been looking into lactose-free protein/nutritional drinks, but at this point, I'm just scared to eat anything that's not plain and boring.

Hi Helioseed,
I actually got put onto zantac instead of PPI - as I found the PPI's were giving me too many side effects. I think they are well worth a try.
I was just thinking of how you could bulk your diet out - have you tried gluten free bread and pasta? sometimes lactose intolerance and gluten intolerance go hand in hand. I'm lucky that my triggers are mainly the usual suspects - and I am not allergic to them, but tomato based anything kills me! I have found if I don't eat processed food and cook for myself mostly - I am OK.
Hope you find something that works!

Hi again,

By timing do you mean time of day or what stage along the road as it were? Time of day is soon after waking 150 mg which lasts exactly 12 hours, so I take the next 150 mg around 7.30 pm. Sometimes I can stretch the timing of it, or even forget the evening dose until later on, but most days I watch the clock as I don't want any breakthrough. I was told to take 300 mg if needed, but I have found more doesn't impact on my symptoms. Sometimes I do it for peace of mind in terms of protecting my oesophagus if something has really set me off.

My food allergies predate my GERD by 20 years. When my allergies are not under control my skin is bad, but I've never had a reflux flare coincide with an allergy flare, so I think in my case they are operating under separate influences.

I've had no side effects on Zantac, except possibly reduced iron absorption, but you get that with PPIs anyway. It's a clean drug that your body can efficiently eliminate and I think it should be tried more often before PPIs!

MMM