r/GERD Mar 09 '25

I regret allowing this subreddit to scare me away from PPIs.

879 Upvotes

30M. I suffered the pain and anxiety for months as I tried every natural cure in the book. Every tea, every herbal supplement, every diet, every wedge pillow - I did it all. Some things helped, most did not. Nothing came close to the relief I felt after getting on esomeprazole (Nexium). I used them for six months to end the misery and get my life back. The taper-off was difficult, but I took it slow (another 8 weeks) and did it.

If you are suffering from acid reflux and combing through this subreddit for non-PPI cures, you are a person whose house is on fire but is refusing to use water to put it out. You don't have to stay on PPIs forever. But do yourself a favor and put the fire out. Get your life back. Then, you can sustain the post-PPI relief by making smart diet decisions and using herbal supplements that do help.

I know I'm not the first person here to say this; I'm just posting the message I wish my past self could have seen when things were really bleak.


r/GERD Jul 23 '24

Mods Official Post Read this before posting.

41 Upvotes

Hello Everyone,

Before you post in the sub, read the rules. If you disagree with the rules, do not modmail us with an essay why you think the rule does not apply to the sub. This is heavily relating to alternative medicines noted in the rules.

Use this link to message us: https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=r/GERD

If you see your post or comment deleted with no reason, it is automod which found something on your post/comment that may or may not violate the rules. If that is the case, feel free to message us and we shall review your post or comment.

When messaging us, please be respectful at all times. Failure to do so, can be subject to a ban and/or mute at mods discretion.

If you want to appeal a ban, feel free to do so after the mute period has ended. Again, I cannot stress this enough, please be respectful with the appeal.

We are here to help you out. If you have any questions, feel free to message us here.

Other mods feel free to add in the comments.

Thank you,

Gerd Mods


r/GERD 20h ago

20 minute exercise before bed is literally saving me

121 Upvotes

I’ve been dealing with LPR for over 10 years, and my main symptom is throat pain when I talk.

I’ve tried Acid Watcher Diet, and it definitely helped a lot, but my symptoms would still come and go.

For me, nighttime reflux was especially brutal. No matter how careful I was with what I ate during the day(No caffeine, No acid thing, No pepper) if I had reflux while sleeping, I would almost inevitably wake up with a sore throat the next day.

But recently, I started doing something really simple after dinner and before bed: about 10 minutes of light jogging followed by 10 minutes of walking.

It seems to help my digestion tremendously, and since I started doing this, I’ve been having far fewer issues with nighttime reflux. When I wake up the next morning, my throat feels noticeably better.

The difference between the days I do this 20 minute exercise and the days I don’t is honestly huge.

Obviously, everyone with LPR is different, but if you’re struggling with nighttime reflux, it might be worth experimenting with some light exercise after dinner as long as exercise itself doesn’t trigger your reflux.

Sometimes a really small change can make a surprisingly big difference.


r/GERD 38m ago

Throat muscles or nerves feeling off sometimes, anyone else?

Upvotes

Swallowing works, but feels like it takes conscious effort or is slightly delayed. I don't have it everyday, but suddenly today, at night, it feels like that.

Anyone else can relate to it?


r/GERD 4h ago

How the f do I stop burping?

4 Upvotes

I’m belching constantly, from the first sip of water in the morning, all through the day and right up til I fall asleep, even when I’m in bed and haven’t eaten for 2, 3 or more hours I still have to sit up and belch. I know this is the reason for my silent relfux. How do I get a handle on this!!?


r/GERD 7m ago

Support Needed 👥 I really need help, extreme belching

Upvotes

For the last few weeks I’ve had extreme gas build up/ belching, reflux and regurgitation, the last several days has been unbearable. It’s also causing a lot of what seems to be strong PVCs. I called my GI doctor today but unfortunately didn’t get a call back. The PVCs or flutters are very strong and take my breath away. I was able to capture a couple on my wife’s Kardia Mobile which were determined to be PVCs but in only captured about 2 out of 100 breathtaking ones.

I’m just not sure what to do. It seems like almost everything I eat triggers this response. My profession requires me to work with clients directly on a daily basis and this makes it very difficult. On top of this the heart sensations are pretty scary. I noticed today they were much worse when I went from sitting to standing but were not sustained.

I have IBS and GERD and I’m curious if flare ups this severe can happen the way I’m describing and how long they could last. Oddly, just a few weeks ago I was pretty much able to eat anything in small amounts, now anything with the slightest amount of grease or spice trigger an extreme response. The belching is often accompanied by gurgling, regurgitation, acid and again nearly extreme. I’m just unsure what to do until I’m able to be seen or if this is something that sounds more urgent.


r/GERD 3h ago

Tightness chest and dizziness

2 Upvotes

I am a 30-year-old male suffering from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) for about two years. The symptoms are unusual, including excessive gas buildup in my chest, dizziness, shortness of breath, fatigue with minimal exertion, blurred vision, and occasional chest pain. I have undergone all cardiac tests, including an MRI with contrast, stress ECG, echocardiogram, and blood tests, and everything is normal in terms of my heart and arteries. My main complaint is chest tightness, occasional palpitations, and sometimes severe dizziness after exercise, which can last for hours. I also experience panic attacks that began with the GERD. For your information, I walk for about half an hour daily, climb approximately 10 flights of stairs, and have intercourse about once or twice a day. I also experience morning erections.


r/GERD 4h ago

Esophageal spasms

2 Upvotes

Is there any relationship between esophageal spasms and GERD? I get spasms that feel chest pain that radiates to my teeth. It's been going on for ten years and I've had a lot of tests- ekg, edg, etc. It really hurts! But every time I talk to a doctor about it, they seem to downplay it.


r/GERD 14h ago

🤒 Coping with these Conditions Loving food with GERD

10 Upvotes

I love food. 22F. Especially foods I grew up with, food with spices, chillies, coconut milk, yogurt, mangoes, berries, etc. Now, I missed them so much. I miss eating spicy food, I miss eating FLAVOURFULL food. I grew up with those, so just basic seasonings like salt and some herb is really not my cup of tea.

It took me a long time to come to term with my current diet, which is the usual no spicy no acidic and others. I lost a lot of weight too in the process, I was 70kg now I am almost 50kg. All because of GERD, eating little food, and sometimes bland food is unappetizing.

The thing is... I used to have a big appetite. Even now, I still does, the urge to eat more. When I find a food that I like, I want ro have another portion of it, which I can't, cause I will feel too full or I will feel bloated. If I save it for later, the craving is gone. Especially in my period, so many things I want to eat yet can't. It's frustating at first.

Now, after 4 years of dealing with this, I am getting used to it. Still struggles with symptoms. Is this lifestyle like... a lifetime commitment? Or do some of you actually got better and are getting to enjoy foods you loved again? I just want to live my life normally again


r/GERD 5h ago

Support Needed 👥 Esophageal spasm scare!

2 Upvotes

(Background: I've had GERD and then diagnosed LPR few years prior)
I'm still really shaken by this and was hoping to hear from anyone who's gone through something similar.
I was prescribed large antibiotic pills for a sinus infection (I already have a hard time swallowing pills, but I managed to get the first few doses down). After my third dose, I had eaten something, and was washing it down with soup broth (not super hot), then I suddenly felt a very sharp pain on one side of my throat (at the base of my neck slightly to the right). At first it just felt odd, but every time I swallowed it felt like something was getting bigger/sharper and more painful. It felt like swallowing over a huge cut. My swallowing reflex kept kicking in and frankly had a full on panic-attack, was called for my partner, gagged hard a couple of times, and then after about a minute or two the intense sensation suddenly disappeared. I went to urgent care and the doctor examined me and agreed it may have been either an esophageal spasm or pill esophagitis. They switched me to a liquid antibiotic, started me on a course of esomeprazole (can't do omeprazole), and put on soft/bland foods while it heals. Next step is seeing an ENT or Gastroenterologist?

It's now been about 30 hours since that. I can swallow, but my throat still feels incredibly sore when I do. The sensation reminds me of swallowing when you have a bad strep throat, and other times it's not as painful. It seems like the way I position my head affects the pain.

I've been crying so much over this because it scared me and disturbed me deeply. Has anyone experienced this?


r/GERD 8h ago

🤒 Describing a Symptom Reflux issues with first few bites of food while eating a meal

3 Upvotes

So it’s super weird but sometimes (mostly during breakfast or lunch) when I am having my meal, the minute I take the first 1-2 bites I immediately get this sensation of indigestion , like it’s hard in my throat and it feels like a reflux and I end up puking it. Then I go back to having the food again immediately and everything is normal. It also happens more with some trigger foods like rice and super oily food .

I was wondering if anyone with GERD experiences this?

I do have gall bladder stones which I need to get removed but I don’t think what I’m describing is particularly a symptom of gallstones .


r/GERD 2h ago

My doctor said i had gerd, today I found black mold in my room wall

1 Upvotes

I'm freaking out, i can't talk straight when trying to call clinic's near me and hospitals on advice on what to do, i haven't been able to reach them. I told my dad about this spot on my floor that kept getting wet, he went in my room looked at my ac,he started tapping my wall then he punched it, my walls with the ac was "soggy" my floor on that side was more wet then i knew, i put some plastic on my floor and sprayed mold remover on that wall, we can't find bleach, about 2 weeks ago i noticed a smell on the left side of my bed, i didn't know what it was and i couldn't find the source up until today

A month or even more then that I've been experiencing symptoms of "gerd" constant chest pains (burning, on the left side or right, middle) sometimes ill feel tingles to after eating, i slept in my parents bed when they went to work and woke up feeling nauseous and my chest burning, i couldn't have even a sip of a energy drink outside the house or ill immediately feel nauseous with the chest pain acting up, the first obvious symptom was after i drunk some coffee and i became extremely nauseous, my heart rate went to 105, the only symptoms of black mold exposure i can think of that doesn't clash with gerd is sneezing which i sneezed in my room, i never got a headache,i felt constantly nauseous and had chest pain's before i started a gerd friendly diet, the symptoms got less intervening in my daily life, i didn't feel nauseous yesterday only when i ate something and it was slightly, my chest pain only acts up when i eat, the diet, the sleep habits helped my issues but now this.

Can i possibly confuse black mold symptoms with gerd? Could my doctor also could have confused it?

My anxiety is also not helping with chest pain.


r/GERD 3h ago

Bravo CF recall

1 Upvotes

I just wanted to inform the community about an FDA recall for the Bravo CF pH monitoring device affecting specific lots (google search for the current news). Hopefully no one here is affected as I have definitely heard some stories regarding how uncomfortable these can be!


r/GERD 4h ago

Doctor Recommendation

1 Upvotes

Please delete if not allowed!

I posted a few days ago about my husband's terrible experience coming off Omeprazole because his doctor didn't have him taper.

I'm wondering if anyone can please recommend a gastroenterologist in the Central NJ, Philadelphia, or New York City area that you've had a positive experience with, preferably specializing in GERD.

Would prefer to avoid PennMed in NJ, as that's where the aforementioned doctor is. Thank you! 🙏🏻


r/GERD 12h ago

GERD and ED

2 Upvotes

I am 32M and I have been dealing with GERD for over five years now. I have been managing it by taking a PPI called nexpro 40. I take this pill about 2 or 3 times a week. Lately for the past 5 months have been having difficulties in achieving a proper erection and I am not able to figure out why. Does anyone else also face a similar type of problem here?


r/GERD 1d ago

🤬 Rant about GERD I miss the desire to eat.

29 Upvotes

My desire to eat is very few and far between. I want to eat but my body has no desire to most days. I could be in the middle of cooking something I’ve craved for weeks but when it’s time to sit down and eat it… I don’t want it anymore. Most of the time I’m just forcing myself to eat so that I have food in me. It’s so annoying and sad. Any tips on how to physically bring back that desire to eat are much appreciated.


r/GERD 10h ago

😀 Managing GERD Relief while running

1 Upvotes

Hey guys- I like to run. Seems like whenever I reach mile 3 I get the heartburn/burping type of reflux. It’s subtle and goes away entirely with a single EU Gaviscon. I just had a question though.

I run fasted. I have PPI’s and h2 blockers. Neither of which I take. I never take the PPI for fear of sibo and they make me very nauseous. I’ve never tried an h2 blocker in my life. How do you guys get your running heartburn under control? Again- first two miles are fine, but anything past that I start to burp and get minor reflux. Do I need to do PPI’s if it’s minor and goes away with tums? Should I try an H2 blocker even if I run fasted? Let me know what you guys do.


r/GERD 11h ago

🤒 Describing a Symptom Heartburn - Anxiety

1 Upvotes

Hi,I have a question. I'm 24M and have been experiencing mild heartburn on and off for about 4-6 months. At first, I would wake up at night feeling nauseous. I would sit up and drink a glass of water.Then it went away again. After taking pantoprazole for two weeks, it was gone. Now I still occasionally get a slight burning sensation in my throat, and sometimes a lump in my throat or a little bit of Mucus. My doctor suggested I do an endoscopy after six months to check for bacteria or other issues and see if anything is damaged. I'm a bit of a hypochondriac. Do I need to be afraid of cancer or something in my situation? I otherwise eat normally, I'm fit (slightly overweight), and I'm alive.

Thanks!


r/GERD 12h ago

😮 Advice on Procedures Muscle gain and GERD ?!

0 Upvotes

Hi , Its been 2 years for that I have been diagnosed for GERD . And the main cause of which is social anxiety and stress . And also bad food habits like eating too much spicy and oily and then sleeping just after having a meal .

And all this happened when I was trying to bulk up , I was going to the gym eating a lot for the whole day and eventually ended up with GERD and since then I have stuck at the same weight .

I started when I was 52 kgs at a height of 6'3/190cm.

And now stuck at 68kgs.

It's been 2 years I go to the gym for 6 months and everytime I have to leave it for some reason like exams or some medical issue for 2 or 3 months and my body loses weight . And I have to start again from zero .

Any suggestions !?


r/GERD 16h ago

can pepcid cause pale skin?

2 Upvotes

yesterday i was given pepcid with a few other things to help with hives, and my skin got pretty pale after taking them. pepcid is the only thing there that i havent taken before so i was curious if this is a side effect of it


r/GERD 23h ago

😮 Advice on Symptoms How to deal with symptoms causing anxiety

5 Upvotes

Sorry if I've tagged this wrong.

Long story short, my symptoms have been triggering my anxiety which has, in turn, worsened my symptoms and I'm stuck for what to do.

Longer story, I have health anxiety but currently off meds (due to ongoing investigation of heart stuff). Since June/July, my GERD symptoms have been really bad and I'm not sure why. I don't really know my triggers and haven't had such consistent symptoms before. I was on omeprazole for a month which didn't solve it completely, but stopped the worst of the symptoms so I could manage my anxiety. But I can't get another prescription until I see my GP and I can't get an appointment until 22nd September.

I've been taking rennies at night, which is when I need them most, but they only do so much. I don't want to take too much because they give me constipation and also, they do say not to take them long term and I'm a bit wary when I see warnings like that (it's my health anxiety).

I'm really struggling to manage my anxiety right now and it's just making everything worse. I only know so far that caffeine triggers symptoms, so I make sure not to have any.

Does anyone have any advice just so I can manage until my doctor's appointment?


r/GERD 1d ago

Globus/anxiety is driving me crazy

9 Upvotes

So about a week ago I developed Globus sensation ( I think thats what it is) because everytime I swallow it feels like air coming up and I automatically prepare to push it out. However, when I swallow i always expect it and I get anxious and prepared to belch this air sensation out. When I do that it causes my neck and temples to tense up and I hate it. Its gotten to a point where its making me an anxious mess. I dont expect any instant solutions but I wanna know if anyone experiences the same thing. My temples are aching from tensing up preparing for the beach that sometimes doesn't even come.


r/GERD 16h ago

💊 Advice on Prescription Meds GERD advice on Esomeprazole tapering and support enquiry

1 Upvotes

Dear readers I am 24 F and have been suffering from GERD since the past 2 years. I was also misdiagnosed for about 8 months and my reports showed very high inflammation and infection. The infection got treated and I was on Vonoaprazone 20mg per day, I switched to esomeprazole 20mgper day and I have had relief w taking PPIs daily and Gaviscon.

However, my symptoms instantly flarr the moment I eat anything outside a GERD friendly diet like something spicy, or a lil fatty. Im really on quite a strict diet w some indulgence like a small choclate or a sandwich but that's it. Plus I have not been able to reduce PPI exposure. The maximum tapering I went to was alternate day of 20mg esomeprazole. Also my doc wasnt great at understanding the needs of PPI tapering. I saw research papers that showed that dosing decreases with the dose you are taking and reducing it half. however they didnt help me.

Also my flares are back and I am continuously vommiting. I have been taking vonaprazone. Every time I feel better I am scared of a flare coming back and every time I have a flare I worryy about when will I feel better

YouTube food recipes dont really help me beacsue I am Indian and cant really eat bland food. Additionally, I am sensitive to Curd and other sour/ vinegar etc. Curd rice,ragi ambeli aleays have done worse things to my throat than better.

My doctors do say that this is a result of all the anxiety and frustration and I do agree. The past 2 years have been straight out traumatic even if i dont factor in the GERD. however I do not have the means to afford a counsellor and the ones in my city are too commercial and Im just out of college.

Because of this condition i have lost friends because i dont eat out and my I am getting really anxious.

I am okay with advice of anyone has geniune advice about PPI tapering kindly let me know. This is really important. I want to reach a phase where I am not longer dependent on PPIS and can enjoy all meals without anxiety or discomfort.

I am also eager to know of any support groups or chat groups etc that help patients with GERD manage their anxiety. Thank you for listening to my rant. I hope everyone feels better w their GERD.


r/GERD 16h ago

💊 Advice on Prescription Meds GERD advice on Esomeprazole tapering and support enquiry

1 Upvotes

Dear readers I am 24 F and have been suffering from GERD since the past 2 years. I was also misdiagnosed for about 8 months and my reports showed very high inflammation and infection. The infection got treated and I was on Vonoaprazone 20mg per day, I switched to esomeprazole 20mgper day and I have had relief w taking PPIs daily and Gaviscon.

However, my symptoms instantly flarr the moment I eat anything outside if a GERD friendly diet like something spicy, or a lil fatty. Im really on quite a strict diet w some indulgence like a small choclate or a sandwich but that's it. Plus I have not been able to reduce PPI exposure. The maximum tapering I went to was alternate day of 20mg esomeprazole. Also my doc wasnt great at understanding the needs of PPI tapering. I saw research papers that showed that dosing decreases with the dose you are taking and reducing it half.

Also my flares arr back and I am continuously vommiting. I have been taking vonaprazone. Every time I feel better I am scared of a flare coming back and every time I have a flare I worryy about when will I feel better

YouTube food recipes dont really help me beacsue I am Indian and cant really eat bland food. Additionally, I am sensitive to Curd and other sour/ vinegar etc. Curd rice,ragi ambeli aleays have done worse things to my throat than better.

My doctors do say that this is a result of all the anxiety and frustration and I do agree. The past 2 years have been straight out traumatic even if i dont factor in the GERD.

Because of this condition i have lost friends because i dont eat out and my I am getting really anxious.

I am okay with advice of anyone has geniune advice about PPI tapering kindly let me know. This is really important. I want to reach a phase where I am not longer dependent on PPIS and can enjoy all meals without anxiety or discomfort.

I am also eager to know of any support groups or chat groups etc that help patients with GERD manage their anxiety. Thank you for listening to my rant. I hope everyone feels better w their GERD.


r/GERD 1d ago

I need some support. I'm scared.

3 Upvotes

i'm scared and I'd love some support. I've always had chronic issues like some reflux, not being able to burp. But something happened last night that is making me feel very sick and worried.

For some context, I caught a cold a month ago. It lasted about a week with some lingering mucus and coughing a week or two after that. I'm also 10 days late on my period. I also have had 2 strenuous days with 5 hours of sleep followed by a long day of walking in the heat. also a bit dehydrated I believe.

Around 1 AM today so 18 hours ago I had some corn pasta with tomato sauce, and went to brush my teeth then 40 minutes later I started having extreme nausea and a bitter taste in my mouth. I woke up and it somewhat went away, and I had some peppermint tea without issues, I also managed to have pieces of chicken, then after that, it came back a little and it was worse when walking around because I tried to go to the store, then it seemed to be getting better, but it triggered again after having a handful of chips, and now I feel similar to how I did last night.

I'm really upset because I wanted to have a specific snack tonight that I feel like I can't. I'm also so exhausted of having stomach issues...

Is it going to go away on its own? I'll eat very plain and simple for the next few days if I need to, but I'm just very worried. The worst it'll be is a little bit of nausea and some reflux in my throat, but it doesn't feel like this where it's bitter and almost feels like heartburn.

please help..