Suggest Treatment For Gastritis And Inability To Eat Large Meals

Posted on Tue, 2 Feb 2016

Question: I have gastritis and have a hard time eating large meals. I was wondering if supplementing with ensure will help me stop loosing weight. I am currently taking carafate twice a day. And what else could I take to neutralize the acid in my stomach?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Michelle Gibson (32 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
ensure plus, consider prilosec or nexium

Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic

Gastritis can cause problems with large meals so you should continue using small frequent meals.

The ensure would help with weight gain. There are different formulation so you may want to try ensure plus, this contains 350 calories as compared to the 220 you may other with the other.

The increased calories would cause faster weight gain.

Using high calorie meals or adding condiments to your food may also help with weight gain (eg butter, peanut butter, dressings)

In addition to the carafate, you may want to add a medication such as prilosec or nexium.
These belong to the family of drugs called proton pump inhibitors. These medications reduce acid production in the stomach.
Because they do not get rid of the acid already present but prevent future acid production , it may take 5 to 7 days for an effect in some cases because the body has to get rid of the acid that is there.

I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Michelle Gibson (21 hours later)

Is it ok to take pepcid complete at night to help with acid in stomach .

Answered by Dr. Dr. Michelle Gibson (4 hours later)

Brief Answer:
no interaction

Detailed Answer:
HI

There is no interaction between the carafate and the pepcid complete,so you can use it (the pepcid) to help

Please feel free to ask anything else

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Michelle Gibson (29 hours later)

How long should I use carafate and how do I taper off of it? I have been using it for almost 2 weeks

Answered by Dr. Dr. Michelle Gibson (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
some persons 4 to 8 weeks

Detailed Answer:
HI,

Some persons need to use this medication for 4 to 8 weeks at least but if your symptoms are already improving then you can stop at this time.

Tapering is mainly for medications that cause physical dependence and tolerance (where more and more medication needed for same effect).
Since sucralfate (carafate) does not do either of these, it can be discontinued however you wish eg sudden stop, reduced slowly etc

Let me know if can help with anything else

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Michelle Gibson (10 hours later)

Hi
I am having trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. Could it be any of the meds that im taking or the gastritis itself. What do you suggest i do? Sleep deprivation is setting in. This sucks!!

Answered by Dr. Dr. Michelle Gibson (10 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
possible side effect of sucralfate

Detailed Answer:
HI

Sleep deprivation is horrible. Sleep is important for a lot of different areas of life.

Sucralfate (carafate) can affect sleep in some persons, so it is possible that it is contributing to your problem.
If the gastritis is particularly bad on evenings, then this could be a cause as well.

The options would be to continue the sucralfate and add a sleep aid or to discontinue the sucralfate and see if your sleep improves

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Michelle Gibson (9 minutes later)

Thanks for responding. What type of sleep aid do you suggest. Valerian perhaps. I dont want to take anything that could dehydrate me or cause stomach upset .

Answered by Dr. Dr. Michelle Gibson (6 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
can try to see if helps, no drug interaction

Detailed Answer:
HI

The valerian would be a good option. It does not interact with the sucralfate or pepcid complete so you can try and see if it helps

Hope it does

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Michelle Gibson (2 days later)

Hi. Your recommendation of valerian works ok. I find that the acid in my stomach feels more apparent at night so i wake up frequently throuout the night so during the day i feel sleep deprived but cannot nap. How long does gastritis usually take to resolve itself? And can you give me any more pointers that might help expidite my healing process. I appreciate your help .

Answered by Dr. Dr. Michelle Gibson (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
may need to add another medication

Detailed Answer:
Hi

In some persons the issues may be lifelong.

It is common for the symptoms to be worse at night, or in some cases, in the morning.

At present I believe that you are using carafate and pepcid complete? You can consider adding a medication like nexium or prilosec to this regimen.
These medications stop acid production so they would work along with your current medication, though as mentioned, can take a few days for an effect.

Though sometimes difficult, it would important to stick to the dietary changes for gastritis: (1) small meals frequently instead of large meals
(2)no acidic/spicy foods
(3)limit caffeine, chocolate, onion, tomatoes, mints

Note: For further follow up on digestive issues share your reports here and Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar