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Does anyone know what is the best over the counter medication for acid reflux? My wife is having a very hard time, we called the Doctors office and the nurses said that it is a side effect of the chemotherapy. They recommended prilosec.
She is experiencing a little nausea and this is her fifth dose of chemo. Can anyone recommend what are the best foods for her to eat right now? She can only handle clear chicken broth without it getting bad.
Dehydration Cancer Acid reflux GERD Falls Nexium Zantac Prevacid Carafate Constipation Probiotics Chemotherapy Aciphex Heartburn Prilosec Stress Omeprazole
I used my Zofran for acid stomach,,never had nause but it worked. Pepcid and Zantac are OTC and sleep with elevated head of bed.
But seriously, try the antinausea meds and Zofran is the one I liked.
Bland foods are good but you have to get the symptom under control so she can eat.
Good luck!!
I used Prilosec too.
Just get into her tummy anything that sounds good, even sucking on popsicles. Dehydration is the enemy here.
Another suggestion for nausea is pot.
Jeanie
Zantac and take the 150 mg. It can be taken several times a day...check with the doctor however. Diet...she probably can't eat much anyway, but stay low acid foods, liquid if possible, and sleep on an elevated bed (up to 10 inch blocks under upper feet of bed) plus don't eat for at least two hours before bedtime, more than two is better. I know since I suffer from it terribly off chemo too. On the nauseau I took Kytrel and at the end when it was bad and breaking through the Kytrel, I also took a phenergen suppository (prescription) and drank ginger tea.
My doctor recommended Prilosec for the acid reflux. I used it for a few days after each chemo. I had a prescription for nausea, but didn't need it.
Since I have been off of chemo, I have found taking acidophilus pearls has helped with stomach upsets for me.
Ginger is supposed to be good, too. If the nurse told you to get OTC drugs, call back and ask whether your wife can take 2 prilosecs a day. I'd also ask the doctor to prescribe something stronger than over the counter drugs.
Foods to avoid: tomato-based products, anything citrus, caffeine, peppermint (I thought that was odd, but it was a biggie.), cheese for some. For some of us, it's anything spicy; for others, anything with citrus; for still others, fatty food; for some, all of the above! I'd also switch to 1% milk if she can tolerate milk products at all. I was a huge yogurt eater, but had to back off when the attacks were bad. I didn't think about lowfat yogurt; that might have worked.
I had dealt with reflux for years before chemo.
I didn't realize how much damage the reflux was doing during chemo. I lost my singing voice for two years and am just regaining some of it. Thankfully since I'm a teacher, I didn't lose my speech.
At one point before I went back on chemo, I took Nexium and that worked. The indigestion was related to the cancer return, but I didn't need the meds while on chemo.
Re foods - it's probably going to be trial and error but do the obvious and have your wife avoid anything fried, with a lot of acid, salt, citrus. Pasta without a tomato sauce, eggs, clear soups (add some rice), bread, jello, canned fruit, all would probably be good. The nutritionist at her cancer center should be able to help with a diet because it's very important that she maintain her strength while on chemo. These things will pass, but they can be very hard to deal with. Hope she does well on the chemo.
There is a generic Prilosec....omeprazole....I was taking 2 daily and have cut it to once daily...without it, the reflux rears it's ugly head...a priscription for 20 mg of Omeprazole is quite inexpensive...I have 3 family members that now take it and are so relieved.
FavoriteAunt... just a question regarding the indigestion that turned out to in a recurrence. Did you have it long before they were able to say for sure and did you also have a raise in CA125 at the same time? I ask because I have had this continuous nausea, excess salivation and indigestion since about a week after my last dose of chemo. Nothing helps it and is there every day. I had these exact symptoms prior to my diagnosis and I just wonder how low you have to put up with it until they see something definitive. Three weeks after my end of chemo labs/CT I had a slight elevation in CA125 but not enough to worry the doctor. Am patiently (not!) waiting the next one in a week.
Hi, first hope your wife will get some relief and she gets to feel better. I find that Zantac for acid reflux works great the 150mg. I was asked if I wanted a precrption for Zofran or Emend buts its not bad for me to need it.
For eating the suggestions the ladies gave are great, but I never follow what they say. What worked for me is all things chicken breast sliced from the deli it went down really easy I rolled pieces of it and ate it when I felt hungry. It gave me protein which gave me strength and in turn I felt better.
I strayed away from breads and things. Lots of protein. Eggs went down well and did not bother me with my reflux, funny thing all things like fruits and breads bothered me , while Sliced chicken breast , chicken strips did not.
I also like to make sugar free Crystal Light ( the generic store brand is good) in either lemonade or lemon lime frozen pops. You can get ice cube trays and stick toothpicks in , or buy those popcicle makers. I think those are refreshing and you can eat them all day.
For variety on her broth try begtable broth or beef broth , the veggie broth has great flavor and College Inn makes a tasty one.
lifeisgrand,
I'm generally not prone to that kind of indigestion - I was really uncomfortable - and had it for several weeks. I went to see my gastroenterologist in 9/08 for a consult in anticipation of an overdue colonoscopy (postponed the previous year because of a recurrence). He was very thorough, prescribed the Nexium, but also told me to tell my oncologist about it. He wanted to know if my previous CT scan included the chest (since I had a cough too) and he requested a copy of the scan. He also noticed a swollen lymph node at the base of my neck and told me to show it to my onc.
I did all of that, had a CA125 in Oct. 08. It was elevated and a CT scan showed the tumors had returned. This doctor is really on the ball and is the one who initially discovered my cancer after months of others thinking it was something else.
I'm not one to get crazy over every little thing, but I do know my own body well enough to know when to say something to the doctor. I did not have anything like that for my first recurrence, just for this current one. I know chemo can also cause indigestion so that could be your problem. Have your asked your doctor about these lingering symptoms? I know we seem to forever be asking questions and wondering about everything. I'm sure you're counting down til the next test but try to relax! Hopefully you'll be fine.
I used to have terrible reflux for years, and lived on acipHex, a prescription medication. Since I have switched to an anti-cancer alkalinizing diet, have not had any reflux, burning or indigestion. The diet is rough though: no red meat or sugar, and very little meat, wheat and dairy. The bulk of my diet is vegetables and veggie juices, mostly raw. If your wife can only tolerate broth, try cooking a few veggies in it, like carrots, celery and parsely.
Thanks favoriteaunt. I know I need to wait it out. Everything I have mentioned to the doctors have run me down a dead end path. But like you said... when you know your own body... I have a pretty good idea how it is going to turn out. Damn...
Ohno2009... how is she feeling? Something I would recommend because it is mild, easy to eat and loaded with protein (something we have a hard time getting when we don't feel like eating) is greek yogurt. The probiotics help the digestion and there is about 15 grams of protein in a serving. You can also use it to make shakes.
Thank you all very much. We tried malox for the heartburn/acid reflux. This was also suggested by the nurses. She was having such a hard time eating and drinking that I got scared and thought that maybe she was getting a little dehydrated, so I took her to the hospital. They gave her a couple of bags of IV and a special cocktail mixed of malox and lindocain to drink and it worked wonders. She is now on the prilosec and malox and it is working. She still has a little heartburn, but she is able to eat and drink now.
Lifeisgrand,
I was sure my cancer had recurred a few weeks after my chemo ended. I wasn't having many classic reflux symptoms, but every day about 1:30 p.m. I'd start coughing and cough until I vomited. After three weeks of it, I finally called the oncology hotline. The nurses nailed it. I went to my PA who doubled my reflux prescription and added Carafale (Carafase??) syrup three times a day. After a couple of weeks, I was able to drop the Carafale. After a couple of months, I was back to one reflux tab a day.
This past spring a naturopath put me on a NO grains, no sugar, no bread, no caffeine, basically nothing white except cauliflower or fruit diet. I thought it was extreme, but I was able to drop the reflux meds as long as I adhered to the diet. I also had more energy than I've had in years.
Then I hurt my shoulder and, after nothing else worked (I haven't done the steroid shots; I'm afraid of them.), I'm having to try antiinflammatory drugs which have required me to do the two-dose a day again.
Hang in there. Reflux can make you severely, severely ill. Untreated, it can lead to esophogeal cancer, so if the oncologist brushes it off, see a gastric doctor.
10 months post chemo and I still have some burning/ aching stomach issues. I had blood work Friday and my organs are ok. Yesterday I went to see a nutrionist and she suggested I keep a food diary.
Today I went for a CAT scan (because of my tender stomach). I'll get the results when I go for my three month onco. visit Thursday.
Last year I was on Belladonna for severe stomach pain/cramps which worked while on chemo.
Before my visit Friday I took Malox, then Mylanta, and finally Zantac. Zantac worked the best, but now I have a prescription for Prilosec. If the CATscan is ok then I need to be very careful with my diet.
Thanks Verlinda. I was hoping now that the chemo is done (2 months now) I'd have some break from doctors and tests but in the last two weeks have had a thyroid scan and stress test and now scheduled for an echocardiogram this Friday. Everything you do leads to something else. I did see an endocrinologist today who said there is no doubt that I have a classic Hashimo's thyroiditis. There was a time this news would have sent me spinning but in the whole scheme of things seems minor in comparison. Instead of being concerned that I have a heart murmur that could be a mitral valve prolapse, I'm thinking I hope that doesn't keep out of a clinical trial if it comes to that. How your perspective changes on things. I asked if this could be contributing to the GI symptoms. Not likely he said. Oh well... one day at a time.
lovemnms... maybe we'll never be the same again.... ahhhh.... I don't have any burning just belching... and it doesn't seem to be any worse with foods. I wake up with it most days and my doctor didn't think it was acid related. Zantac hasn't helped and neither did the Carafate. I hope it all turns out okay for you and you have some relief.
lovemnms... maybe we'll never be the same again.... ahhhh.... I don't have any burning just belching... and it doesn't seem to be any worse with foods. I wake up with it most days and my doctor didn't think it was acid related. Zantac hasn't helped and neither did the Carafate. I hope it all turns out okay for you and you have some relief.
I read raw apple chewed slowly helps and by gosh it has helped me where all the meds listed I tried and no luck.
dollycat6
On top of what the other ladies have suggested, here are a few more:
Eat small meals. (large meals increase the upward pressure in the stomach and can cause problems even in people without GERD).
Try DGL (Deglycyrrhizinated licorice). Slowly chew two tablets or take a half-teaspoon of the powder before or between meals and at bedtime. Taper your dose down after your symptoms are under control.
Slippery elm is a great herb and can heal irritated digestive tract tissues.
Antacids just mask the symptoms of acid reflux or heartburn and do nothing to fix the underlying problem, in fact, they make the problem worse in the long run. They only continue the cycle of heartburn, acid reflux, and drugs. Prescription drugs for acid reflux, like Prilosec and Prevacid, not only have antacids, but can also cause your body to produce too much gastrin, a hormone that stimulates your body to produce more acid. It becomes a vicious cycle. And routinely reducing the amount of stomach acid by using antacid medications creates a new problem. If the amount of acid in your stomach falls below the minimum your individual body needs, it can become harder for you to digest some foods or certain amounts of them. These acid reflux relief remedies can make it more difficult for your stomach to digest some nutritional components, specifically ion and vitamin B. This, of course, can lead to an imbalance in nutrition throughout your body. Long-term use of these drugs also can cause severe stomach inflammation.
Consider taking probiotics with each meal. It is a good idea to take these anyway, even for those who don't have acid reflux issues. Yoghurts don't usually have enough probiotics, it is better to get it in supplements. One brand that does not need refrigeration and is available in most pharmacies is "Sustenex" - this can also help with constipation issues.
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