Elavil

[robertw]

I have been taking this for a couple of years before bed, it helps me sleep and reduces acid.
It has helped quite a lot, it has a few side affect like memory loss, drowsiness etc.
The one thing I like the most is that its not habit forming like most other drugs
It works great for a couple of weeks then as my body gets use to it, I have to up the dosage or stop for awhile
I would like to hear about any one else’s experience with Elavil

I was thinking of trying Xanax I know it’s quite addictive


Its about time they got rid of that terrible old bullitin board
This new one is great

[af]

I take another tri-cyclic, sinequan (doxepin). I take 25 mg at bedtime (this is a baby dose). It helps me sleep, but I don't have any "drugged-over" effects when I get up.

Interestingly, from what I can read, the tri-cyclics decreased the LES valve tightness, however they ALSO increase the looseness of the LPS, letting the stomach empty more easily. So the overall effect on GERD can be variable, depending on the causative factors.

[TomCarv]

Hi Guys,

It is true that Elavil reduces LES tightness, thus giving you a chance of increasing Reflux symptoms. It is also true that it relaxes the LPS, thus allowing greater bile backflow into the Stomach!! I found Elavil great for Chronic Pain, however, I found Xanax worked much better for cutting back on the Bile Backflow. Also, with the baby dose of .25 mg per day, it is easy to wean off if you need to do so.

However, Please, Please, PLEASE, get a consult with a Therapist to see if you may have an Anxiety situation related with your GERD Symptoms!! GP and GI doctors should NOT prescribe any Antis!!! They do, but they Should NOT!!! Hope this helps Robert and Please keep us posted!! :)

Prayers,

Tom

[robertw]

Thanks for your replies I will give Xanax a try. I did get some from my GP (1 mg dosage) but only took it one night. I think the mistake I made I should have weaned myself off elavil first
I will cut them into quarters and try that
Maybe you have to take it for a week or so for it to kick in

I have been reading these posts for years and it seems that being woken up with Gerds is not that common (I thought it was only me) most people have trouble during the day
I guess allot of people are like myself nighttime suffers. I can easily cope with the pain it’s the chronic lack of sleep that’s the killer.

Another drug I found helps Levsin I take it when I really get bloated
I had Domperidone prescribed but I found it did nothing

Thanks again

[robertw]

This week I have been eating some green grapes maybe 20
About 8:0 pm too early to say but I have been sleeping allot better this week
Maybe that extra acid digests everything quicker?

[Trish]

Hello all,

This morning I got up and hopped in the shower as always but forgot to take my Pantoloc (Protonix in the U.S) before doing so. I always take it before so it is in my system at least 1/2 an hour before my evil coffee. Anyway, I decided to skip it all together and take a Zantac instead. I felt pretty good all day but a little heart-burny around supper time. So I took another Zantac and here I am.

I am going to take the Pantoloc tomorrow but not on Saturday and so on. I really want to at least get to a one on one off sort of thing. I will let you know how things are going. I am thinking about Mastic Gum but haven't actually looked for any yet.

I am determined to win this battle with GERD....

Trish

[af]

Originally posted by Trish
Hello all,
This morning I got up and hopped in the shower as always but forgot to take my Pantoloc (Protonix in the U.S) before doing so. I always take it before so it is in my system at least 1/2 an hour before my evil coffee. Anyway, I decided to skip it all together and take a Zantac instead. I felt pretty good all day but a little heart-burny around supper time. So I took another Zantac and here I am.
I am going to take the Pantoloc tomorrow but not on Saturday and so on. I really want to at least get to a one on one off sort of thing. I will let you know how things are going. I am thinking about Mastic Gum but haven't actually looked for any yet.
Trish

I thought I would be smart and tried that yesterday: got up and took two pepsid completes, took two more at lunch-time. By supper I was longingly looking at the nexium bottle and ended up taking the dose earlier than usual. I don't think I'm ready to get back to one nexium yet. I need to get healed up enough that i can do that PH test in early march, so I'm gonna chicken out on decreasing it for now. My doc said that they have a whole buncha people taking two nexium a day and they knew of no problems with long-term usage. I just hope i can stand it for thePH test, that is my big worry. Sheesh.

[TomCarv]

Hello Ladies,

You're going about this the right way!! The thing is, it's gonna take about 2 - 3 weeks for the Zantac to build up to acceptable levels, so you won't get such a rebound effect!! I had to go almost 6 weeks until I had enough Zantac in my system to start cutting back on the Prilosec. The half-life of Zantac is about a third of most of the PPIs, so, much luck to the two of you!! :D

Prayers,

Tom

ps: Trish, glad to see you got the smilies figured out!!! :)

[af]

Originally posted by TomCarv
Hello Ladies,

You're going about this the right way!! The thing is, it's gonna take about 2 - 3 weeks for the Zantac to build up to acceptable levels, so you won't get such a rebound effect!! I had to go almost 6 weeks until I had enough Zantac in my system to start cutting back on the Prilosec. The half-life of Zantac is about a third of most of the PPIs, so, much luck to the two of you!! :D


So am I hearing you say that if I want to try a switch over to zantac or pepsid, I need to take the zantac PLUS the nexium for a couple/three weeks and THEN start backing off on the nexium?

[Trish]

Originally posted by af
I thought I would be smart and tried that yesterday: got up and took two pepsid completes, took two more at lunch-time. By supper I was longingly looking at the nexium bottle and ended up taking the dose earlier than usual. I don't think I'm ready to get back to one nexium yet. I need to get healed up enough that i can do that PH test in early march, so I'm gonna chicken out on decreasing it for now. My doc said that they have a whole buncha people taking two nexium a day and they knew of no problems with long-term usage. I just hope i can stand it for thePH test, that is my big worry. Sheesh.

AF,

How long do you have to be off of your meds for the PH? My GI wants me off for SIX WEEKS prior to. I am really struggling with putting myself through that hell so he can shove a tube up my nose and down my throat and say "gee, there is alot of acid in there". I just don't see the point???

What do you hope to get out of your PH test?

Good luck....

Trish

[TomCarv]

Hi af,

Yep!!! The key to success is to slowly taper off of the PPI, due to the fact that while you're on the PPI, the Gastrin Levels in your stomach are EXTREMELY high!! Your Proton Pumps are still firing off trying to produce more acid, and they are not succeeding!! Then if you go off the PPI "Cold Turkey" the Gastrin Level is still at such a high level that your stomach Overproduces Acid, hence the Rebound or Boomerang effect.

By building the H2 Blocker up in your system, you lower the Gastrin Levels to where you can slowly taper off the PPI!!

Now comes the old saying, Everybody is different, so you have to experiment with it. Here's what I did: I took the PPI in the am. Then took the H2 at night. Then I took the PPI every other day and the H2 in both the am and pm. Then I took the PPI every third day for a week. Then every fourth day for two weeks. The day I had my Fundo 9/28/02, I stopped taking the H2 Blocker and haven't even looked at the bottle since!! :)

Prayers,

Tom

[Trish]

Originally posted by TomCarv
Hello Ladies,

You're going about this the right way!! The thing is, it's gonna take about 2 - 3 weeks for the Zantac to build up to acceptable levels, so you won't get such a rebound effect!! I had to go almost 6 weeks until I had enough Zantac in my system to start cutting back on the Prilosec. The half-life of Zantac is about a third of most of the PPIs, so, much luck to the two of you!! :D

Prayers,

Tom

ps: Trish, glad to see you got the smilies figured out!!! :)

Tom, So are you telling me that I should keep doing what I am doing with hopes that I will feel better in two to three weeks once the Zantac is into my system more so than it is now? If that is what you are saying then I most certainly will carry on. My goal is to at least be able to cut back to Pantoloc (protonix) every second day instead of every day. Here's hoping!! And, yes, I am thrilled that I got the smilies to work. Very important you know.

By the way, I love the way you sign off on your posts. It is very inspiring.

"Prayers",

Trish

[af]

Originally posted by Trish
AF,

How long do you have to be off of your meds for the PH? My GI wants me off for SIX WEEKS prior to. I am really struggling with putting myself through that hell so he can shove a tube up my nose and down my throat and say "gee, there is alot of acid in there". I just don't see the point???

What do you hope to get out of your PH test?

Good luck....

Trish

My doc said stop PPI's 5 days before the test, and then I can take H2's until 3 days before the test, and after that it's liquid antacids until the day of the test.

However, bear in mind, every case is different. I have Barrett's and have had horrible problems iwth esophageal spasms, and I think he made exceptions for me because of that.

HOWEVER, I do think that six weeks off of PPI drugs is nothing short of S & M on your doc's part! (haha) ;)

[af]

Originally posted by Trish
AF,

What do you hope to get out of your PH test?

Trish

My pH test is for two purposes:

1. To find out if I am refluxing, even when I sleep or in the daytime, because I continue to have wheezing every now and then and continue to cough up a couple of alveoli every day, which is something I NEVER did prior to having this problem.

2. To find out if my chest pain correlates to acid levels, because I do not have the classic symptoms of heartburn or indigestion but have PAIN, true PAIN in my epigastrium. The doc says that if I have surgery, he has to first be sure that this will helpl my pain, even if I am not refluxing still. As he said, it would be a crap to have the surgery and not be any better after it was done.

I think they are also trying to make a decision regarding IF I have surgery, would I need a wrap or just hiatal hernia repair. My manometry test showed that my LES was totally normal. I just happen to have it up in my chest now instead of down below my diaphragm where it belongs ;))

[af]

Originally posted by TomCarv
Hi af,

Yep!!! The key to success is to slowly taper off of the PPI, due to the fact that while you're on the PPI, the Gastrin Levels in your stomach are EXTREMELY high!! Your Proton Pumps are still firing off trying to produce more acid, and they are not succeeding!! Then if you go off the PPI "Cold Turkey" the Gastrin Level is still at such a high level that your stomach Overproduces Acid, hence the Rebound or Boomerang effect.

By building the H2 Blocker up in your system, you lower the Gastrin Levels to where you can slowly taper off the PPI!!

Now comes the old saying, Everybody is different, so you have to experiment with it. Here's what I did: I took the PPI in the am. Then took the H2 at night. Then I took the PPI every other day and the H2 in both the am and pm. Then I took the PPI every third day for a week. Then every fourth day for two weeks. The day I had my Fundo 9/28/02, I stopped taking the H2 Blocker and haven't even looked at the bottle since!! :)

Prayers,

Tom


Gee, you got any bright ideas about how I can do this? I am on nexium twice a day and tried the pepsid twice a day (at double the OTC dose) and then the nexium in the pm, but it still did not hold me long enough. And most days, I take a double dose OTC H2 in the early afternoon in addition to the nexium!! I mean, come on! I'm clueless as to how to get this done!

[TomCarv]

Hi af,

Well, first off, I'd dump the Pepsid!! It was useless for me. I told my GI that I wanted to start backing off on the Prilosec (because I was taking MEGA High Doses - 120mg per day!!), so he suggested Prescription Strength Zantac - 300mg!! So I'd take 150mg of Zantac in the am, along with 80mg of Prilosec. Then another 150mg before bed. Then after a week, I took 300mg of Zantac in the am and 150mg at bedtime and 40mg of Prilosec every other day before breakfast. Then after another week I took the Zantac 150mg in the am and 150mg at bedtime and 20mg of the Prilosec every third day. In six weeks, I was taking only the Zantac 150mg am and 150mg pm!!

Ask your doc for Prescription Strength Zantac!!! You CAN DO THIS!! Hang in there!! :D

Prayers,

Tom

[af]

I have the Zantac in OTC, so all I have to do is increase the number of pills. The problem is, I have no way to cut those dang nexium capsules in half!!! harharhar!!!! :(

[TomCarv]

Originally posted by af
I have the Zantac in OTC, so all I have to do is increase the number of pills. The problem is, I have no way to cut those dang nexium capsules in half!!! harharhar!!!! :(

Hi af,

The OTC form is NOT the same thing!! In the OTC form, they take out some of the properties, don't ask me which ones, cause, I don't have any idea, but they do!! As far as cutting the Nexiums in half, just try taking the am dose, and then upping the pm dose of the Zantac!! The 300mg can be on either end of the day. Like I said, everybody's different. I'm just telling you how I cut back!! Hang in there and GOOD Hunting!! :D

Prayers,

Tom

[af]

Originally posted by TomCarv
Hi af,

The OTC form is NOT the same thing!! In the OTC form, they take out some of the properties, don't ask me which ones, cause, I don't have any idea, but they do!! As far as cutting the Nexiums in half, just try taking the am dose, and then upping the pm dose of the Zantac!! The 300mg can be on either end of the day. Like I said, everybody's different. I'm just telling you how I cut back!! Hang in there and GOOD Hunting!! :D

Prayers,

Tom

I'm afraid I would have to see documentation of this to believe it. Do you have a URL from a valid source that shows this?

[TomCarv]

Hi af,

Nope!! All I can give you is the info from my doc and Pharmacist!! Sorry!! :)

Prayers,

Tom