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[Chihuahuachick]

I don't drink or smoke, I don't eat loads of fast food possibly one thing a month.

I have very bad acid reflux.

I am 18 months into the perimenopause stage which started with spotting, now the periods are heavier with clots.

Could the reflux be to do with perimenopause?

I am now on three lots of medication and I am just about getting a bit better.

Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

[CLKD]

Yep.  Yep. Yep.  As oestrogen levels drop the muscles may become lax = aches and pains.  This can also lead to reflux because the digestive tract may become lose, which means that the button that stops acids returning becomes lax [button is my word by the way  ].  Hiatus Hernia is common at our time of Life 

What have you been prescribed?  I have had a cold/cough since October and my reflux has been worse.  I have to take any medication an hour B4 laying down in bed otherwise  ....... did your GP suggest lifting the head of the bed to lessen reflux.

[Ladybt28]

Yep and nausea and a weird feeling like something was lodged in my throat Chihuahuachick. Got given omneprazol and lansoprazole from the GP which helped at the time.  Interesting thing though I was on HRT tablets then, but when I went to transdermal instead of stuff going through the stomach, it all stopped.  Not had any problems since unless I eat really, really spicy food and that's because of the food not because of meno or hrt

[AnnieR66]

Yes have suffered with it for nearly 3 years now, I am 52 and not sure how far along I am as I am on hrt patches.
I have only felt this bad when I've been pregnant and the patches have helped a little so I'm convinced it's hormonal.
What meds are you on if you don't mind me asking? I'll see if I've tried all of them!

Annie x

[Turkish delight]

I've had this too.

Same as you I eat pretty clean, I'm a pescatarian and limit fatty and junk food. I'm over it now I'm 51 though still in peri. Had it badly starting early last year. Absolutely everything I ate triggered it. Didn't know till reading your post that it was another meno symptom.

Menopause sucks, I've yet to hear one good thing about it!

Peace out
D

[friend of lhasa apso]

Yes a few months before I was 50 started with horrible reflux which felt like throat closing up ,nausea and made me retch and vomit .This was after a 12 and half hour night shift and very stressed .I had lansoperazole from doctor and had to take gaviscon also .
          Now I'm off nights it's settled with medication and hrt has helped also .☺

[CLKD]

I have background reflux all the while at the moment.  Some days I need to take milk of magnesia or rennies ........... I have had it all my life intermittently but since a hacking cough since October it's been almost daily. 

Apprprirate medication can help but 'lansoperazole' should be short-time use as the gut stops making it's proper acid which brings it's own problems 

[Bobidy]

Hi

This was one of my first peri symptoms. I have a hiatus hernia so acid reflux is standard but the almost forced swallowing and feeling like something was stuck was horrible. I had a barium swallow, which came back fine. Doctors went down the 'you must be stressed and anxious' route, which I wasn't.

I still have this but have reduced it all massively with the following:

- Cut out alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, spicy food, carbonated drinks, citrus food, deadly nightshade veg, tinned tomatoes or anything too acidic ... sorry. Nothing greasy or fatty. Eat little and often, not too late and don't lie down after eating for at least 2 hours so that your stomach has time to empty. This will dramatically sort out acid reflux which irritates that swallowing muscle.

- If needed occasionally take a teaspoon of Gaviscon before bed (don't drink afterwards). It usually does the trick but minimise the diet triggers first.  I took Omeprazole for a while but that comes with its own problems and stops you fully absorbing other vitamins and minerals. When you stop Omeprazole it can have the reverse effect for a while and your stomach produces a lot of acid to over compensate. You would need to ride the storm with this for a couple of weeks, reducing tablets gradually can minimise it.

- Consider your medication. NSAIDS will negatively effect your stomach (acid reflux etc) so if you need to then always take with food. Mefenamic acid, Ibruprofen etc are really painful for me. Paracetamol is well tolerated and 1x can usually sort out most aches and pains.

- I've recently started with kefir yogurt a couple of hours before bed which I think is doing something. There is research that it is supposed to be very good for gut health. Cheapest I've found is Tesco £1 for 3 servings.

- Drinking warm water can relax your stomach. Some fruit teas will irritate, including peppermint.

- Your doctor will probably tell you to sleep with your head raised a bit. Just be careful with this as another wonderful peri symptom is neck and shoulder ache. So try not to do anything which could make that worse.

I hope some of this may help you x

[CLKD]

   do you eat anything - what are deadly nightshade veg. other than spuds?

[Bobidy]

Lol, I know, it's ridiculous and frustrating. But the acid reflux is so horrible and painful it's worth trial and error figuring out what sets it off. I'm sure the triggers are different for everyone.

Deadly nightshades are potatoes, peppers, toms etc.

Sometimes I do think 'sod it' and eat/drink what I want, but then spend a fortnight sorting it out again.

I think for me the iron tablets (for heavy periods) play a large part in the stomach irritation but I always take them on a full stomach.

I'm hoping the HRT or testosterone will help to sort it a bit x

[Taz2]

I have background reflux all the while at the moment.  Some days I need to take milk of magnesia or rennies ........... I have had it all my life intermittently but since a hacking cough since October it's been almost daily. 

Apprprirate medication can help but 'lansoperazole' should be short-time use as the gut stops making it's proper acid which brings it's own problems 

Just to say that the PPI drugs such as Omeprazole and Lansoprazole may bring their own problems but they do protect the oesophagus from the very real problem of the it being damaged by the reflux and then becoming cancerous. Milk or Rennies are the worst thing for reflux and should be avoided even though it makes it feel soothed.

I know that you don't want to be referred for endoscopy CLKD and do understand this but I feel it's important to mention the worsening to your GP just to check that you don't have any ulceration going on which needs short term medication.

Taz x

[Bobidy]

Yes, sorry I should have said there are very good cases for taking those meds, so please don't just stop.

An endoscopy isn't pleasant (remember to breathe through your nose if you have one as I had a bit of a panic), but you will know after what you are dealing with so you can take appropriate action/meds.

Hope you feel better soon x

[Taz2]

I did wonder Taz2 I took lansoprazole for over 3 years (it wasn't till I researched it I realised they could cause problems) and still think it was them that gave me  gallstones and caused me to lose my gallbladder last year x

Are you on HRT as this is known to increase the risk of developing gallstones?

Taz x

[Paupau]

Hi ,  yes , I started having problems last year,  am a good few years into peri, had a cough especially after I had eaten. Heartburn for the first time in my life too
, so I did a bit of googling and discovered Apple cider vingear.  Started taking it first thing in the morning and it helped a lot . Cough has now gone and no more reflux. If I don't take it at least once a week I usually feel symptoms returning.
I am managing the menopause  without hrt  but am taking a herbal mixture from a herbalist which is helping.  So wasn't keen on taking anti reflux tablets. Have also read that reflux can also be due to having low stomach acid.

Hope that is helpful.

[Hvenab]

I apparantly have acid reflux. It's been a couple of years at least with awful symptoms overall. Digestion is bad some says so today I lay off the high fibre and reduced milk. Stomach a tad better. I have too much saliva sorry about that. This wake sme up. I'm now going to see a private gp to see what they can do as it's been 2 long depression years of digestive issues....