GERD/Acid Reflux?

I have been diagnosed with GERD. I recently had a scope that showed a couple possible ulcers, and they stretched the membrane of the esphogus due to difficulty swallowing. I am now taking 40mg of Nexium twice daily. My problem, is that I am still having acid come up in the evenings. It always starts around 11 pm and then stops around 3-4 am. I am getting very little rest! The internist says that there is nothing he can do for me. That I should avoid drinking liquids after 6pm, no spicy foods, no tomato based foods, etc. I have been doing all of this. I am getting discouraged. Does anyone have ideas or helpful tips? ANYTHING???

Hmmm... diet modification is really important. You can be on a low-fat, high-fiber diet. Avoid carbonated drinks and caffeine. Don't lie down immediately after eating. Elevate the head of your head when yoou sleep. Tobacco should also be avoided, so if you smoke, guess you know what to do.

If your taking any anticholinergics like atropine sulfate, better have another consult regarding this. these meds, delay gastric emptying. A prokinetic drug may also be prescribed to accelerate gastric emptying, better ask your doctor bout this. Other meds you can take, upon approval of your doc, are antacids, H2 blockers and proton pump inhibitors.

If symptoms worsen, guess you could aslo inquire about having a fundoplication, a gastric wrap around, to tighten the upper sphincter of your stomach.

Good luck.

Have you tried taking the second dose at a later time and see if that would help? If you don't get the results you think you should be getting with your doctor..then go get a second opinion.
Have you tried sleeping with the head of your bed elevated? You can put some bricks under the feet of the head of the bed and/or use pillows, but try to keep your upper torso elevated. This should help reduce the flow of acid up into the esphogus. Ranitidine is a medication that also helps. It is a generic Zantac and helps with the acid. Good luck.
Maybe you should look into getting a sleep study done on you. Gerd is often associated with Sleep Apnea. You could also try chewing sugarfree gum.
In addition to what everyone else has already said, Nexium takes about 2 weeks to actually be effective, as it's meant for longterm treatment of GERD where drugs like zantac work quicker.
Certified Pharmacy Technician
I have been exactly where you are now. I had to have 2 endoscope procedures. The first helped me to swallow, as I had lost 30 pounds in 1 month due to a fear of swallowing. I had been to many doctors, and they told me it wasn't serious, or I had anxiety. It wasn't until I had the procedures that I was officially diagnosed with GERD and a severe hiatal hernia. I was put on a similar RX as you. Don't worry. Follow their advice about not eating late, and try to avoid all those products. I find that vinegary and garlic foods are just as bad. You might find you have other triggers, too. Try to sleep with your head raised. Don't drink much after 6pm, like they said. I don't know when you were diagnosed and started treatment, but for me the GERD was so bad that it took about 2 months for me to feel like I had my life back again. Be patient. Until your throat heals up some, and your stomach calms down, you're going to be fighting this. I ate a lot of pasta and other easy foods. Good luck!