Acid Reflux pre-pregnancy?

[Maggs]

Does anyone else suffer? I've had GERD for about 12 years now. Up until about a year ago, I managed on Ranitidine but then it got increasingly worse and I had to go on Omeprazole but I can't take it now being pregnant so I'm stuck back on Ranitidine and it just doesn't cut it. I have heartburn regardless of what I eat. I constantly feel sick and even now the thought of eating triggers pain. I've completely cut out caffeine, anything spicy, tomato or citrus based. The head of my bed is raised and I'm chewing several antacid tablets on top of my 2 pills a day. I could easily take 3 as I can barely make it until my next dose. I only drink water or milk now and pretty much live on fairly bland foods. I'm already down to eating about half the amount of food I used to eat before I got pregnant.

 

[nixm]

Hi. I am in a similar boat! Also have GERD. I was on 2 different pills which helped a bit. Gyni told me Nexium (esomeprazole) is fine but to limit the dosage to 20mg. I only have 40mg tablets so haven't been taking them since the gyni told me 40mg is too much (different doc gave me the 40mg).

Have you noticed any triggers? I am gluten intolerant and have found that as soon as I eat gluten it is MUCH worse!! I am also noticing now that dairy products are an issue so I am limiting them. The problem for me as soon as I eat any of these 2 I get the worst acid reflux and it won't go away for at least 12 hours!! And nothing helps...I would take gaviscon and 15min later it's back. I have also read that the problem with dairy is the high fat content so last night I drank some skimmed milk and that seemed to help a bit - more than the antacids!

Good luck and let me know if you find anything that helps. I will do the same .

O I also read that a magnesium shortage can worsen reflux, so I am trying to eat magnesium rich food. Haven't seen a difference though.

 

[Maggs]

I just read that gluten could be an issue. With me, it's pretty much anything citrus, tomato based, most fruits aside from bananas, caffeine and anything with a bit of spice or fat in it. So I'm sticking pretty much to sandwiches, pasta with a bit of cheese, cereal with banana and yogurt at the moment.

I thought you couldn't take Omeprazole in pregnancy? It'd be a treat to go back on it if I could.

 

[nixm]

Nexiun is category B. I checked now and your meds are also category B. I would double check with your doc first though. Just watch out for the pasta as it has gluten in. I only eat gluten free pasta, bread etc. I have also noticed that foods with high sugar content can cause issues.

I did a IgE antibody test many years ago which highlited the foods that are problematic for me. Might be worth it if you don't want to go through elimination diets. For me it was gluten and dairy.

 

[Maggs]

I read that omeprazole is cat C. In pretty limited on what I can eat between foods that aggravate my gerd and food that turns my stomach. I never had any testing done when I was diagnosed. Just given pills and sent on my way.

 

[Catiren]

i have it pretty bad prior to pregnancy and thankfully pregnancy seemed to alleviate alot of my illnesses i had before getting pregnant, like anemia and eczema are all gone since ive gotten pregnant. my acid reflux seems mild now and is only triggered when i eat egg yolk(boiled), gravy, and mcdonalds nuggets. im sure the list is larger but its usually specific things i just cant eat without throwing up. i went to the doctor for chest pains and she told me my gallbladder looks like i should get it taken out after pregnancy even though its not diseased. hm

 

[nixm]

Yeah I see omeprazole is C but esomeprazole is B. So Maybe you can get something thats esomeprazole. Here we get Nexium. I wasn't tested due to the GERD. I have psoriatic arthritis which is autoimmune and my parents insisted I go to a homeopath that one of their friends swear by and he actually tested. Apparently they say autoimmune diseases and food allergies are linked. I do feel better when I don't eat gluten so I guess it's true.

I also get silent reflux which is a bit better as you don't feel it 24/7 but in my case it's so bad that it goes into my sinuses!! But since I've been off the meds it bot silent anymore!!

Catiren: when did your symptoms started to subside? I know in my case I have a 70% change of going into remission for the arthritis. I also have the psoriasis and it has gotten a bit better but it's not gone. From what I have read most ladies say after the first trimester symptoms start to fade. Really hope that will be the case for me!!

 

[pgfairy]

I also had reflux really badly in my teens that has gotten better as I've gotten older but I think it might have been related to my crohns. Anyway I found that totally counter intuitively dairy products made my reflux worse. Which is aweful because of course you drink milk to try and calm heartburn right? Maybe try cutting a few things out for a week or so in turn and see if it gets any better. I'd start with gluten and dairy personally and work my way through, you could have an intolerance to just about anything!

 

[Maggs]

I could do, you never know. I'll have to wait until the food aversions stop for the moment I think because I'm not able to eat much that doesn't make my stomach turn at the thought of it.

 

[kikizz]

I have GERD and find that eating high amounts of gluten or sugar really triggers it for me. I had absolutely terrible heartburn throughout my first pregnancy, but didn't take any medication only antacids. When I delivered the doctors said that my placenta was so calcified and knew that I must have been eating tums like crazy.
I am soooo hoping that this pregnancy is different - so far heartburn hasn't been too bad. fx

 

[techheather]

i too have terrible reflux, day 2-3 after bfp, i quit taking my nexium, out of fear and unsure. that was wrong. i had acid in my mouth , any thoughts of food made heartburn flare up. it was awful. tums eh, helped for 10 minutes.. I called dr as i looked up that ranitidine was class b and so was nexium. what is the difference between two class b's .. i would have never made it with out nexium. i felt like at any moment i could spew fire out of my mouth like a dragon. ick..
i am nervous about the dosage, i do 40mg. they didnt mention going to 20mg(which didnt work)

 

[nixm]

I am with a new gyni and she was the one that mentioned it. She seems to be very strict when it comes to these things. Her exact words were they prefer 20mg and I should try to stick to it. I only have 40mg tabs anf am suffering! Going to pharmacy today to get 20mg. Hopefully it will help.

I get this horrible sensation where I have hunger pangs together with acid reflux?!? Couldn't sleep last night because of it.

 

[cherrished]

I've had acid reflux about 3 times a week with this pregnancy milk seems to really help me xx

 

[Maggs]

Nixm... That's me exactly!

I actually had a fairly good day yesterday. It's been 2 days since I had any caffeine and I had really small meals several times a day yesterday. I'm making a real effort to eat very slow too so I'm feeling full earlier. Thankfully the gluten/dairy doesn't seem to be an issue yet because that's pretty much what I'm living on.

 

[nixm]

Glad to hear I' not alone. I don't mind drinking decaf so havn't really had any caffeine. I finally got some Nexium 20mg and wow what a difference!!! But I am so scared to eat anything. You are very lucky that you can do gluten and dairy! I normally put cheese on everything!