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May 17, 2008 5:45 AM   Subscribe

Why the uninterrupted heartburn for a week, and how can I make it go away?

For about a week now, I've been suffering from what feels like heartburn that's not going away. I wake up with a mild internal pain around the bottom of my ribcage, which gets worse when I drink even water, and becomes nearly unbearable when I eat solid food, especially in the evening. It's painful enough that I've stopped eating much dinner at all.

Yes, I did go to the doctor. He told me to avoid chili peppers and fried foods and gave me Mylanta and Scopolamine (1 mg tablets – hopefully a low enough dosage to avoid the side effects of delirium, delusions, paralysis, stupor and death). Neither seems to have much effect, but I also got myself some Gaviscon tablets, which seem to offer temporary relief.

Aside from the pain, everything else seems to be working OK. What might be causing this, and how can I make it stop?
posted by Etaoin Shrdlu to Health & Fitness (12 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
This sounds like acid reflux, which I have. Did the doctor discount that?
posted by Countess Elena at 6:06 AM on May 17, 2008


Try a benadryl. One of the main components of my allergies is acid reflux; heartburn medication eases the discomfort, but taking my allergy medications tends to eradicate it.
posted by headspace at 6:08 AM on May 17, 2008


I might add that I take Protonix for reflux, one cap in the morning, and that takes care of pretty much everything -- I don't have to avoid a laundry list of foods, just a couple. Before that, I had no idea what I could and couldn't eat, and was always miserable.
posted by Countess Elena at 6:10 AM on May 17, 2008


Well, from my own experience: drinking milk feels good for a while but then makes the burning more burny, but chewing peppermint/spearmint gum seems to do the trick.
posted by turgid dahlia at 6:11 AM on May 17, 2008


I hate to be contrarian, but I would strongly advise you against taking Benadryl with Scopolamine unless you discuss it with your Doctor first. Both of these medications are anticholinergenic and you may very well experience significantly increased side-effects such as drowsiness, confusion or delusions if you take them together.

Scopolamine Interactions
posted by Blacksun at 6:26 AM on May 17, 2008


Could be acid-reflux, hiatus hernia, gastritis, or an ulcer. Doctors can not always differentiate between them based on symptoms alone. You could try Prilosec (aka omeprazole) if it's available over the counter where you are. Or return to your doctor when his recommendations don't work and he should put you on that or a similar drug. If he suspects an ulcer he may schedule you for a breath test (for the bacteria that cause most of them) or go ahead and give you antibiotics for the H-pylori bacteria.

Do not take aspirin or ibuprofen or other NSAIDs for this or any other pain (at least until it resolves) as they will weaken your stomach lining and possibly make your problem worse. Stick to paracetamol or cocodamol if you can get it. Don't eat or drink a lot at any one time. Consume very small portions. Try sleeping either in a recliner, propped up on pillows, or with a bed-wedge.
posted by Martin E. at 6:57 AM on May 17, 2008


Neither seems to have much effect

Go back, or get a second opinion. I'd probably get a second opinion. Based on the choice of scopolamine as first-line, there's something that I don't understand in his/her head.
posted by a robot made out of meat at 7:31 AM on May 17, 2008


I would also note gallbladder problems, stones specifically. Same thing happened to me with waking up with horrible heartburn and that's what I had, so I know how you feel. Also, they do say drinking water makes it worse (heartburn) by churning up the acid more (although I figured it'd dilute it out, but who knows on that one).
posted by uncballzer at 8:04 AM on May 17, 2008


I am not a doctor, I am not your doctor, you are not my patient. I do not provide medical advice, only education:

For about a week now, I've been suffering from what feels like heartburn that's not going away.

And herein lies our problem. We can't make a diagnosis of GERD, so we can't really treat your "GERD." We don't know your age or risk factors--this could certainly be GERD, but could also be any number of more dangerous, scary things too. Some patients may want to seek another opinion.

If it was GERD, there are plenty of other foods that need to be avoided (often people don't realize coffee, chocolate, and alcohol are triggers).

Finally, scopolamine (benadryl, too) can actually make heart burn worse by decreasing lower esophageal sphincter tone, which keeps food in your stomach and stops it from coming back up. (Mixing scopolamine with benadryl could be dangerous as well, as they are both anti-histamines and have other side effects. Yet another reason you shouldn't trust random strangers giving health advice on a website.)
posted by gramcracker at 8:14 AM on May 17, 2008


I had similar trouble. My doctor put me on Prevacid and my issues went away quickly and have not returned.

That feeling is terrible and I hope you get some relief. Good luck.
posted by Argyle at 8:54 AM on May 17, 2008


What uncballzer said. They were slow to diagnose mine, thought it was GERD for way too long.
posted by okbye at 11:06 AM on May 17, 2008


DGL. Takes a few weeks, but cheaper than many things. Here's hoping you like the taste of liquorice.
posted by IndigoJones at 5:31 PM on May 17, 2008


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