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Painkillers & Acid Reflux Symptoms: Unhealthy Relations

The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
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Posted by Kathleen (Fernley, Nevada) on 02/25/2008
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I worked in Gastroenterology for years and GERD is not neccesarily caused by Ibuprofen.' People who get stomach ulcers (caused by the bacteria, helicobacter Pylori, a corkscrew bacteria that burrows into the stomach and causes the nasty ulcers) are advised not to take IBUPROFEN, Aspirin, and any other Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, because they thin the blood, and cause the ulcer to bleed. H.Pylori is easily cured with a triple antibiotic regime (which is quite uncomfortable, but it does work).

As for GERD, it is mostly caused by stress, caffeine, alcohol and over eating, and having a hiatal hernia contributes as well. I am all for natural cures, However, they may just mask the symptoms.

My husband never had heart-burn. He Had a gastroscopy for stomach problems which was Gastritis, and it was discovered then, that he had damage to his esophagous.

Interestingly our Endoscopy Suite, we found that people with symptons of pain and burning had less Barret's, because they usually sought treatment before damage occurred.

My husband has been on Protonix since he was 53 years old (he is now 66)and over the years, protecting his esophagous with Protonix, his Barrett's is actually healing.

He must have a Gastroscopy every 2 years, to keep track of this condition, as Barrett's Syndrome (caused by acid reflux into the esophagous which changes the esophageal lining from normal to that of the stomach)is abnormal and is a pre-cancerous condition because stomach lining doesn't belong in the esophagous.

For people who have non-healing Barrett's or excruciatingly painful GERD, there is a procedure called Nissan Fundiplication that has been helpful. Look for a G.I. or General Surgeon who has done many of these procedures and ask if he will talk to previous NF patients that would be willing to talk to you, about their results. Hope this Helps.

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Posted by Katie (Kilgore, Texas) on 07/28/2007
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I would like to comment on the theory that Ibuprofen causes acid reflux. well my husband never used ibuprofen or aspirin but he has Barrets espho. from years of Chocolate, peppermint and soft drink (with caffeine) and acidity and spicy foods like (tomatoes and hot peppers and things like that just mild foods) he has to stay away from and if you research you will find that all of these things break down the elasticity in your espho. and cause the acid to come back up into the espho. I know because he has surgery to repair an and the flap on his ephos. was gone from the acid from his stomach, ulcers from the years as a teen just drinking soft drinks and hardly no water. never smoked or used alcohol.

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Posted by Herbert R. L. (Las Piñas City, Philippines) on 03/20/2007
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I don't use any pain killers, but I still got this disorder, some recommend taking Orange Peeled Extract because of the effectiveness but I don't know where to find one. I will try what rosemay's discovery and hope it will work. Thanks!

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Posted by Ellen (Springfield, MA) on 03/03/2007
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Way back when I was 11 or 12, I would always complain of stomach acid. There were many foods I "didn't like" (spaghetti sauce, onions, mint, garlic, pickles...). My parents took me to the doctor who suggested antacids. I was drinking a bottle of liquid antacid a day. Not until I was in my 20's did the doctor finally take me seriously. I was vomiting daily, couldn't keep anything down except for the blandest of foods. My molars would crack and break for no reason (it isn't like I was chewing rocks :) I had to do a test that involved drinking hideous liquids that made me vomit but once I was able to hold it down, they rolled me around on a table and took pictures. My esophagus showed signs of serious damage and it was determined I had acid reflux. I was prescribed Prilosec but then Nexium came out with fewer side effects so I switched to Nexium. My insurance company cut off my Nexium due to cost so I switched back to Prilosec. This was before Prilosec became OTC. When I lost my insurance, I tried to go without Prilosec and was quickly back to vomiting and being unable to eat. Not a few times a week, like the ads say....I was sick *all* the time.

For what it is worth, I know so many people who go to the doctor and complain of stomach acid. They walk out with a prescription without testing for GERD. I think obesity, caffeine, pain relievers, alcohol, fried and greasy foods all play a role in what is being diagnosed as "acid reflux". I listen to people say they have upset stomachs and blame acid reflux and I wonder if they have any clue as to how bad acid reflux really is. Of course, we expect a pill to take away the symptoms but don't want to give up the triggers. I am not overweight, do not smoke, do not drink and avoid trigger foods. I take Prilosec OTC religiously and still suffer occasional bouts of GERD. The doctors now want to perform surgery to which I am opposed. Do I think pain relievers irritate stomach lining? Absolutely. Is it GERD? I doubt it..as any one who truly has GERD will tell you: there is a huge difference between stomach irritation and GERD.

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Posted by Pam (Tallahassee, FL) on 02/17/2007
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Regarding the increase in reflux diagnoses in the last 30 years, it could be because doctors are recognizing and diagnosing it more, or because an increased percentage of people with reflux are seeking medical treatment. The actual rate of occurrence may be unchanged. Anyway, I have GERd and have read up on the causes, and if there is an increase, I have some culprits. Things that contribute to reflux that have changed in the last 30 years: being overweight and obese. It is inarguable that a much higher percentage of Americans are overweight or obese now, as compared to 30 years ago. Extra abdominal weight and bulk puts pressure on the stomach valve and makes it more likely to open up, especially when lying down. After my diagnosis, I noticed an improvement after I lost 40 pounds. Another contributing factor is eating really large amounts of food in one meal. 30 years ago, restaurant meals were smaller, and even fast food restaurant meals were smaller. There were no super-size or biggie portions. Most people ate fewer packaged snack foods than now, and the packages were smaller. I also had a lessening of symptoms when I reduced the amount of food I ate in my meals.

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Posted by Michele (Los Angeles, CA) on 02/16/2007
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ENT did a scope test for LPRD at the end of January.' Didn't find anything but prescribed Aciphex anyway. Made an appointment with my internist for the following week to get another opinion. He said yes, go ahead and take the aciphex. After one week, I had joint pain so bad, I couldn't stand it. Off the aciphex for a couple of days now. Still have joint and muscle pain, and hoping it will go away once the meds have a chance to work their way out of my system. In the meantime, taking the ACV and baking soda "tea" a couple of times a day. One thing my doc said is that coffee is a big problem for reflux sufferers, even decaffeinated Also tea, herbal or not. Tough to give up my morning cup of java, but working on it. Have been cutting down slowly. Today is first day with no coffee. So far, no headache! While I don't discount anti-inflamatory drugs and antibiotics as possible culprits, I think maybe the explosion of Starbucks all over the place has contributed to the explosion in acid reflux cases.....

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Posted by Tom (Winchester, England) on 01/24/2007
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My problems started after living with Gurkha troops for 4 years and eating their food. (Curry three times daily) I take ibuprofen for inflammation of joints. I find that by cutting out pastry and brown bread keeps the reflux to a minimum. I am not convinced that the pain relievers cause or increase the problem.

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Posted by Connie (Connellsville, PA) on 01/18/2007
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My son (now twenty) was diagnosed with acid reflux when he was seven. He would vomit as soon as his feet hit the floor in the mornings. After a nightmare existence with two heavy duty prescriptions by his doctor, as his mom I refused to watch my child live this way. I contacted his doctor believing his problem was some sort of food allergy. Our conclusion now is that we weren't far off the mark. I've always been somewhat of a naturalist, so I've never given my children pain relievers and such, only when I thought it was absolutely necessity. I never fought their fevers and such and was kind of viewed with that open mouth "ohhh!!!" by friends and family who couldn't believe I thought I knew more than our doctor. I didn't. I just used common sense. Point being I don't believe there is a connection in our case with pain relievers. Our conclusion is that not only pain relievers., other meds, coupled with food processing, genetic modifications in food, pesticides and all kinds of additives in our foods are the culprits. Two culprits seemed to have the most impact on our son. When we eliminated partially and hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup from his diet (and ours) everything made here is from scratch, grown in our garden or bought from local farms who are sustainable agriculture farmers. Oh yes and one other food that seemed particularly offensive. Store bought milk. We get our milk from a local farm, straight from the cow. The research against raw milk does not bear out. If you research it well you will see what I mean. Now several years it took us to figure out all that was going on and we got his acid under complete control. He played ice hockey all through school and was captain of his team for two years. (He used to vomit with every physical exertion.) I can say honestly, the most notable health improvement, his skin, eyes, hair, muscle tone...drastic improvement with in a week of switching to raw milk, whole to boot. So I don't buy the stay away from fat theory either. Course it does depend on the quality and processing of those fats. Do not recommend any dairy products commercially produced. Most foods would also (bought in stores) fit that category as well. When he does have flare ups now, it's usually quelled immediately with apple cider vinegar, (raw of course), crushed fresh cranberries in spring water and a genuine aloe vera juice, which ever we happen to have at the moment. (He still stops at Mcdonalds and such occasionally with his friends.) And it only gets bad if he's had fast foods three or more times a week. In conclusion I believe that pain relievers and other such culprits are not the cause of but rather the antagonizer of the problem which is caused by the absolute denigration of the nutrients in our food for commercial profit and the use of additives and fillers which on there own would most likely be labeled "not for human consumption". I've done a ton of personal research on this topic and have mountains of information on the way our foods (breads, sourdough, fermented veggies, sauerkraut, homemade wines and vinegars, why they were used and prepared and how our food doesn't even resemble anything like what they used to eat. Sorry this was so long. There is just so much to tell.

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Posted by Bernd (Corvallis, Oregon) on 01/12/2007
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My observation is that I get acid reflux after I have eaten food that contained strong preservatives. Restaurant food usually has a lot of preservatives, restaurants do that to avoid law suit for food poisoning. However, the preservatives do their job to keep the food from being broken down. Eventually the food will start to ferment in the stomach, which will cause acid reflux. When I avoid foods that contain preservatives, the acid reflux will go away.

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Posted by Theresa (Rochester, NY) on 12/29/2006
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well, i was on FOSAMAX for 10 years. I never had any problem with reflux until I was prescribed a heavy course of antibiotics. I agree with the theory about bacteria since the antibiotics gave me a wicked yeast infection. Now i'm trying the acidophilus pills. I am off Fosamax now. I'm not sure if it, or the antibiotics caused this, but I am confident my body can reverse this situation and heal. My body is really smart! All our bodies are!

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Posted by Paula (CA) on 11/01/2006
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While I use Motrin and other such ibuprofens, I don't use them regularly, and I used them with out any Acid Reflux symptoms. I don't know what caused it originally. Several things have helped for awhile, but it got to the point where I have chronic sore throat, ears plugged up and asthma so I went to an ENT who prescribed Aciphlex. While it stopped the Acid and gave me relief there, about two hours before the next dose was due, I would be very nauseous. After a week, I went off of it. I found this website, and while my doctor has prescribed a different medication, I have decided to try the Apple Cider Vinegar, first. The best thing is, last night I took the ACV about an hour before I would normally start with the nausea. I didn't continue w/ the Aciphlex, but with three doses of ACV and Raw organic Honey (2 TBS ACV to 1 TBS Honey in 4 oz water shaken), I did not net nausea at all. I took it again this morning and feel okay. I think that my stomach is in some sort of shock from no medicine, but I will take the ACV mixture again tonight and will let this site know how it goes. I personally don't think it is related to ibuprofen specifically.

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Posted by Laura (Los Angeles) on 10/20/2006
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I'm responding to the survey on ibuprofen and GERD. I was just diagnosed with GERD, which surprised me because I never have heartburn and assumed that my constant throat clearing and voice fatigue was due to allergies or LA air or something. Anyway, I vote NAY on the ibuprofen theory. I rarely take painkillers of any kind, but I do vote YES on the soda theory and would love to hear more responses to that. I've been drinking lots of Diet Coke for almost 20 years. I'm trying the ACV, but have no opinion yet.

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Posted by Reece (Brisbane, Australia) on 10/13/2006
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Re: reflux caused by Ibuprofen sorry, I don't even know how to spell it, because i have never used it. I have reflux. I have never taken ANY pills too much, let alone that one. Very very rarely have i taken medication. This is not what caused my reflux :( MY friend uses ibuprofen all the time and has no reflux. So, there has to be yet another reason :(

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Posted by Nancy (Agoura Hills, CA) on 09/14/2006
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I have never taken much ibuprofen, but I have been a rather regular user of Excedrin in the past (aspirin, acetaminophen and caffeine). I don't take it anymore. My GERD started after I had been on a lo-carb diet for about 5 months. I had never had trouble before. I think the high fat/high protein diet wasn't the best thing for GERD. I went off the diet immediately, but the GERD never left (it's been two years now). Just for your information. I am not overweight and I exercise daily.

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Posted by Diane (St. Louis, MO) on 08/16/2006
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What has caused acid reflux to be so wide spread? It's the soda. Everyone I've talked to that has had major problems with acid reflux was a heavy soda drinker, including me. Once the stomach has been eaten up by the acid in the soda over many years, it takes forever to heal and be well again.


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