Hi I am new to this group and microscopic collageneous colitis. I have been on lanszoprazole for around 8 months for acid reflux and after diagnosis consultant suggested moving to ranitidine. After a month on that I am now stopping that. Still have major acid problems are there any other medications I can take that won't do any harm. I am in the uk and can get gaviscon over the counter but wondered what others had tried.
Thanks
Alternatives for acid reflux
Moderators: Rosie, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh, mbeezie
Hi Jan,
It sounds as though you're making good progress but it's always tough to repair the damage done by PPIs. The lower esophageal sphincter typically takes a long time to regain it's strength so that it can effectively prevent acid reflux. If you don't want to use an H2 blocker, any common antacid can help to lower stomach acidity. Even many calcium supplements are calcium carbonate, which is an antacid. But when taking a calcium supplement, be sure to take an equal amount of magnesium supplement also, or magnesium deficiency will become a problem. A magnesium supplement shouldn't be necessary when taking an antacid that contains aluminum hydroxide, however.
One of the "secret tricks" for controlling GERD (at least it seems to be a secret to the medical community) is to take relatively large doses of vitamin D3. This has been verified by published medical research, but apparently not many physicians have bothered to read it. They prefer to write prescriptions for PPIs instead, because that's what their pharmaceutical company reps advise them to do.
Daily vitamin D3 doses in the range of 7,000–10,000 IU for several weeks or so seem to be very helpful for many GERD patients. Taking a magnesium supplement (or using topically-applied magnesium) at least equal to the RDA for magnesium is also usually helpful. The RDA for women is usually listed as somewhere in the range of 320–400 mg. Almost everyone who has MC is magnesium deficient, and this problem usually grows worse over time and becomes one of the issues that contribute to the tendency for MC to be self-perpetuating in many/most cases.
Gaviscon should help, but it's only labeled for use for a couple of weeks because one of the active ingredients is aluminum hydroxide which is contraindicated for some people who have kidney problems. On the other hand, it is used to reduce phosphate levels in patients who have certain kidney problems. IOW, if you have any known kidney issues it might be advisable to consult with your doctor before using Gaviscon for an extended period.
Rolaids is another product that contains both calcium carbonate and aluminum hydroxide. Tums contains only calcium carbonate, presumably making it a safer choice for anyone who has kidney problems.
I hope that some of this is helpful.
Tex
It sounds as though you're making good progress but it's always tough to repair the damage done by PPIs. The lower esophageal sphincter typically takes a long time to regain it's strength so that it can effectively prevent acid reflux. If you don't want to use an H2 blocker, any common antacid can help to lower stomach acidity. Even many calcium supplements are calcium carbonate, which is an antacid. But when taking a calcium supplement, be sure to take an equal amount of magnesium supplement also, or magnesium deficiency will become a problem. A magnesium supplement shouldn't be necessary when taking an antacid that contains aluminum hydroxide, however.
One of the "secret tricks" for controlling GERD (at least it seems to be a secret to the medical community) is to take relatively large doses of vitamin D3. This has been verified by published medical research, but apparently not many physicians have bothered to read it. They prefer to write prescriptions for PPIs instead, because that's what their pharmaceutical company reps advise them to do.
Daily vitamin D3 doses in the range of 7,000–10,000 IU for several weeks or so seem to be very helpful for many GERD patients. Taking a magnesium supplement (or using topically-applied magnesium) at least equal to the RDA for magnesium is also usually helpful. The RDA for women is usually listed as somewhere in the range of 320–400 mg. Almost everyone who has MC is magnesium deficient, and this problem usually grows worse over time and becomes one of the issues that contribute to the tendency for MC to be self-perpetuating in many/most cases.
Gaviscon should help, but it's only labeled for use for a couple of weeks because one of the active ingredients is aluminum hydroxide which is contraindicated for some people who have kidney problems. On the other hand, it is used to reduce phosphate levels in patients who have certain kidney problems. IOW, if you have any known kidney issues it might be advisable to consult with your doctor before using Gaviscon for an extended period.
Rolaids is another product that contains both calcium carbonate and aluminum hydroxide. Tums contains only calcium carbonate, presumably making it a safer choice for anyone who has kidney problems.
I hope that some of this is helpful.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.