Pay no attention to this post

[Rafter S]

This may be an off the wall post, but maybe it will help someone. If any of you suffer from frequent heartburn, especially at night, an over the counter medication omeprazole can change your life. I used to get up anywhere from midnight to 2:00 am 4-5 nights a week to take Alka-Seltzer so I could get back to sleep. I mentioned it to my son and he said he takes one of the omeprazole tablets every morning.

I started doing that several months ago and since then I have woke up in the middle of the night exactly once, after eating a barbecue sandwich for supper.

I got my doctor to prescribe it. With my insurance that makes it considerably less expensive than buying it over the counter.

 

[GoWyo]

Might try cutting carbs as low as possible, like to 50 grams per day. My heartburn episodes went away with carb avoidance.

 

[greybeard]

Might try cutting carbs as low as possible, like to 50 grams per day. My heartburn episodes went away with carb avoidance.

That's pretty dang low. Carbs are the big raging elephant in the room for diabetics, (lower=better) but even for someone with diabetes, they recommend that 45% of daily calories come from carbs and that is equivalent to per meal carb intake of 45-70g.

 

[callmefence]

That's pretty dang low. Carbs are the big raging elephant in the room for diabetics, (lower=better) but even for someone with diabetes, they recommend that 45% of daily calories come from carbs and that is equivalent to per meal carb intake of 45-70g.

You expect "they" to admit that they have been wrong for 50 years all at once. "They" have recently and very quietly stopped discouraging the high fat low carb diet for diabetics the writing is on the wall. Carbs are exactly the same as sugar in your body.

 

[Rafter S]

Might try cutting carbs as low as possible, like to 50 grams per day. My heartburn episodes went away with carb avoidance.

I'd rather just take the pill. If it wasn't for red meat and starch I'd starve to death.

 

[GoWyo]

You expect "they" to admit that they have been wrong for 50 years all at once. "They" have recently and very quietly stopped discouraging the high fat low carb diet for diabetics the writing is on the wall. Carbs are exactly the same as sugar in your body.

Exactly right. Even reducing carbs to 100 grams or less will have significant benefits. For diabetics, the lower the better. Eat all the meat and fat you want along with a few vegetables and it will keep you from feeling hungry. Get carbs down to 50 grams or less and you will lose weight if that is your goal, and it seems to get rid of the acid reflux problem (and potential esophageal cancer). If you take the mindset that all sugar is evil, it isn't that difficult and after a week or two to get rid of the initial inflammation and fluid, feel 10 years younger.

 

[CowboyRam]

This may be an off the wall post, but maybe it will help someone. If any of you suffer from frequent heartburn, especially at night, an over the counter medication omeprazole can change your life. I used to get up anywhere from midnight to 2:00 am 4-5 nights a week to take Alka-Seltzer so I could get back to sleep. I mentioned it to my son and he said he takes one of the omeprazole tablets every morning.

I started doing that several months ago and since then I have woke up in the middle of the night exactly once, after eating a barbecue sandwich for supper.

I got my doctor to prescribe it. With my insurance that makes it considerably less expensive than buying it over the counter.

I was diagnosed with a Hiatal Hernia when I was in my 20's, and have been taking over the counter omeprazole for years.

 

[TCRanch]

I was diagnosed with a Hiatal Hernia when I was in my 20's, and have been taking over the counter omeprazole for years.

So was Mr TC. Then one of his cousins convinced him to try apple cider vinegar - with the mother. Off omeprazole completely for probably 9 years. He initially downed it like a shot; I'm talking, even in a shot glass. Switched to ACV gummies last year and zero problems. Did the ACV actually work or did the hiatal hernia simply heal? Will never know, but he continues to take the gummies. BTW, they don't suck!

 

[CowboyRam]

So was Mr TC. Then one of his cousins convinced him to try apple cider vinegar - with the mother. Off omeprazole completely for probably 9 years. He initially downed it like a shot; I'm talking, even in a shot glass. Switched to ACV gummies last year and zero problems. Did the ACV actually work or did the hiatal hernia simply heal? Will never know, but he continues to take the gummies. BTW, they don't suck!

I will have to give that a try. Thanks.

 

[dave_shelby]

My dad had bad heartburn all of life and died of esophageal cancer. Awful death basically starving. So I got scoped and found that I also had damage from acid. I did not always experience that as heartburn but also as a feeling of pressure. The doc put me on one PPI that caused migraines (which BTW are miserable I now have sympathy for those afflicted) and then on pantoparazole which helped.

But then I looked at side effect - kidney function, cancer. So I stopped regularly taking the med. I gave up alcohol (rarely drank anyways) only have a single cup of coffee in the morning and spicey and acid foods. And that seems like the diet works. I still take the med when I want to cheat. The doc also mentioned stress which I am naturally inclined to but also have two jobs plus farm.

I'm going to try ACV. Funny thing is my wife loves the stuff and thinks its a cure for all kind of aliments. Right again lol. The gummies sound preferable though. Going low carb would be more difficult but I would do if needed.

 

[Rafter S]

My dad had bad heartburn all of life and died of esophageal cancer. Awful death basically starving. So I got scoped and found that I also had damage from acid. I did not always experience that as heartburn but also as a feeling of pressure. The doc put me on one PPI that caused migraines (which BTW are miserable I now have sympathy for those afflicted) and then on pantoparazole which helped.

But then I looked at side effect - kidney function, cancer. So I stopped regularly taking the med. I gave up alcohol (rarely drank anyways) only have a single cup of coffee in the morning and spicey and acid foods. And that seems like the diet works. I still take the med when I want to cheat. The doc also mentioned stress which I am naturally inclined to but also have two jobs plus farm.

I'm going to try ACV. Funny thing is my wife loves the stuff and thinks its a cure for all kind of aliments. Right again lol. The gummies sound preferable though. Going low carb would be more difficult but I would do if needed.

They've gotten less frequent in recent years, but I've had migraines since I was in my teens (I've gone into the emergency room crying like a baby). I've had doctors say it's "contraindicated", but hydrocodone works wonders when I get one. Your mileage may vary.

 

[Ouachita]

So was Mr TC. Then one of his cousins convinced him to try apple cider vinegar - with the mother. Off omeprazole completely for probably 9 years. He initially downed it like a shot; I'm talking, even in a shot glass. Switched to ACV gummies last year and zero problems. Did the ACV actually work or did the hiatal hernia simply heal? Will never know, but he continues to take the gummies. BTW, they don't suck!

Wife and I were driving through Colorado last year. Got a motel in Pagosa Springs and noticed a dispensary next door. We got some gummies too. Back quit hurting and first time I slept all night in years.

 

[Travlr]

They've gotten less frequent in recent years, but I've had migraines since I was in my teens (I've gone into the emergency room crying like a baby). I've had doctors say it's "contraindicated", but hydrocodone works wonders when I get one. Your mileage may vary.

I was getting terrible migraines as a teenager about every three months. The kind that make you want to die. Terrible pain in my head and intense pressure in one eye, to the point that I couldn't move. Bad symptoms until I eventually vomit... and then things got better. I had tunnel vision and blind spots before each episode so I knew one was coming on. I tried everything available at the time and nothing worked. One day I got the tunnel vision and ran to the medicine cabinet for aspirin... and the bottle was empty except for a single pill. Desperate, I took it...

And I had the best result I'd ever had. Instead of getting a migraine it turned into the normal headache. Ever since that I've only needed a single aspirin to turn my oncoming migraine into a normal headache. Sometimes less meds works better than more.

 

[Ouachita]

I was getting terrible migraines as a teenager about every three months. The kind that make you want to die. Terrible pain in my head and intense pressure in one eye, to the point that I couldn't move. Bad symptoms until I eventually vomit... and then things got better. I had tunnel vision and blind spots before each episode so I knew one was coming on. I tried everything available at the time and nothing worked. One day I got the tunnel vision and ran to the medicine cabinet for aspirin... and the bottle was empty except for a single pill. Desperate, I took it...

And I had the best result I'd ever had. Instead of getting a migraine it turned into the normal headache. Ever since that I've only needed a single aspirin to turn my oncoming migraine into a normal headache. Sometimes less meds works better than more.

I had my first migraine when I was 19. Well, the first headache that I was sure was a migraine, because my mom had them too and that's how she described them. I also found that an aspirin and a Coke (caffeine), taken when the first visual cues presented, seemed to keep it in check. When I figured this out, I began taking Midol. Seriously, it worked. It has caffeine and aspirin, along with a couple other OTC pain meds.

That worked for a few years, then I got a divorce. The added stress of divorce and child custody battle made them worse, and more frequent. Doc offered the hydrocodone and that helped. A couple more years and I found my high school sweetheart and married her. One day when I was about 27yo, I realized I hadn't had a migraine in weeks, or was it months? Since then I can count on my fingers the number of headaches I've had. All were at stressful times in life (mostly teenagers).

All that to say, I think some people are genetically predisposed to migraines and that stress factors, whether realized or not, aggravate the symptoms.

 

[Rafter S]

I had my first migraine when I was 19. Well, the first headache that I was sure was a migraine, because my mom had them too and that's how she described them. I also found that an aspirin and a Coke (caffeine), taken when the first visual cues presented, seemed to keep it in check. When I figured this out, I began taking Midol. Seriously, it worked. It has caffeine and aspirin, along with a couple other OTC pain meds.

That worked for a few years, then I got a divorce. The added stress of divorce and child custody battle made them worse, and more frequent. Doc offered the hydrocodone and that helped. A couple more years and I found my high school sweetheart and married her. One day when I was about 27yo, I realized I hadn't had a migraine in weeks, or was it months? Since then I can count on my fingers the number of headaches I've had. All were at stressful times in life (mostly teenagers).

All that to say, I think some people are genetically predisposed to migraines and that stress factors, whether realized or not, aggravate the symptoms.

You may be right. As I mentioned above, the headaches have gotten less frequent in the last years. I've also had much fewer instances of my back going out (maybe because I'm sitting behind a desk for 40 hours a week now instead of manual labor?).

Twenty years ago I'd go through 30 hydrocodone in six months. Now I have one or two left from the ten my doctor prescribed over a year ago.

 

[GoWyo]

Wife and I were driving through Colorado last year. Got a motel in Pagosa Springs and noticed a dispensary next door. We got some gummies too. Back quit hurting and first time I slept all night in years.

"The boys from Oklahoma roll their joints all wrong . . . " Not sure about the ones from Arkansas.

 

[Ouachita]

"The boys from Oklahoma roll their joints all wrong . . . " Not sure about the ones from Arkansas.

Me neither. Can't stand the smell

 

[TCRanch]

Sometimes less meds works better than more.

Bingo! My mother-in-law was on a gazillion meds, pain pills, etc. Ended up having to go to the ER from what turned out to be an overdose. And she had been increasingly going downhill for a while. At 87 she quit all her meds cold turkey. Her cognizant abilities improved drastically, she felt so much better, and lived until she was almost 93.

 

[greybeard]

Anyone know anything about taking melatonin supplements in pill form for sleep?
I'd never heard of the pills but I know what melatonin is.

 

[Named'em Tamed'em]

Anyone know anything about taking melatonin supplements in pill form for sleep?
I'd never heard of the pills but I know what melatonin is.

I'll dissolve 2 under my tongue once or twice a week at bedtime, it helps with sleep some and no lingering morning effects.