Having spent years on various Asthma treatments, all of which have made very little difference to my “perma-cough”, I decided to push the issue with my GP. Over the years my breathing had been getting steadily worse & laboured with a feeling of a slowly tightening opening to my bronchial. The last few months have been crap; instant coughing as I lie down in bed, the feeling of breathing through a straw, catching and a feeling of blockage at the back of my throat & an increase in mucous in that area.

The Dr’s & asthma clinic nurses didn’t seem to listen & merely prescribed different sprays. So In an effort to narrow the cause or trigger down I got a bit insistent that it wasn’t asthma, so my GP put me on some silent reflux medicine. Wow, within 24 hours I felt a real difference. However, with that medication came unbelievable dizziness, vertigo, loss of balance, concentration – I felt permanently pissed.

So, does anyone else have this condition? And can anyone tell me what medication you’re on, share your experiences, tell me what to expect etc?

Have you been checked for mineral deficiencies?

What meds were you put on?

One of the many symptoms I had/have of an inflamed stomach was a cough more so in the mornings. I’ve been on Omeprazole now for a year with no side effects. It really has made a big difference to me, bigger appetite again, I can eat pretty much any food again, less migraines, more energy plus may other benefits.

Interesting, Drac. My doctor put me on Omeprazole for a trial three weeks ago and the side effects were so miserable I decided it was better to continue with the heartburn.

Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar, ie with the ‘mother’ is worth a shot.

I’m on ompeprazole but haven’t noticed any side effects, though I’m not keen on the long term ones like osteoporosis.

What medication did you get put on mildred? I tried zantac a couple of times before I was on omemprazole and felt terrible on that.

I was put on lansoprazole. No energy, listless, dizzy, vertigo, feeling drunk were too much for me to cope with, but funnily enough I didn’t actually mind the appetite suppression and feeling fuller sooner. I’ve also realised that my constantly feeling hungry is perhaps not hunger after all, but probably excess acid. That said, I rarely if ever get heartburn. Because of this I was a little dubious of what the GP was saying (I don’t like taking any pills, potions, meds etc), but having come off the lansoprazole, the coughing has started again.

Don’t discount it as being low stomach acid that happens as we age. It’s easy to get excess and low mixed up.

Omeprazole was awful for me too (duodenal ulcer)..
Felt sedated the whole time and affected the vision in left eye which is only slowly returning to normal several months later…

mildred, I’d go back to docs and mention it is making you feel ill, certainly I feel normal on omeprazole, not tried others. I know several people suffering from this who sleep on foam wedges, stops the acid flowing up your esophagus in the night when you lie down. Also follow the other good practice for reflux sufferers, avoiding certain food and eating late at night etc etc. Preventing the acid moving up your esophagus is going to be more effective than taking a drug to produce less acid.

cinnamon_girl, the issue here is a mechanical one of acid and enzymes passing out of the stomach up the esophagus causing irritation and damage to the throat, voice box, lungs etc. Therefore I would not be wanting to make the acid more acidic.

My eating patterns are a big problem; I work shifts without any sort of regular break so tend to grab food and drink as and when there’s a lull, which invariably gets interrupted by another incident (generally with a surge in adrenalin to help the gut start surging).

There are a couple of completely different anti-reflux medications to lansoprazole (omeprazole is quite similar, hence the similar name). Ranitidine would be another option which works in a completely different way and so you might get on with it a bit better. There are a couple of others as well (e.g. metoclopramide) but if you talk to your doctor and say you don’t like the side effects they should be able to start you on something else and find something that works well.

Also, there’s tonnes of information re lifestyle here:

http://patient.info/health/acid-reflux-and-oesophagitis

That’s the issue or was the issue with me Milfred. Shifts with up to 9 hours or more without a break, eating at silly times of the day. Thankfully that’s coming to an end for me and one of the big benefits of moving away from being operational.

Like most drugs, most people get on fine with most meds.
It seems you’re not getting on with the antacid medication, though reduction in acid levels helped your symptoms.
I’d go back, explain this, and it would be reasonable to trial one of the numerous other antacid medications…sometimes giving lansoprazole, which is similar to omeprazole (or vice versa) seems to help some people. ranitidine etc etc also exist.
Could even simply try gaviscon?

DrP

My eating patterns are a big problem; I work shifts without any sort of regular break so tend to grab food and drink as and when there’s a lull, which invariably gets interrupted by another incident (generally with a surge in adrenalin to help the gut start surging).

Same here. Just started my first fortnight of leave in nearly 4 months, will be interesting to see if a normal diet and sleep / wake times help.

I will follow this onewith interest as I am currently under query for asthma, and the GP appears to want to ignore the heart burn, and potential silent reflux issues I have raised with them.

It’ll take a fortnight at leat to try and get into a normal pattern.

I will follow this onewith interest as I am currently under query for asthma, and the GP appears to want to ignore the heart burn, and potential silent reflux issues I have raised with them.

It’s been a right pain to get to this point – with respect to the Dr’s & nurses involved, Asthma seems to be the default answer to any chest or breathing issues. I’m guessing there’s a balance of probability thing going on whereby Asthma is more common. Asthma treatment do nothing for me but make me cough even more, and despite years of me telling them this its only just been heard…

My eating patterns are a big problem; I work shifts without any sort of regular break so tend to grab food and drink as and when there’s a lull, which invariably gets interrupted by another incident (generally with a surge in adrenalin to help the gut start surging).

In honesty, I’d address that before looking at pills. I got into the same habit and ended up ill (from stress as much as anything), I now force myself to walk away and eat something every day, even if it’s just ten minutes to grab a sandwich rather than a whole lunch ‘hour’. Take a break and to hell with it, staffing issues are your employer’s problem. No job is worth more than your health.

Cougar it’s not always that easy for some if I’m operational I can’t walk a way and have break. When I’m on management duties I control my own breaks it’s much better. My poor crew can be out for hours though without so much as a cup of tea.

Just an update with this one.

Got put on Omeprazole. No side effect like the other stuff but I seem to have developed a very painful lower back. Been to see numerous physio’s & osteopaths & nobody can find anything wrong so I’m beginning to wonder if this is caused by the Omeprazole; has anyone else experienced aches, pain, tightness/stiffness in lower back & buttocks?

I’ve been on Omep for years now without any side effects – certainly not back pain!
Omep for me is to protect whats left after years and massive does of other meds for spinal damage so the back pain isn’t from Omep 😀
I certainly know the days I DON’T take it – its not a nice feeling at all burning from the inside out 😕

Not what I’ve noticed but 26 years of NHS work plus I develop kidney stones all too often means I’d not notice anyway.

Also on Omep as a consequence of taking an anti inflam for aching joints, finally had to give in after many, many years of self management.
Like the OP I am asthmatic and had developed a cough which was not responding to asthma meds, gaviscon and numerous visits to hospital consultants.
Long story short when I went to Doc for my joint problems I had a coughing episode. Once I’d got the aches’n pains sorted I asked what he could do for the cough? Before I finished the sentence he said “change your BP pills”

Days later, no cough and full nights sleep since(also a shift worker till next year ) 😆

I developed stomach irritation from taking naproxen for migraine. Lansoprazole gave me a really sore throat and exhaustion, omeprazole gave me a bad headache and so did ranitidine. I discovered that I can tolerate pantoprazole though!

Had similar symptoms with the nightime cough and feeling of mucus and horrible heartburn. Put on 40mg of omaprazole and found that once prescribed it I couldn’t come off it for more than a day without horrendous heartburn. Had all the tests, including 24 hour acid monitoring, camera, pressure test of the muscles at the top of the stomach and then ended up having anti reflux surgery to tighten everything back up. That was over 5 years ago, not a bit of heartburn or reflux now and totally medication free.

I’m not on a massively high dose, & certainly never suffered from acid so I’m going to come off them to see what happens. I just feel that having never experienced back pain, not suffering any accident or trauma recently, and this coming on within a couple of days of starting Omeprazole is maybe more than coincidence.

Actually when I say back pain, it’s more upper left arse cheek pain. I can’t even find a source of the pain, such as bruising or tenderness – it just bloody hurts..!

I’ve been on very low dose omep for several years now. It’s to prevent acid reflux that was irritating my esophagus causing me problems swallowing. No side effects for me but as I only use 10mg every day or so.

Interested to read about all you others taking Ome/Lansoprazole as I have just been started on them.

I have had a sore throat and what I had thought was a chest infection since April this year, been to see the Docs who did the usual checks and said its not bacterial so no Antibiotics needed.

Finally a couple of weeks ago after repeated visits to the docs got some AB’s which cleared up the sore throat but still had a cough and what I thought was a chest infection, told it could possible be reflux so given a months course of Omeprazole, 3 weeks in and no change so went back to the Docs, spoke to a different Doc this time who has put me on Lansoprazole and Gaviscon Advance.
A week later and a big change and so far no adverse side affects to the meds.
Have gone on Decaff coffee as well as this is supposedly one of the trigger foods for reflux also going to give Soya milk ago incase I’m lactose intolerant as well.

ended up having anti reflux surgery to tighten everything back up. That was over 5 years ago, not a bit of heartburn or reflux now and totally medication free.

Have you had any side effects from the surgery? When I was seeing the specialist before my endoscopy he said the risk for me would be if I am already having trouble swallowing food then tightening things up would make it worse.

I probably should make more of an effort to resolve my reflux. Have stopped taking omeprazole as I’ve been on it for years.