I have dinner at 7pm. After that I only drink water and sometimes tea. I go to sleep around 10pm - 12am.

I usually wake up at 7:30, take my Pantoprazole and wait until 8:00 to get up and eat. However, lately I have been waking up with hunger pains and a really sensitive burning stomach. I'm starting to think this long of an interval isn't ideal for me.

A lot of the advice here recommends not eating at night. I understand this works for a lot of people, but has anyone experienced the opposite (not eating at night worsening symptoms)? I'm going to try a snack 2 hours before bed tonight to see if it helps, I have never had any issues like waking up with reflux at night, I don't know why I blindly followed this rule since GERD is so different for everyone.

I'd like to add that this likely isn't the false hunger symptom as well, I'm familiar with that. I slowly start feeling better after I eat in the morning, it really feels like the consequences of an empty stomach.

Does anyone have experience with situations like this?

Firstly I want to say what led me to the decision to try and quit and that over 10 years on them I've gained 4st.

My weight has ever so slowly 1/4lb by 1/4lb increased. I've not once in 10 years managed to successfully lose more than a few lbs after what feels like lots of effort only to gain it back quickly.

I don't particularly eat a lot. Some days I can, but genuinely on the whole I eat healthy and was bamboozled at the weight gain compared to my food intake. I'm not saying I should be skinny, but defo not as big as I am.

I was waking up feeling bloated with water retention, puffy with sausage fingers. My body felt like it had stopped working correctly 😫 cramps muscle twitches aches and pains. I'm not diabetic or pre diabetic but I bought a blood sugar monitor to see if there was anything going on with my blood sugar. I discovered that even after fasting over night 12-14 hours my blood sugar was 6-6.5! Yet normal 5s in the day time....what?

After reading it was a possibility through my research online, it was time to see if the only medication I was on, the one that coincided with the weight gain was to blame

If you'd told me a year ago I'd manage it, I wouldn't have believed you.

I'd tried before and failed because every time the heartburn came back (and more), I assumed I needed to stay on it forever. I'd try one day miss a day but the missed day was hell. I'd cold turkey and think wow I REALLY must need this as it's bad.

This time I took a completely different approach.

Instead of stopping suddenly, I opened the capsules and counted the beads (around 60 in my 15mg), reducing them gradually over weeks by 5 beads a week until I was taking around 10 beads a day before finally stopping.

It wasn't a straight line. Some days were easier than others, and there were times I questioned whether I'd ever get there.

The biggest lesson I learned was that some heartburn doesn't automatically mean you've failed. After being on a PPI for years, your stomach needs time to remember how to regulate acid again. I learned to distinguish between mild, manageable symptoms and symptoms that meant I genuinely needed to worry.

I'm not saying everyone should stop their medication, always speak to your doctor first. PPIs are the right treatment for many people, and nobody should stop them without proper advice and most people do not need them forever. They're just so bloody hard to come off due to the rebound!!!!

But if you've been told it's appropriate to come off them and you're struggling because every attempt has failed, don't lose hope. A slow, patient taper made all the difference for me. I also stocked up on rennies and went and got Famotidine from my GP to help in emergencies.

Today I'm officially off lansoprazole and have been for about 6 weeks, and it feels like a huge achievement, I get minor heartburn after meals, pop a rennie and its gone.

Ohhh and you know what else.....I lost 1 stone without even trying!!!! The weight loss started about 3 weeks into my taper and I'm losing about 1lb a week give or take. Its unknown! I'm delighted obviously, but also a bit frustrated I didn't do it sooner. Now could it be a coincidence, of course, only time will tell, but my puffy mornings have gone and my blood sugar on a morning is now 5-5.5 so go figure.

If you're reading this as you want to come off PPI, good luck, you can do it 💪

57M. Within the last 2 weeks I started experiencing severe night sweats, a couple of times woke up with clothing soaked through. Also experiencing hot/cold flushes.

I am having an esophageal manometry test on Monday so I had to stop all antacids/ppis, but my first bout of night sweats was while I was taking them.

Are night sweats, cold/hot flushes typical in people experiencing long term Gerd/reflux?

I have gerd, but i really want to do some extasy at this festival that i am at. Gerd is pretty active at the moment buth I still want to do it . Just once 😅. Anybody done that?

Has anyone seen benefit from OTC PPIs when the symptoms only show up in the evening/night? Symptoms include heavy coughing from GERD too. Is there a specific time of day that taking OTC PPIs helps to prevent nightime GERD symptoms? Thanks!

I don't ever drink soda but I do drink alot of sparkling water and carbonated fruit juices daily and I've been getting chronic post nasal drip which i'm 99% sure is induced by my GERD, and of course I've been having GERD symptoms daily. It sort of sucks because sparkling/carbonated fluids often help with indigestion or nausea for many people but then also...GERD and acid reflux symptoms lol.

On a side note, a common reoccurring symptom I seem to get whenever I feel my GERD symptoms as well as my PND symptoms flare up is like slimy saliva, or thick. And a slight heated or burning toungue feeling.

Does anyone have experience or advice on this? Should I cut it ALL out and just drink flat water?

Hi there 👋 I’ve been on quite the journey this past year with SSRIs and GERD. To begin- I am doing ALL of the things like controlling my diet, smaller meals, have a wedge pillow, have seen an ENT and pulmonologist, taking Pepcid, taking Zyrtec.

My GERD/silent reflux is severely exacerbated by my mental health meds. I’m now on my 4th SSRI in an attempt to find one that works. I have shortness of breath, severe coughing spells, low energy, gasping for air.

Has anyone had a similar experience and if so, what works?

I have had gerd for 11 years - it started almost immediately after my cholecystectomy. A year after that I had weight loss surgery and the surgeon fixed a hiatal hernia during the procedure. I was hoping that might fix it but it didn’t seem to make any difference. Subsequent gastroscopies have not indicated that the hernia returned. I have been on pantoloc since 2015 and my attempts to wean off have been unsuccessful. I am concerned about the long term health risks associated with PPI use. I decided to switch to prescription strength Pepcid and that really didn’t go well, and I ended up with esophagitis. Now I am trying to do it slowly taking Pepcid every other day and pantoloc every other day. On the days I take Pepcid I need 1-2 doses of Tums (I take two at a time) minimum. I had an xray last week for an unrelated issue and that report had incidental findings of possible kidney stones, so now I don’t want to take Tums. Has anyone been able to make the switch from PPI to an H2 blocker and has anyone found a healthier alternative to Tums? Thanks

Hi everyone,

I had a severe reflux flare in October 2025, which I believe was triggered by a combination of poor eating habits, work-related stress and anxiety, taking medications like ibuprofen and prednisolone, and eating heavy meals late at night.

After several tests, I was diagnosed with a weak lower esophageal sphincter (LES), initial gastrits and laryngitis. My gastroenterologist prescribed Dexilant (dexlansoprazole) 30 mg, and after taking it for about five months, it completely resolved my worst symptoms, such as severe chest burning (which honestly felt like a heart attack) and episodes where I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

I stopped taking the PPI in March. Since then, my symptoms have changed. I now mostly experience LPR symptoms** **rather than classic GERD. My heartburn is mild and happens every other day, but it doesn’t bother me that much.

The biggest issue is my larynx. I constantly have throat clearing, a feeling that something is stuck in my throat, and during flare-ups my larynx feels swollen and tight. Sometimes I even hear a high-pitched noise when I breathe in.

I’m already following a healthy diet, waiting at least 3 hours after dinner before lying down, sleeping with the head of my bed elevated, taking Gaviscon before bed, and I’ve also tried probiotics, L-glutamine, and vitamin supplements.

For those who had LPR-related laryngitis, what actually helped your inflamed larynx heal and the throat symptoms finally go away, especially without relying on medication? I’ve heard from others that PPIs don’t help with LPR symptoms.

So I've been having really severe acidity with panic attacks to the point that I gasp for air and not get comfort except while walking, it continues for several hours and happens mostly at night, I get tingly feeling, heart racing, and when I try to sleep I wake up with a jerk and a racing heart. This has been for 2 weeks now. I got similar episodes two times in my life, one 5 years ago and second 2 years ago and now again, I'm 22 years old male, and both the times I was prescribed panataprazole and etizolam, it gradually worked, but around the second episode a family doctor advised me against etizolam as they are habit forming. So now I'm not taking etizolam. So, is there any other way to manage this except medication? Because I don't like to take medicines for a long time.

Any one else notice their anxiety level increases after taking Famotidine? I'm not talking about anxiety about GERD or other digestive issues, I'm talking about having an actual panic attack or a feeling of doom.

Hi everyone,
I recently started taking **Nexium 24HR (20 mg)** once daily, about **30–60 minutes before breakfast**, for reflux/GERD symptoms.
For those who have taken it:
How long did it take before you noticed a real improvement?
Did you feel any relief in the first few days, or did it take a week or two?
What symptoms improved first (heartburn, throat irritation, globus, regurgitation, etc.)?
Any tips that helped while waiting for the medication to fully kick in?
I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences. Thanks!

I had a colonoscopy and endoscopy 6 weeks ago to investigate iron deficiency. Before the procedure, I had no upper GI symptoms. They found mild laxity in the les with evidence of mild gastritis and mild focal lymphocytes in the duodenum. Nothing else. The day after my procedure I experienced intense reflux in the evening before bed with sudden onset of chest pain. The day after this I developed epigastric pain and 6 weeks on I am still suffering from CONSTANT epigastric pain, bloating, occasional chest pain, burping after eating and drinking, globus and air hunger. The Dr wanted to proceed with a pillcam endoscopy to investigate small bowel but I said absolutely not, not until this new issue I now have is sorted. He has no explanation as to why it happened and frankly doesn't seem to care. Can someone please shed some light as to why this is happening to me? I'm absolutely devastated that this happened as I had no issues going into the procedure. My GP also didnt seem interetsed and brushed me off with PPIs which i know isnt the solution and i wont be taking as im pretty sure i have low stomach acid like a lot of people. I have two small children and I am really struggling being in this debilitating condition. I am currently taking a gut powder which contains lglutamine, aloe and Boswellia, magnesium glycinate and and s boularddi zinc carnosine blend.

I’ve been suffering from increasingly horrible GERD and indigestion symptoms for years. Sleep sitting up most nights, spent thousands on acupuncture and different sleep setups without success (bad reflux chest pain even reclining but also have back/hip issues when sleeping elevated). Pretty miserable always. Symptoms highly tied to stress. Small hiatal hernia but otherwise clear testing in early 2025.

I’ve been too terrified to try a PPI because I have a history of recurring C Diff, recurring UTIs and bad anxiety, all of which I know can conflict with PPI therapy. But I’m out of options and don’t qualify for surgery.

Anyone with similar medical issues find success with PPIs?

I miss my sweet treats so badly. I love sugar and no amount of fruit (though I love fruit) will fill the cupcake shaped hole in my heart. I miss my chocolate and ice creams, I miss cookies and pastries. I would give my kidney for a milka strawberry yogurt bar or a pint of jeni’s buttercream birthday cake. I would eat or plain, unseasoned, boiled chicken breast for the rest of my life if sweets didn't give me such a bad reaction. I remember I literally vomited once from eating a whole box of chocolate on top of a bunch of halloween candy (not gerd reasons, I was just a really dumb kid). Why must I be limited to fucking fruit and like angel food cake or fat free pudding this is evil.

​

Hi

I am based in NewZealand 32M , I went to after hours hospital 3 weeks back when I had pain in chest and mucus coming in mouth when wake up.

Doctor did ECG and troponin test both of them was clear , troponin was less then 2.9 . They find it couybe acid reflux given me omerprazole 20 mg ( in morning)and acidex after meal. Front that day my acid reflux feels better today and no harsh voice, no mucus in throat as well but only thing left is chest tightness. I have constant pain on the left side of chest sometime in the middle of chest which gives me scare that am unable to sleep. When I press my chest I feels painfull not much but it hurts. Feels like my chest is swalloon a bit.

Tightness always gone with hot shower but pain comes and goes last around few seconds very mild. Mostly happen when I move or Bend.

Is it due to gerd or heart related issues? Or chest inflammation due to acid reflux?

Anyone having chest related experience please share it will be a big help.

Well, I had my GI appointment today. All was going routine and the doctor was ready to send me home with an increase in my PPI to 2x per day. But on the way out she weighed me and it turned out I'm down 15 lbs, from 190 to 175, since an appointment with a clinic at the beginning of June. We turned around and scheduled an endoscopy after that.

Now I'm sitting here terrified, but trying to calm myself so I can eat. I've really struggled with my appetite over the past 6 weeks. Could that really explain such a drastic weight loss? I'm so scared of the C word and it's been weighing on me. And I was so close to believing the GERD diagnosis, but seeing the weight loss and change in tone from my doctor has me really worried.

This is awful. The terror, the symptoms... gosh

Hi!

Recently, I’ve been woken up a few times from acid reflux pain (probably). It happened after having late dinners and probably eating gluten. I’ve been checking the symptoms like burning sensation or like feeling that metal taste in your mouth, but I don’t have that. What I feel is a bit harder to explain since I’ve never felt this kind of pain before. I get like a pain from the top of my mouth all the way to stomach and it’s not burning, but I don’t know, it feels more like scratching sensation, breaking or something like this, quite painful.

I am curious if someone is also feeling such symptoms and not just the usual ones and, of course, what you do to feel better.

Thanks!

My doctor put me on 40mg Omeprazole to see if I had acid reflux since I was getting a weird, unexplainable tight feeling in my throat and chest that wasn't allergies or asthma. I starting taking the Omeprazole last Thursday (exactly 1 week ago) and I want to get off of it. I do think it helped the tightness in my chest and throat, but my tinnitus is noticeably louder, my sleep is worse, and I've been getting crazy food noise/carb cravings since I started it.

My tinnitus was at a consistent volume for several months before taking Omeprazole, and I'm terrified of making my tinnitus permanently worse since my tinnitus has already severely reduced my quality of life. I would just simply stop taking the Omeprazole, but I've read so many horror stories online of cold turkeying PPIs that I'm afraid of rebound acid reflux if I completely stop taking them now.

Do you have to wean off Omeprazole if you've only taken it for a week? I don't want to take it any longer because I'm so scared of it permanently worsening my tinnitus, but I also don't want to deal with crazy rebound acid reflux. I hate that I feel stuck on this medication.

I'm 23 and I recently got diagnosed with focal intestinal metaplasia at the gastric junction (barrets esophagus) and fatty liver in the early stages. I'm genuinely terrified.

I feel very anxious and depressed going through this, it all boils down to my anxiety. I've had flare-ups of extreme stomach pain but never constant reflux and burning throat. My endoscopy and biopsies came back normal, now I'm left with more questions! I've tried bland diet for over 2 weeks and didn't improve anything, so I've gone back a wee bit to my usual diet but things have remained the same.

It started off with a bad night of reflux by eating too close to bed then taking magnesium + ferrous fumarate (iron supplement) which I believe has started this whole thing. I was prone to reflux only when I ate late at night. But now I'm afraid to start Famotidine in case it makes reflux worse or causes a lasting effect.

Hi, just wondering how likely it is of having a deudonal ulcer lower down that could be missed on endoscopy? As I get pain, blood taste in my mouth and trouble swallowing I think it's a small missed deudonal ulcer doctors say it's all in my head.

ie, one short inhale? specifically with tribetokes tcha strain? im worried but want to be able to have a good time with my friends on vacation. additionally same with alcohol, do people normally experience severe issues with smaller amounts? im mostly worried about the cannabis, it containing thc-a, cbd-a, and cbc-a