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Kathy (Granger, IN) on 11/18/2006:
I just figured out this week that acid reflux was the problem so I haven't tried much. But the reason that I am commenting is that I don't do much to contribute to acid reflux. I don't smoke, don't drink alcohol or excess caffeine and am not overweight. I do, however, take Advil all the time due to fibromyalgia. So I am wondering if this is how I got this.
My comment is in regard to the correlation between ibuprofen and acid reflux. I was taking 400mg of ibuprofen at night to help with back and neck pain. I would sometimes wake in the middle of the night and take it to help relax my muscles. Never had a problem in the past with any heartburn or digestion issue. For the past two months I have been struggling with LPR. That is the reflux that effects the larynx (breathing) and goes into the ears too. Stopped all pain medication and sought the help of a naturopath. I am currently taking three very powerful probiotics a day. Getting ready to try the ACV. And plan on starting an herbal treatment.
I have had lupus for 42 years and was treated with 8 Bufferin and prednisone everyday. I got along okay with my stomach until my doctors added the maximum dose of ibuprofen 3200 mg a day. This caused gastritis and a lot of intestinal problems and later on I also got acid reflux. I have been searching desperately for a remedy as Nexium helps somewhat, but not enough. I have a chronic cough and it is getting worse. I have suffered with GERD for over 20 years and I know it is going to kill me if I don't find a remedy. It is daily misery! My LES valve has weakened like worn out elastic according to my doctors. They say it won't get better. My rheumatologist at the university hospital said that people with Raynaud's disease seem to have more problems with GERD, but they don't know why. I have also had that problem. I would really like to find an answer to GERD. It is awful to live with.
I was enlightened tremendously by this wonderful site. I had been desperately searching for a site for another problem and saw there was a section on acid reflux. When I clicked on it and started reading comments I saw the information about ibuprofen causing acid reflux. This has been a MAJOR problem for myself for many months ending up in a hospital emergency room twice still not sure of the cause. When I read these comments I became positive ibuprofen was the culprit. I was taking the max dose daily for herniated disc pain. When I feared the ibuprofen was possibly a cause I stopped taking it, feeling immediate relief. Thank you so much for letting me know that I'm not crazy.
I took Ibuprofen 600mg a day about 1 month and 1/2 ago to help with Strep throat and I have had the worst reflux since then. Currently on Nexium without result.
no question after years of ibuprofen use and eating the wrong foods, that ibuprofen is clearly the cause for my ills. I am off it, use tylenol only when necessary and use home remedies mostly. I no longer eat fast food, no shakes, no fries, (occasional burrito from taco bell, I just gotta) but that's it. My acid is gone, and I take ACV everyday with tea, honey, it's fantastic.
My acid reflux kicked in about a year after I began taking Alleve for headaches related to jaw pain (TMJ). The acid reflux was formally diagnosed by medical tests and my doctor specifically asked if I had been taking ibuprofen or any pain relievers. When I mentioned taking Alleve, she advised that Alleve was probably the trigger for my gastro condition (GERD). Since then, my condition has worsened significantly and I am now taking prescription medicine morning and evening. I am ready to try the home remedy to get better relief.
I have taken Ibuprofen for about 20 years to deal with significant neck and shoulder pain caused from an auto accident when I was a child. It works wonderfully for the swelling which causes alot of pain. In the past few months, I have noticed a change in my digestion. Particularly surprising is that I have begun to have acid reflux symptoms, primarily nausea after eating, a "knot" in my stomach for hours after eating, and a frequent but mild burning in my belly after eating. I visited my Dr for what turns out to be chronic bronchitis and he asked me a series of questions about my digestion. He says I have acid reflux and that it may be decreasing the health and function of my lungs!! So he prescribed prevacid and I hit the internet looking for alternatives
I have taken Ibuprofen for YEARS for back and neck pain. I got clued in to the possibility of this causing or aggravating the situation through something I read on the internet. I don't however experience a real dramatic or seemingly direct correlation between the two. I have only had GERD symptoms for less than 1 year. I have also experience extremely painful esophageal spasms. I've been taking protonix (gave me severe stomach cramps), Famotidine (has started to give me the same problem), tums, Pepto Bismol, Maalox, Aloe Vera Juice. The Protonix made the sore throat that I'd had for a few months go away. The Famotidine did the same thing as long as I took it but a week or so after I stopped, everything was back. The Aloe Vera juice soothes my esophagus and with regular usage helps the burning pain.
I have to comment on pain killers causing acid reflux. I never had an problems until I started taking Vicondin for a knee surgery. I took it for 10 weeks. The combination of the pain meds and laying down cause a lot of problems for me so the doctor gave me Nexium. That was 4 years ago and the problem has gotten worse. I mentioned to my doctor that I never had these problems until I took Vicondin and he assured me they were not related. I have to say I disagree. I use to take ACV and the acid reflux was better but I have stopped. I need to start taking ACV again to see if it helps.
It was about a year ago that I was taking nurofen for the relief of sciatic pain 3x400mg tablets a day for a week, about 8 months later I have been having acid reflux problems,don't know if there is a link but after reading some of these letters , it certainly makes you think.
I had my first severe bout of Acid Reflux this past April. I thought I was going to die in the middle of the night. I knew I ate too much that day so, I figured that was a major contributor. But now that I look back on that night, I recall taking some Ibuprofen right before I went to bed because I was very sore from golfing that day and doing lots of other strenuous activities. So, the Ibuprofen could have been what triggered it. Up until that night, I never had acid reflux in my life.
I was suffering from a very, very bad sore throat. I was told to suck on ice in order to keep my throat muscles and glands from swelling, making it hard to breathe. Someone suggested I take ibuprofen (Advil (100 mg of Ibuprofen) to prevent my glands from swelling, I did. I took two every 6 hours, for a day and developed that "acidity/belching/sour, bitter" taste...it is horrible. I firmly believe that ibuprofen brought it on. My Mom had the same problem. Our remedy is, RED POTATO and ONE CUP MILK. Chop up RED potato, throw in blender, add cup of milk, blend until liquefied. Strain the mix and drink. Two times a day, for about 5 to 6 days will do the trick. NO DRUGS NECESSARY!
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.
I started taking ibuprofen years ago for my monthly female pain. nothing else works. then i started taking it for headaches and anything... I wouldn't have thought to associate the acid reflux with it, but lately it has woken me up in the nite and it is quite bad. i do not drink sodas of any kind anymore..so it can't be that. milk or coffee could also be contributors.
I was taking Ibuprofen prescription strength for Plantar fasciitis condition.' Horrible, never had a problem previously and when I first felt the symptoms and told my doctor he told me to take an over the counter drug like Pepcid. Had I known then what I'm experiencing now, I would have found an alternative.
ibuprofen causes acid reflux? YES! for me that makes perfect sense. let me tell you why: for over a month now i have had palpitations, breathing problems, burning acid feeling in my upper stomach every time after eating. the acid feeling would slowly crawl up my throat over the day. and then the cramps and pains every time i ate!! i did not know WHAT THE HECK WAS GOING ON! every time i ate the pain and dizziness just knocked me off my feet. i really got scared, cancelled my plane to new york and returned to germany to get me properly checked. that was thursday, 3 days ago. since then i have had one gastroscopy and 2 ultrasound exams done. they could not find anything. tuesday i'm due for a blood test. i have been sitting for 3 days before the pc looking for a possible answer to my condition. and then i came over your page and everything started making sense!!! it was exactly 1 month ago when my horror GERD story began and exactly 1 month ago that i have taken a ibuprofen pill! i remember it exactly because i took it for my headache caused by my menstruation. and it was the first time in 3 years that i had taken a pill! and i remember that the day after i was knocked off. i was lying in bed with dizziness, nausea, near vomiting (stopped it with ca. 2liter of thyme tea), palpitations, hard breathing, heartburn, acidity in my mouth and so on. i can't believe it guys! and thank you! thanks to you i found the answer! that was it! NO MORE DRUGS!! NEVER EVER AGAIN!
p.s. note: you may ask why did i take it after a 3 years pause. the answer: 1 month ago i was trying ozonated water for the first time and it worked WONDERS for my menstruation migraine. it worked to astonishingly well that i got bold and had some coffee and chocolate that day to "test" the ozone. very devilishly! well, i had "overtested" and felt the migraine creeping slowly back. since i was working at that moment i asked for a painkiller and they gave me a pill of ibuprofen. and my doom was sealed. FIGHT THE PHARMA-MAFIA!
I've had acid reflux in 1987 again in 1992 when I was in the military. I got ibuprofen from the on call doctors. I had tendonitis in my legs so the I started to use for any problems. I had until 1998 when I had a pain in my stomach I was week a felt horrible like I wouldn't live. I saw a doctor in vermont about my symptoms he didn't know why I was sick a few days later I got even sicker my roommate said had a holistic doctor she wanted me to go to after she looked me over she found I Ibuprofen had built up in my system so much I nearly died. she then figured out what my body needed to get now I try not to take the ibuprofen any more
Got acid reflux three days ago after an approx. two week regimen of about 2-3 aspirins a day. I have always tried to avoid any drugs (because of well documented side effects) but gave in recently because of years of joint and muscle pain associated with arthritis and fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue. (Also, in the past few weeks, I have had to take about double my asthma meds."Advair and "Albuterol" because of flu/cold, and fires in surrounding areas.) I am 49 years old and up to about 10 years ago was very healthy and active and asthma was very,very seldom and no acid reflux. I hate this (and it's only been three days, 'can't even imagine all the people who have suffered years with acid reflux, there has GOT TO BE an answer) and do not want to take any prescription meds. for acid reflux. (I am thinking that asthma and acid reflux are connected.) Took apple cider vinegar, apples, dill pickles for one day and (NO aspirin, and less asthma meds.) so far still have acid reflux, but 'am keeping a record, so will write again in a few days. Hoping and praying it will work.
I started taking Tylenol PM at least three times a week in 2001 and suddenly started having symptoms in 2002. I have noticed that apple cider gives immediate relief of acid reflux surpassing tums, prilosec and maalox.
I herniated 4 discs and lived on morphine, and hydrocondine with ibuprofen x4 daily. After 1 year, got acid reflux real really bad. Halted all meds and used apple cider vinegar x2 daily. 1 tbspn acv 2 tbspn honey, in tea or what ever works for you. Didn't cure the back pain but the gerd is slowly going away, thank god!
Danielle (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) on 10/22/2006:
Wow, so it really is Ibuprofen. I had no idea something that should be helping me could do so much harm. I wish, ~ I wish~ I had known better. After a serious back injury at work, I began taking as many as 15 - 200mg of ibuprofen a day, while I can't remember exactly when it started, after 2 years I have occasional symptoms of acid reflux. At times I constantly had the taste of bile, and would wake several times a night with burning sensations. I tried several types of meds, pepsid ac, pepto bismol, tums, and nothing really solved the problem, they were only temporary and only masked it. Finally after an extremely painful gallbladder attack, I stopped everything, painkillers, vitamins, the salsa and spicy foods I love. I started chewing gum again,( I had stopped because I thought maybe it had something to do with my problem) focused on consuming as much water as I could stand and began drinking- pickle juice-. I feel, and believe that the pain of acid reflux was caused by poor diet choices, spicy foods, caffeine and not ENOUGH acids in my stomach.
'So far i have had acid reflux for over a year. my british doctor put me on omeprazole 20 mg caps. I took them as prescribed and all was good. I moved to japan with my wife and the doc gave me a few extra pack of omeprazole to have "just in case", i was taking them for a month which i have since found out was rather silly. anyhow, i now have no omeprazole and no heartburn cool.. until i get a migraine and need to take my regular painkiller. Nurofen (british) I bought loads of pills to take with me to japan as they are the best ones for my migraines. i asked for the stronger of the nurofens available and was happy. I took the migraine nurofen pill , rested, and all was fine. that was 2 days ago, i am writing this now because my acid reflux has flared up really badly and i was researching what to do, and found this site... wow, nurofen, good for one thing, bad for another, what am i to do . i found some websites that offer ebooks at varying prices, of which i can't afford, to give total cures to acid reflux, Can someone buy one of these and post the results here please. The sites say its a cure u can buy from your local supermarket, i think an apple is one of them, why do we have to pay to find out natural cures . I have been researching now for 5 hrs solid and need a break , this is by far the best site so far.. well done. keep up the good work and i wish you all a reflux free future.. ps on another note . please be aware of the new world order , we all need to understand something big is going to happen within 5 years. if the small make a stand, we may gain a chance to live in peace..
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.
Excedrin Migraine is one painkiller that has torn up my stomach. An hour or more after taking it and I feel sick to my stomach and it burns really bad. Please be careful with how much Excedrin you consume. I use Chewing gum, antacids and milk to treat acid reflux. Chewing gum made me burp a little which helped some of the sting in my stomach and chest. I recommend milk though, it has always helped me.
I never thought there was a correlation between reflux and Advil/ibuprofen. I tend to think there is because I took it for my period last month and now have a terrible case of reflux which I'm treating with ACV, the only thing that helps me. I take 2tsp in a 16oz bottle of water daily. And of course avoid coffee and other trigger foods. I had very minimal heartburn until I had gallbladder issues and eventually had it removed last year. Now I seem to have chronic reflux that comes and goes along w/IBS. I have been trying to manage both conditions and it isn't easy, but the ACV does help tremendously. I am very medicine sensitive and most meds do not agree w/me, so I always try herbal remedies first before resorting to meds.
I ALWAYS THOUGHT IBUPROFEN WAS THE CAUSE AND EVEN TOLD MY DOCTOR THE FIRST TIME HE PRESCRIBED IT. AND WHEN HE TRIED TO PRESCRIBE IT FOR ANOTHER INJURY, I SAID NO. HIS STATEMENT WAS IT UPSETS EVERYONES STOMACH . IT'S NICE TO HEAR OTHER PEOPLE'S RESPONSES.
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