I live in heartburn hell - help!

[butterfly_warrior]

I'm having seriously awful problems with heartburn lately. It's awful, and I need help as it's stopping me from sleeping.

Last night has been the worst yet - I could only sleep if I was on my back and propped up on a heap of pillows. Unfortunately, as an ex-tummy-sleeper I'm way more comfortable on my side... But I haven't found any way to sleep on my side and be propped up, and the more horizontal I was, the more acid would leak out of my stomach. The pain was so intense it kept waking me up.

Now here's the bigger problem. Chewable antacid tablets do bugger all for it. Liquid antacid medications make me puke (psychological, I know, but I just can't deal with liquid medicines but I can swallow any number of tablets I'm given no matter how big).

Is there ANYTHING I can do? Anything at all? I see my OB on Thursday afternoon, but I'm not sure I can last that long with a shred of sanity intact if I don't get more sleep!

BW

[Shanti]

oooooooh I feel your pain, it's AWFUL i get it so bad some evenings!!!

Mainly around 5pm onwards it hits me like clockwork..... and usually when it comes on i know it must be 5pm!!! and it usually is..... strange hey.....

I take those tablets "Andrew Tums" they seem to help..... i suppose you've tried all those.... drinking a big glass of MILK can help me sometimes or even just a glass of water.... but usually i just wait for it to pass...

I've been told it will get worse as our pregnancy progresses.....

[Michelle71]

I am sitting here nodding in empathy This pregnancy I have the worst reflux - thankfully not every day but last night was nasty!! I will try to check if there are some tablets you can take that are safe in pregnancy. I am lucky the chewables still work but both them and the liquids make me heave on occasion (purely psychological too )

[Snacks]

Aw, so sorry BW! Esp about the chewable tabs - they were my staple in the last few weeks of my pregnancy.
As Renstar suggested, go for the milk. I also found that spicy, flavoursome foods really exacerbated the problem. Maybe you need to stick to the bland stuff?
Hopefully your OB can offer you some relief.

[mrsmac]

I took Zantac with Riley and drank lots of milk. I feel your pain, with all mine I have had shocking heartburn, I used to keep mylanta next to the bed and skull it during the night straight fom the bottle!
They say bad heartburn is a sign bubs will have lots of hair, it was true for mine.

[Sair]

I was prescribed Pariet with Noah and I dare say I will be taking it again in the next few days with this one too. I luckily have some left over that are still good. They are exxy from memory but not sure how much exactly anymore it could have been $30 for a 2 week supply, you would have to check, the cost was the least of my worries though, I had reflux nearly coming out of my mouth every time I went to bed. Hmmm just trying to find out info on its safety in pregnancy and it says there is no info..... Noah turned out great though

ETA it is catagory B1

[Arimeh]

Milk or Fruit Tingles.

[sneakysparkle]

Try and avoid anything spicy or fatty, and don't drink soft drink at night. Thats what my midwife said - easier said than done!!!
Also eating yoghurt can help, as can the milk. Hope you get some relief soon!

[MrsB26]

I also have heartburn pretty bad and have had it for about 10 weeks now.

Chewable antacids work for me most times but when they dont i usually take 1 tsp slippery elm mixed with milk or water. Its not too bad and calms everything down. My anti-natal yoga teacher had taught us some positions for relieving heartburn, i could try to explain what it looks like but you might end up the wrong way around. Maybe go to a class or library to find out - its an easy sitting postion and takes about 5 mins to work when done with the breathing practice - i find it works but sometimes 5 mins is too long when you are already snug in bed.

Also almonds with the skin on and banana's are good. I have tried milk but only makes it worse as i have reflux with my heartburn. Try not to eat too close to going to bed *yes mum lol*.

Sometimes, nothing else works for me and i end up sleeping sitting up - these are the worst nights

Ooo, ice is a good one and little sips of really cold water cause you dont want to be up peeing all night (you probably are anyway)

HTH

[butterfly_warrior]

This is way beyond what fruit tingles can help with! I do find them easier to tolerate, but I'd need to go through about a roll and a half before it settles (tried it one night), and then all the sugar gets munchkin so hyped up that I still can't sleep!

As for milk and yoghurt - reasonably dairy intolerant, so unless I want to wake up so congested I can't breathe, dairy is best avoided before bed time. I know there's lactose free stuff available, but again I find it way too sweet.

Bananas - severely allergic!

Almonds - again, getting into barf territory, just can't stand them!

I was also under the impression that zantac hadn't been approved for use in pregnancy, but I'm getting desperate enough to use it anyway! As long as it's not known to be dangerous. I did find that one of my arthritis medications caused nasty heartburn when I first started it, and it's one I'm weaning off now to see if that's adding to the effect... back then, zantac was the only thing that helped... I just need to know if it's safe before I use it!

BW

[~clover~]

I had heart burn really bad with DD1.
Pizza, garlic bread, spag bol, coke, & water all made it worse.
I used to have a cold milo before bed & it usually helped.

[Sair]

Zantac is also Catagory B1, Pariet you are allowed to b/f with is the only difference.

From PBS website

Use in pregnancy and lactation: Pregnancy category: B1. The safety of ranitidine in pregnancy
has not been established. Reproduction studies performed in rats and rabbits have revealed no
evidence of impaired fertility or harm to the foetus due to ranitidine. Ranitidine crosses the
placenta. Zantac should only be used during pregnancy if considered essential. If the
administration of Zantac is considered to be necessary, its use requires that the potential benefits
be weighed against possible hazards to the patient and to the foetus.
Ranitidine is secreted in breast milk in lactating mothers, but the clinical significance of this has
not been fully evaluated. Zantac should only be used by nursing mothers if considered essential.

[M22]

i had this until labour and even during as slept upright for most of my pregnancy.
big hugs from me x`

[diva det]

Aww BW!
I had such bad heartburn with the twins that i burnt my oseogohas(sp)- the only thing that worked was prescription Zantac- safe to use and comes in chewable tab form.

With any of the heartburn meds, you have to make sure that they are aliminum free- most are. This time its not as bad yet- normal gaviscon etc didnt work- but Rennies are working at the moment- you can even get them from the supermarket. You can also take up to 16 tabs a day of them!!!!

Hang in there and might be worth giving the OB rooms a call and maybe they can fax a script through to a chemist some where so you can pick them up today rather than waiting in pain till Thurs. That is what my OB used to do for me!

Take care and hang in there
Odette

[butterfly_warrior]

So... zantac, ok or not ok?

It appears to be a case of if nothing else works, then go for it... but I'm a bit reluctant to do so at this point in time without an ok from a doctor.

Odette, that phone call might be a damned good idea if things are bad again tonight!

BW

[satya]

Have you tried tums? They were the only chewable that worked for me. I lived on them throughout my pregnancy.

[diva det]

Bw
the main ingredient you have to stay clear from is aluminum. So as long as zantac has no aluminium in it- it should be fine. If not, give the OB or even a chemist a call to find out. I got some gavison from the chemist that didnt work at all, but as i said, the Rennies i got from the supermarket did, and it says on the packet that they are safe to use during pg!
I would be ringing your OB today and organising the script ASAP. Why put yourself through another nite of hell! Plus the longer you leave it, the more chance you can burn your throat- trust me that aint fun either!

take care and hang in there!!

odette

[butterfly_warrior]

I went to acupuncture today... we talked about the heartburn (it helps that my AP lady is due about 5 days after me so she KNOWS what symptoms to ask about!)...

I've ended up leaving with three leave in needles to help. Two are in my wrists on the nausea spots that we used in first trimester - apparently they help settle all sorts of stomach issues. She has suggested that if the leave in needles work, I can use the sea bands for relief... I'll certainly be giving it a try!

For now, I notice that I'm burping like mad because the bloating is finally diminishing - bloating I didn't even realise I had!

BW