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Acid Reflux. GERD. Medication That's Safe with Tinnitus?!

amymilly

Member
Author
May 29, 2016
79
Tinnitus Since
20 May 2016
Cause of Tinnitus
Perforated ear drum
I'm going to the doctor this evening as I'm suffering really bad acid reflux. Having trouble swallowing food.

This happens last year. Before tinnitus. And I was on omeprazole and lanzoprazole.

I've seen a few people mention spikes and stuff as their side effects are tinnitus.

Can anyone advise me what's best to have. Seriously scared of making this bloody worse. I've just started gaviscon which is giving me some kind of relief.

Thanks a lot
 
So he said prescribed me lanzoprazole. Told me that it could make my tinnitus worse. But it's rare? What a thing to say. Now I don't know what to do. And I've got to have a camera down my throat. How nice.
 
I think I've got this too. For the last month or so I've been having trouble swallowing food. Been backwards and forward to doctors with no diagnosis yet. But for the last week my T has sky rocketed. Now have a loud crickets noise that I cannot mask. Along side the 3 other noises I have in my ears and head. I'm starting to think this could be related to reflux maybe. Did you have any joy with medication for it?
 
Truth is, a tonne of medications have T as a potential side effect, and if you Google search any medication followed by the word tinnitus, you'll come across stories of people saying it gave them T/made T worse. Just have to go slow and use trial and error. For what it's worth, I take acid reflux meds (the meds I was on before T) and I stopped then for a few months (tough when you got acid in your gullet!) and it didn't make any noticeable difference.
 
So he said prescribed me lanzoprazole. Told me that it could make my tinnitus worse. But it's rare? What a thing to say. Now I don't know what to do. And I've got to have a camera down my throat. How nice.
I've just been prescribed Omeprazole by my doctor but too scared to take it! I'm having such an awful spike right now really not coping well and am terrified I could make everything worse. Info booklet states vertigo as a side effect but not tinnitus? Did you end up taking the lanzoprazole?
 
I've just been prescribed Omeprazole by my doctor but too scared to take it! I'm having such an awful spike right now really not coping well and am terrified I could make everything worse. Info booklet states vertigo as a side effect but not tinnitus? Did you end up taking the lanzoprazole?
I didn't. I tried coping with gaviscon. And it worked for a few weeks. Now I'm back to square one. So I think I'm going to start taking no it now. I have to have a camera Down my throat for a referral. Have you taken the omaprazle
 
Truth is, a tonne of medications have T as a potential side effect, and if you Google search any medication followed by the word tinnitus, you'll come across stories of people saying it gave them T/made T worse. Just have to go slow and use trial and error. For what it's worth, I take acid reflux meds (the meds I was on before T) and I stopped then for a few months (tough when you got acid in your gullet!) and it didn't make any noticeable difference.
What anti acid meds do you use? X
 
I didn't. I tried coping with gaviscon. And it worked for a few weeks. Now I'm back to square one. So I think I'm going to start taking no it now. I have to have a camera Down my throat for a referral. Have you taken the omaprazle
No I didn't I freaked out and refused to take it my doctor revered me for an emergency endoscopy too which is this coming Monday due to the fact I've been having problems swallowing food and feeling like it's stuck in my throat for a couple months now. The federal letter said cancer on it about 5 times so I'm panicking about that now. Also have a head cold and my ears are roaring this awful low loud drone. Oh the joys! Are you going to have conscious sedation with the endoscopy? Wondering if that's going to also have an effect on my tinnitus?!
 
No I didn't I freaked out and refused to take it my doctor revered me for an emergency endoscopy too which is this coming Monday due to the fact I've been having problems swallowing food and feeling like it's stuck in my throat for a couple months now. The federal letter said cancer on it about 5 times so I'm panicking about that now. Also have a head cold and my ears are roaring this awful low loud drone. Oh the joys! Are you going to have conscious sedation with the endoscopy? Wondering if that's going to also have an effect on my tinnitus?!
Refered me* and referral letter* stupid phone!
 
I'm going to the doctor this evening as I'm suffering really bad acid reflux. Having trouble swallowing food.

This happens last year. Before tinnitus. And I was on omeprazole and lanzoprazole.

I've seen a few people mention spikes and stuff as their side effects are tinnitus.

Can anyone advise me what's best to have. Seriously scared of making this bloody worse. I've just started gaviscon which is giving me some kind of relief.

Thanks a lot
Stop eating acidic foods, certain acidic fruits, pickle, tomato anything acidic. This cured my reflux, it works.
 
Acid reflux gave me severe upper respiratory problems and spiked my T, I gave up all acidic foods and I had no more problems. Trust me it works.
 
My husband has tinnitus too, has had GERD and acid reflux for years, takes protonix and doesn't suffer any spikes.
 
I've been taking pantoprazole daily for about 10 years now for acid reflux (had circa x4 endoscopies over that time), but have now decided I'm going to take a break from using it - interesting last week when i went to get my repeat prescription, that the chemist asked if i was taking a vit b12 supplement? First time this has ever been mentioned to me. It appears now that taking a PPI may cause vit b12 deficiency ("Taking proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) to ease the symptoms of excess stomach acid for more than two years was linked to a 65 percent increase in the risk of vitamin B-12 deficiency").

The tinnitus I'm suffering with now (constant high pitched ringing), has only been in full force for 4 weeks, and diagnosed as a result of hearing loss through a perforated ear - I was having on/off tinnitus for previous 18 months (unbeknown to me as it was in different form - droning sound like), but there does seem to be some commentary around whether there is a link between tinnitus and vit b12 deficiency. Some kind of vicious cycle maybe....?
 
Will tums cause a Spike in T if taken?
It spiked my tinnitus but went down. I was suggested Gaia Reflux Relief by a member on here and it doesn't spike my tinnitus. For others Tums doesn't spike them though, I've used tum about 3 times and all spikes went down.
 
Hariz Nonis

Thanks Hariz, for the info. Tried talking Apple Cidar Vinigar that took care of it. Feeling much better with the acid reflex.
Have a great day!
 
Hariz,
Did the Apple Cidar eliminate my acid reflex. Yes it did. I drink 2 glasses per day now with 2 table spoons of apple cider vinegar in it. I drink it with only alkaline water. Tap water is very, very acidy, at least it I is were I live. I've tested it with test strips you can buy at any hardware store.
I also add 1 drop off Iodine plus I started taking vitamin supplements and eating and avoiding acidy food is been great. Even my T level has dropped to almost a none ringing level. I still have the T but at times I can't even hear it, So I'm on the right track. I'm very positive I'm going to kill this demon very soon! Everyday it is getting better and better!
 
Hariz,
Did the Apple Cidar eliminate my acid reflex. Yes it did. I drink 2 glasses per day now with 2 table spoons of apple cider vinegar in it. I drink it with only alkaline water. Tap water is very, very acidy, at least it I is were I live. I've tested it with test strips you can buy at any hardware store.
I also add 1 drop off Iodine plus I started taking vitamin supplements and eating and avoiding acidy food is been great. Even my T level has dropped to almost a none ringing level. I still have the T but at times I can't even hear it, So I'm on the right track. I'm very positive I'm going to kill this demon very soon! Everyday it is getting better and better!

That's very good! Hopefully things will only improve for you, and everyone else! I will have a read on Apple Cider Vinegar
 
I also add 1 drop off Iodine plus I started taking vitamin supplements and eating and avoiding acidy food is been great. Even my T level has dropped to almost a none ringing level. I still have the T but at times I can't even hear it, So I'm on the right track. I'm very positive I'm going to kill this demon very soon! Everyday it is getting better and better!
Hi @Lyman

That's incredibly good news--congratulations on all your improvements! -- You may not know that iodine can actually "coat" food particles in a way that reduces their allergenic qualities.

Interestingly, I've read that acid reflux is sometimes caused by--of all things--too little hydrochloric acid in the stomach. Some people benefit from taking HCL tablets with their meals, which greatly improves digestion, and allows for far more normal motility and absorption.

Another cause of acid reflux is dysfunctinal liver/gall bladder function. Food leaving the stomach is highly acidic, and within about an hour, this pH is brought back into balance with highly alkalizing bile. If there's not enough bile getting to this highly acidic food, it can back up and cause acid reflux.

Most anything that's acidic (such as apple cider vinegar) can greatly improve liver/gall bladder function. Malic acid (derived from apples, which gives apples a tart taste) can also be very beneficial. Malic acid tablets are very cheap and easy to take.

Simple things like this are very seldom mentioned by doctors, even though they usually eliminate the needs to take most acid reflux medications. -- Could that be why they don't mention these simple things?
 
Simple things like this are very seldom mentioned by doctors, even though they usually eliminate the needs to take most acid reflux medications. -- Could that be why they don't mention these simple things?

Considering the world we live in, maybe. Just maybe, some of them are like that.

Also @Lyman @Lane , I seem to be suffering from what I can only assume is indigestion. I find it hard to take a s*** at times. As in, my stomach can feel like it's ready to dispose of whatever I've eaten, but it does not want to come out easily. It's not constipation, as I don't even feel like I need the toilet at that time, and when I do use the toilet, I don't much of a problem letting it all out. I can feel my body ready to remove all the things, but it doesn't want to. Sometimes, for days. I can only afford to fart to somehow remedy the uncomfortable feeling. This has been going on for months at least.
 
I seem to be suffering from what I can only assume is indigestion.
Hi @Hariz Nonis,

There are any number of things that could be going on. Though I don't know if this is the case with you, but slow motility (movement of food from mouth to colon) can actually have its origins in the neck. The reason for this is that a seriously impacted neck can greatly affect vagus nerve function.

The vagus nerve is one of 12 cranial nerves exiting the brainstem and traversing through the first cervical vertebra--called the atlas. If the atlas is out of place, it can actually "crimp" the vagus nerve, and a person could end up with problems wherever the vagus nerve travels through. This includes the thyroid gland, heart, liver, and other glands and organs along the way--all the way to the colon. -- Since the vagus nerve travels through the TMJ, it can also become crimped there as well.
Sometimes, for days. I can only afford to fart to somehow remedy the uncomfortable feeling. This has been going on for months at least.
I had a serious head injury/whiplash as a teenager, and have dealth with slow motility and various GI tract problems ever since. Along the way, I learned that if things get blocked up, it's best to do an enema to get things moving again. After learning about the therapeutic value of coffee enemas, I opt for using them.

Not only do they evacuate the bowels, but CEs are extremely good for liver/gall bladder health. Which as I mentioned in my previous post, is really important for digestion, absorption, and overall GI tract health.

To get back to your neck issues, I learned an amazingly helpful technique for my own neck issues that I've shared with others, and has worked for them as well. I described it in detail on THIS POST here on TT.
 
The reason for this is that a seriously impacted neck can greatly affect vagus nerve function.

Whoa. Just read up a little bit on this. And man, this hits close to home. I have noticed some things with the issue I'm having now, and they seem to be mentioned/related, one way or another, to the vagus nerve. I don't know if you have read up on the vagus nerve, but if you have, let me describe some of the things I recently noticed:
  1. My right neck(the affected side) is stiff. It's been this way since I noticed it days ago. When I run my fingers over it, from top to bottom, with some pressure, my ear rings in response to the "massage". I don't think it always rings in response, but it happened that way at least once.
  2. When I gargle my mouth with water, my ear actually rings along to the "rhythm" of the gargling. Essentially, the ringing is responding directly to my gargling. This is what I notice to happen at least almost every time.
  3. When I talk or hum, my ear also rings to my voice. Now, when I try to talk a certain way(mostly using air/whispering), this gets much better. It's the same when I lie down. Which brings me to my next point.
  4. When I lie down/sit with my upper back resting against something, my ear seems to react less when I speak. It doesn't seem to go away completely, but when I wake up from my night's sleep, I might be able to not hear any ringing for a few minutes. I guess it's because my neck has been supported for a few hours, so it helps with the stiffness/soreness.
About three days before I started going through all this, I did hit the back-top part of my head against a low ceiling at my workplace. It lasted for only a few seconds from what I remembered, just like any other knock to the head one might experience. I don't know if this could be a head injury/whiplash though.

Finally, this has been going on for at least a few months. When I lie down on my back and use my phone with my right hand(my usual hand to use), I would have to raise my hand, and in turn my shoulder, over my head and keep it there while I'm using it. I've noticed, even back then, that my shoulder/neck would get sore after a few minutes from this.

Does any/all of this sound like the vagus nerve is responsible for my current problems? I actually have links to a couple of threads about my current problems in one of my comments above. If you could read them and make a stronger relationship between the vagus nerve and my story(or even disprove it), I'd really greatly appreciate it!
 
I don't know if you have read up on the vagus nerve
@Hariz Nonis, I've actually studied this fairly extensively for many years, and so feel I know a fair amount about it. -- Here's an excellent 10-minute video on the function of the vagus nerve, and 3 powerful ways to stimulate it. 1) Cold, 2) Bitters, 3) Coffee Enemas (which he says is the most powerful of all). As I watched it, I continued to think VN stimulation would likely be very good for treating some of the underlying dynamics of tinnitus.

There are actually a good number of ways to stimulate the vagus nerve, one of them being gargling. I assume that the tinnitus reactions you're having while gargling are due to the "auricular branch" of the vagus nerve being stimulated. But there could be other factors responsible for this as well.

I recently made a post about the vagus nerve and gut function on a different forum. Will paste it below the dotted line. The post was made on a thread which was discussing Craniocervical Instability and Atlantoaxcial Instability. I believe both of these conditions can contribute to gut dysfunction and tinnitus. Here's a LINK to that thread in case you'd want to check it out.
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If I may offer a hypothesis (most of which is derived from my own experience): -- I believe a neck injury/whiplash can shift the atlas enough so that the cranial nerves exiting the brainstem become "pinched" (and compromised). Of the 12 cranial nerves, the vagus nerve is the longest, and meanders all the way through the gut and ends in the colon. It's critical for the healthy functioning of many organs and glands along the way as well.

So normal functioning of the gut--where a very large percentage of the immune system resides--is dependent on a healthy vagus nerve, giving energy to the entire GI tract. If the vagus nerve is struggling, then digestion can become poor, nutritional status can be impaired (no matter how well we eat), and the immune system becomes compromised (often as a result of leaky gut syndrome). This can lead to opportunistic infections that would not otherwise occur. AND, I've come to believe, autoimmune disorders.

I've thought about this much more, but this is the brief version of my own situation. if this scenario is accurate for other people with ME/CFS, perhaps it could explain your own circumstances. Is it possible your injured neck may have indirectly contributed to your autoimmune disorder? Which leads to the question, "Could effectively treating that neck injury help correct the autoimmune disorder? -- I'm not putting out this rhetorical question for just your situation, but for others on this forum as well, especially those who have known serious neck issues.
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The graphic below is all connected with the things I've been writing about:

barre-lieou-symptoms-WEB.jpg
 

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