
Suffer GERD. Prescribed Ilaprazole And Riflux Forte. Difficulty In Swallowing, Bloating Feeling And Uneasiness. Remedy?

Thank you for contacting XXXXXXX with your questions.
You tell us that you have had GERD symptoms for
over two years now and have had three endoscopic
examinations. I understand that the findings were
negative for ulcers or erosions or narrowing of the
lower esophagus called the stricture. Because the
stricture can make your swallowing difficult due to
blockage, especially for solid foods. You have been
placed on different medications. Ilaprazole is a Korean
and Chinese pharmaceutical PPI similar to Omeprazole.
We do not have much experience with that drug. Riflux
Forte is an antacid with aluminum base. The other one,
Raicip is Rabeprazole which is a good PPI with longer
action. Some of the difficulty in swallowing could be from
spasm at the lower end of the esophagus due to irritation
from the acid. Rantac is a H-2 Blocker and the effect does
only last for about 6-8 hours compared to a PPI where the
acid control can last up to 18 hours or better.
In addition to staying on the medications , it is very important
that you pay attention to the diet as well. Avoid excess caffeine.
Tomato based products, citrus, tobacco, alcohol are all bad.
Same goes for dairy products including whole milk, curd (Yogurt)
cheeses etc.
I would use Rabcip twice a day 60-90 minutes before morning and
evening meals. Do not go to bed for at least two hours after your
last meal. No snacking at nights.
Once in a while you can take the antacid preparation in between but
again the effect will last for about 2-4 hours.
As for H.Pylori , if treated , the GERD symptoms can get worse.
So long as you do not have duodenal ulcer , I will not treat H.Pylori.
Hope this helps you.
I wish you the very best.


My question is, can i live normal life with normal food? Can i not get rid of medicines parmanently? Also You have suggested me not to take milk food and curd but my other doctor saw me 2 yrs back suggested me take curd, i am confused here. What are the side effect of these acid suppressing drugs on long term? Thx in advance again,

My question is, can i live normal life with normal food? Can i not get rid of medicines parmanently? Also You have suggested me not to take milk food and curd but my other doctor saw me 2 yrs back suggested me take curd, i am confused here. What are the side effect of these acid suppressing drugs on long term? Thx in advance again,
Thank you for sending the endoscopy pictures. As they mention,
you do have hiatus hernia and a weak sphincter muscle at the
junction of the esophagus and stomach. In addition they also
mention that the opening between the stomach and duodenum
(Intestine) is also weak and that might make bile back up into
the stomach and combined with acid could cause more damage
to the lining of the stomach and esophagus. You mention a lot
of things in your diet. Tea that you drink contains caffeine and
it can aggravate the symptoms. Cigarette smoking weakens the
sphincter muscle at the junction of esophagus and stomach
making reflux worse.
For the most part PPI class of drugs are safe long term.
Omeprazole has been in use for a long time.
There are some concerns about infections such as pneumonia in
people with weak immune system when they take PPIs for a long
time. One time there was concern about stomach polyps or tumors.
That is no longer true.
If medications can't control your symptoms or if you are very very
concerned about long term medications , you can consider other
options such as surgery . There are newer endoscopic measures to
tighten the junction. You can discuss these with your gastroenterologist.
Try not to combine too many medications , even natural ones.
Whole milk contains fat and also calcium. Fat slows down the emptying
of the stomach and the calcium increases the acid and that is the
reason for restricting if you have acid issues.
I wish you the very best.


Thx once again, while I understand that there is no permanent cure through medicines and if I want to avoid surgery (as most of us would) then I need to continue with PPI tablets and there is no known side-effect. I still have few questions as part of my follow up
1. Scopy shows weak junctions , hole etc - will these aggravate as part of the my aging process? Even if I consider quitting Cigarette completely and cut down tea intake? I don’t drink but I can not avoid stress full work environment. I get tensed quickly under pressure.
2. What are the chances for such disease like Lax XXXXXXX or Hital Hernia etc to become cancerous as I grow older? Will surgery reduce the chances?
3. Sometime I get urine infection along with Riflux symptoms, are these related? Do you think it would help if I upload my complete blood and pathology report as well?
4. Can you please suggest a balanced diet for me? I usually don’t take milk or milk sweet but I take curd regularly and so far that did not trouble and in fact improved my bowel system.
Thx again
I can understand your concerns but you do need to relax.
Hiatus hernia does not turn into cancer. I think by cutting back
on tea intake and quitting smoking , it will help improve the
symptoms. For the most part it is safe to take the PPI drugs
for extended periods of time. When you get complete relief
of symptoms , you can take the drug on an as needed basis.
I don't think there is any relation between PPI and urinary
tract infection.
Try not to think too much about a lot of things.
I am sure that you will be O.K. in the long run.
Wish you good luck.

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