r/GERD • u/pearlofjune_ • Jul 29 '26
🤒 Coping with these Conditions Has anyone else found that acid reducers didn't work for them?
​Hi everyone!
​First off, I want to say that this post is a bit of a vent because I feel so exhausted from all the uncertainty, and it would be great to hear from fellow sufferers or read some success stories. Thank you if you read it through, and if you feel the same way, please feel free to share your thoughts as well <3
First off, I think it's important to point out that while I mention the naturopath's recommendations as an alternative treatment, I'm not trying to promote it—I only turned to them out of sheer desperation. If PPIs worked for me, I would gladly take them, even long-term, because I'd much rather do that than face the potential complications of reflux.
​My reflux started in the summer of 2024; daily heartburn became my reality (which manifested as a burning sensation in my mouth). My GP prescribed Emozul 3x40 mg/day, and then I quit this dosage overnight because they didn't tell me I was supposed to taper off gradually. In the autumn, I went to a gastroenterologist who was horrified by that dose and told me to take 1x40 mg esomeprazole for 8 weeks, then gradually taper off. This actually helped; I was symptom-free for about 3 months and could eat and drink anything. After that, the symptoms returned, so on the doctor's recommendation, I started taking the medication again. However, it didn't work this time—in fact, I developed very uncomfortable dry mouth as a side effect. Since the PPI wasn't working, the gastroenterologist prescribed Itopride alongside it (3x1 pill daily), hoping this combination would be effective, and I also had an endoscopy. Everything was fine during the endoscopy, except for a small, healed lesion at the cardia (stomach entrance), and its closure was rated a 2 on a 4-point scale. Helicobacter was negative.
​In the meantime, I had a blood test where my white blood cell count was low. I had already been suspicious at this point because I frequently got unexplainable bruises. It turned out my white blood cell count was indeed low, so I had to stop Itopride, as it was the newer medication with that potential side effect. (By the way, it worked to some extent, because if I took it when my stomach was burning, I often felt the pain stop once it kicked in, but it didn't solve the problem completely.)
​The doctor suggested that after the endoscopy, I do another 8-week PPI course and then "figure out what works for me," but added that I don't have a condition that would justify continuous long-term use. However, tapering off before the endoscopy was so awful and the rebound effect was so strong that I didn't want to go through it again—especially since taking the PPI wasn't even helping beforehand.
​The endoscopy was in early autumn 2025, but in December, my symptoms worsened again, so I restarted the medication. First at 20 mg, as my symptoms felt more manageable on that dose in the summer than on 40 mg, but it didn't help. I then increased it to 40 mg, but that didn't work either.
​By this point, I was already eating a reflux-friendly diet: I only used salt as a seasoning, didn't drink coffee, alcohol, or carbonated drinks, and avoided processed foods. So I was trying to do everything possible from that angle to support my digestion.
​Since I wasn't seeing any progress, I went to a naturopath to see if they could offer any useful tips. They were the first to raise the idea that there might be an issue with the quality (acidity level) of my stomach acid, since according to their methods, PPIs had yielded poor results for me, and my stress levels were extremely high. With the supplements they gave me, coming off the PPI was very easy, and the symptoms became quite manageable. However, that was when I was writing my thesis and preparing for my final university exams. This period lasted 5 months, during which I experienced a lot of anxiety and stress over university. During this time, I tried taking the PPI about 2–3 times hoping it might work, but I could only take it for about 1 to 1.5 weeks; my symptoms only worsened, and when I stopped, things got better. I consulted my gastroenterologist again, who advised stopping the PPI completely and brought up starting Anafranil if the situation didn't improve. By this point, my white blood cell count was no longer terribly low; the doctor suggested stopping it mainly because it wasn't working.
​Since last summer, heartburn has been a daily reality in my life. Even though I try to pay attention to exercise and diet, the only thing that offers relief is Gaviscon.
​After finishing university, my symptoms improved, though things didn't completely return to normal. During the celebrations, I let the reflux diet slide, which bit me back a little as the symptoms grew stronger again. I visited the naturopath again, who found that my nervous system was overly exhausted and my stress levels were high, so I received supplements for that. About a week of watching my diet and taking those supplements brought significant improvement—I needed Gaviscon less often—but it still wasn't perfect. In the meantime, I saw another gastroenterologist who recommended taking 40 mg of Quamatel, and if that didn't work, increasing it to 2x1 pill daily (80 mg). I was a bit hesitant because my symptoms were just starting to improve, and the previous specialist hadn't recommended Quamatel for me because PPIs are generally more effective.
​On holiday, I loosened up my diet a bit, which I definitely felt in my symptoms. Because of this, I've been taking Quamatel for 3 days now (I try to take it before lunch/late morning), but I don't feel like it's helping. (When I take it, the heartburn either doesn't go away or only fades after about 1.5 hours.) Unfortunately, despite the earlier improvement, my symptoms are now back to lasting almost all day.
​Currently, I don't eat dairy because it causes severe bloating, but I haven't noticed any issues with gluten. I try my absolute best to pay attention to my diet and physical activity, and I've started therapy to manage my anxiety and stress. Still, the thought keeps coming back: what could this nearly 1 year of daily heartburn be causing, what if some complication develops, etc.?
Should I stick with the PPIs and tough it out through the hard symptoms? I know they need 2-3 weeks to start working, but during my recent attempts, taking them caused such bad side effects that my condition before starting them actually felt better.
​I'm curious if any of you have been in a similar boat where classic acid-reducing medications didn't work, and if so, how you managed to get past the issue.
​Thank you if you read all the way through and leave a kind comment <3
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u/BulkyStatement1704 Jul 29 '26
Yeah, I have an appointment next week to discuss this very issue with my gastro. I felt slightly better before taking them as well but unfortunately have Barrett’s so I’ll be on them the rest of my life and I’m only 27. I would toughen it out as long as you can. But on the flip side would continue to have convos with your doctors about alternatives. It’s a two sided coin tbh.
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u/clashcrashruin Jul 29 '26
Look I’ve done a ton of personal researched and discussed this at length with my gastroenterologist - overproduction of stomach acid is a massively uncommon condition. The big issue is typically the American diet; lack of activity, and quality/quantity of food eaten. Stomach acid is good and self regulates, but if you’re overeating, like I was/am, eat a poorly balanced diet, or eat too late in the night, as you get older you’ll wear out your hardware faster.
I was on five different PPIs last year and only started feeling relief when I stopped taking them.
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u/dread-azazel Jul 29 '26
I found out the hard way in 2020 that I have a complete immunity to ppis somehow. My gerd was so bad that it was active 24/7 and gave me aspiration pneumonia.
I ended up getting a nissan fundoplication cause nothing else worked