Quote:
Originally Posted by hobbes9324
Starting off with pepcid and tagamet, as another poster suggested, is probably prudent.
Why do you hate pharmacists? Tons of drug interactions for no reason imo.
Quote:
Originally Posted by hobbes9324
I'd urge you to see a GI guy if stuff was getting stuck. Your problem might be more structural (like a schatzki's ring - they can sedate you and pop it open - problem solved) - and you don't want to obstruct your esophagus a third of the way thru your dream cruise to Australia. While they're down there, they can make sure you dont have any other issues.
And you have it backwards - you might be risking cancer by not treating the reflux. No cancer from omeprazole - just potential kidney issues.....
MM MD
I really doubt there's anything to this PPIs kidney stuff. I think the 2 issues are 1) long-term absorption of stuff that needs acid to be absorbed (iron, calcium, magnesium, etc), and 2) Increased risk of pneumonia (your stomach acid usually kills all the bacteria so when you burp stuff up and it gets in your lungs you don't get sick).
We've got 3 classes of stuff for stomach acid:
1) Proton pump Inhibitors: They work awesome for prevention, can't be used to treat heartburn you have now as they take 3-5 days to fully work (tho the placebo effect is much faster but i just ruined that for you). Should probably taper off them when you stop taking them.
2) H2 blockers: Work in about 30 minutes, last about half a day. Pretty cool as you can take them before you eat something that's gonna be a problem. They don't work as well as the PPIs tho. Also, if you get all red and flushed when you drink (Asians, looking at you) you can take these to stop that from happening, if you want. And like i said, don't take cimetidine because it makes my life harder for no reason.
3) Antacids: Work immediately on contact, can be a good source of minerals. Tums are cool as they're basically the best calcium supplement on the market. Calcium can be constipating, magnesium the opposite, and if you've got bad kidneys don't take aluminum-based antacids.