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Suggest Treatment For Severe GERD And Burning Sensation In Esophagus
I have bad Gerd and get strictures at least 2x a year that have to be stretched. I have taken several different Acid Blockers from Prilosec to Prevacid, Nexium and have taken Aciphex for about the last a 8 years . I also have Atrial Fibrillation and have been on Rythmol starting in 1996 and in 2007 changed to Flecainide. I was blaming these heart drugs for the weight that I have lost. In 2001 I was 120 pounds and today I an 96 pounds. I have had 2 CT scans and many doctors are mystified as well as Nutritionists. I eat a lot and lave a lot of energy. Today I Googled Aciphex and found Weight Loss and Horse Voice both of which area big worry. I now really think the Acid Blockers, PPI s, are to blame. How do I get off of this medicine and what do I do to alleviate the burning in my Esophagus. I am now 76 years old. When I went through Menopause I got burning of the mouth and have had this since I was about 55 years old. Are the Strictures definitely caused by the acid ?My Primary Care Dr. lead me to believe that that was not always the case. I get Strictures regardless of taking the Acid Blockers. Could you give me any help on this annoying and rather scary subject. My e-mail is YYYY@YYYY and my name is Wendy Krag. Many Thanks.
Mon, 14 Dec 2020
Hi,
I am not sure if the Aciphex is truly causing that much weight loss. Checking a fecal fat test may help as it is a marker if malabsoprtion. Making sure anxiety and depression are not present is also helpful. Assuming it is the Aciphex, you could take several medications instead of it. This may help to see if the Aciphex is really contributing. You could take high-dose H2 blockers like Famotidine (avoid Cimetedine) and Sucralfate.
This should help with the heartburn and you should be able to go off the Aciphex. Another possibility would be to get surgery done to help prevent heart burn, but usually it would be a last resort and not a simple procedure at your age and with your heart issue. Most esophageal structures are caused by uncontrolled heartburn, but not all. There are other issues with uncontrolled heartburn like changes to the esophagus, chronic cough, nausea, and pain.
Take care. Hope I have answered your question. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Timothy Wong, General & Family Physician
I am not sure if the Aciphex is truly causing that much weight loss. Checking a fecal fat test may help as it is a marker if malabsoprtion. Making sure anxiety and depression are not present is also helpful. Assuming it is the Aciphex, you could take several medications instead of it. This may help to see if the Aciphex is really contributing. You could take high-dose H2 blockers like Famotidine (avoid Cimetedine) and Sucralfate.
This should help with the heartburn and you should be able to go off the Aciphex. Another possibility would be to get surgery done to help prevent heart burn, but usually it would be a last resort and not a simple procedure at your age and with your heart issue. Most esophageal structures are caused by uncontrolled heartburn, but not all. There are other issues with uncontrolled heartburn like changes to the esophagus, chronic cough, nausea, and pain.
Take care. Hope I have answered your question. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Timothy Wong, General & Family Physician
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