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dr hive....getting off acid reducer medicine


ProudGrandma
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I know you need to do this slowly...(I did it once....years ago, but forgot the method)....and I have a friend whose son wants to do this....and her doctor wants to keep him on the medicine, so she doesn't want to ask them about the process.  Does anybody here know the process.  The patient is a older teenager (18)....if that matters.  I know you slowly cut back....but I don't know if there is an exact formula or not...

they want to try more natural ways of dealing with the symptoms.  They only agreed to try the medicine to see if it made a difference...with the idea that if it did, they would then know how to treat the symptoms naturally. 

thanks.

Edited by kfeusse
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I've had duodenal ulcers since I've been 8 years old. I've been off acid reducers for 20 years. What I did was drink small amounts of aloe vera juice several times a day. Now when I start feeling a flare up, I drink aloe vera juice once a day until my stomach feels back to normal. 

Marshmallow root and gelatin are also very healing. 

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One of my kids was on an acid-reducer for a long time. We started cutting one day a week... then after 2 weeks, cut another day, and just kept going till it was done. We did it very slowly on purpose. It worked well for us. I don't know if that is a particularly doctor-recommended way; I'm not sure there is one. "Taper off" is the extent of advice I have ever heard. 

2 doctors I talked to suggested Slippery Elm Bark as a good supplement to help heal and reduce the effects of acid. I take it myself as I have recurring acid problems.  

Edited by marbel
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It varies for different people, but for me, the things that helped me the most were:

1.  Not eating pizza/sausage/bacon or mint when I was already triggered.

2.  Not eating too close to bedtime.

3.  Not going to bed with my stomach too full nor sleeping on my stomach

4.  Steeping cut up fresh ginger in boiling water until it was tepid and then drinking it, regularly, several times per day, during flare ups.  Of all of the things, this was the one that actually was curative, better than Prilosec.  However, some folks have their reflux exacerbated by ginger, and so you have to be careful with this one.  Natural remedies are always like that—a bit variable.

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2 hours ago, Harriet Vane said:

I do not have advice for phasing off an acid blocker. However, I will say that my acid reflux and stomach pain literally disappeared with a gluten free, dairy free diet.

Dairy is actually very soothing for my acid reflux, I will regularly eat cheese or yogurt to settle a flair.  However, wheat/yeast products are a huge trigger for me (not yeasted products are less problematic).  So I agree that exploring the diet is definitely worth looking into.

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1 hour ago, Seasider too said:

I know this recommendation has gotten to the point of some people rolling their eyes,

<snip>

I am not rolling my eyes at you or anyone here, but I do understand the eye-roll.

When my kid was taking acid-blockers, there were a lot of weird symptoms going on. We were seeing lots of doctors, having lots of tests. We had gone through all the typical advice and tried lots of dietary and lifestyle changes, to no avail. Yet, whenever anyone asked about the kid's health, and I answered (as briefly as I could because no one wants long stories about bad health) that we were seeing lots of doctors, having lots of tests, trying lots of different things, people would invariably say things like "have they tried eating yogurt?" "have you raised the head of the bed?" or other basic advice which people would  typically try before having a teen submit to an endoscopy and other invasive tests.

Of course those are people who know more detail about the problem. In this environment, we don't know, so it doesn't seem eye-rolly to me to give that sort of advice. 

Again, I am not  rolling my eyes here, because it's different here where we are all strangers with little to no backstory.  But I have inwardly rolled my eyes many times at people I know. (Only inwardly because I know they are trying to help.) 

I hope I don't sound scoldy because I am not scolding. Just giving a perspective on the eye-roll. 

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44 minutes ago, cjzimmer1 said:

Dairy is actually very soothing for my acid reflux, I will regularly eat cheese or yogurt to settle a flair.  However, wheat/yeast products are a huge trigger for me (not yeasted products are less problematic).  So I agree that exploring the diet is definitely worth looking into.

I have also been helped by finishing most meals and all dinners with a little glass of milk.

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It's been quite a few years since I did it. As well as I can recall I think I first reduced my dosage of medicine for a couple of weeks, then started taking it every other day for a couple of weeks, then every third day, and then stopped completely. Of course if he's on a capsule medication he may not be able to easily reduce dosage. My medication was a tablet and I was on two a day. So first I cut one in half to reduce my dosage, then went to just one tablet a day, then every other day, etc. But I doubt there's one right way to do it. The key I think is just reducing slowly.

My biggest triggers are stress (far, far and away the biggest) and then raw onions and some brands of coffee. The latter two are fairly easy to avoid.

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4 hours ago, Harriet Vane said:

I do not have advice for phasing off an acid blocker. However, I will say that my acid reflux and stomach pain literally disappeared with a gluten free, dairy free diet.

This happened to my friend as well, after being gf/df for about six months, all acid problems disappeared. Before that point, he was regularly having to try and sleep sitting up because the acid was so bad. He was only in his mid-20s at that point. Also, he had his gallbladder out a year later, not sure if that's related or not. 

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3 hours ago, Mainer said:

This happened to my friend as well, after being gf/df for about six months, all acid problems disappeared. Before that point, he was regularly having to try and sleep sitting up because the acid was so bad. He was only in his mid-20s at that point. Also, he had his gallbladder out a year later, not sure if that's related or not. 

Both of my sisters ended up losing their gallbladders similarly. I am certain there is a connection.

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3 hours ago, Seasider too said:

 

I don’t feel scolded at all! I will just say that I have often met folks who say they would rather stay on meds than give up favorite foods. People with reflux, ulcers. I’ve actually met someone who said she would happily inject herself with insulin so she didn’t have to give up chocolate candy bars. So you never know. 

I mentioned the eye roll because gf dieting can be like coconut oil - or essential oils - something people rave over when they have success with it, but definitely not a cure all. I personally think it’s worth a try for those who haven’t already tried it as they try to figure out certain issues. 

Yes to all this. Someone dear to me has major, major acid issues, has had gallbladder removed, takes lots of meds, but will not consider any dietary changes at all.

I tried gluten-free, dairy-free because one sister has celiac disease, and also because I experienced a life-threatening abdominal infection a couple years ago that stripped my system raw. It was an option to try, and I am grateful that it worked for me, but I recognize that it may not work for others. It can be complicated trying to sift through all the layers of what may or may not help with individual health situations.

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I was gf/df for several years and never noticed any improvement. I used to take one in the morning and one before dinner, and got down to just one in the morning for quite awhile. Then my weight went up after an injury, and I haven't been able to kick it yet. I do eat a yogurt after dinner, and that helps. 

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