Foo - Preventive measures and immediate reliefs to acid reflux

Im asking this on behalf of a person i know who has acid reflux disease. A doctor prescribed her a pill which made her sick, feeling wurse than an acid reflux attack did. Are there any good preventive measures people know of?
No chocolate, alcohol, caffeine, tomato.
Also, what about some good immediate relief strategies for when you need it. Maalox works, but your limited with your intake. Like eating a certain food or drinking something. Any help is appreciated

just make sure she eats enough... is she one of them boney ass weiner girls? tell her to eat more.

tums always helps when you wake up with the burning.

My dad used to drink milk, but said that it only made it better for a short time, and then the milk would re-release the acid (or it would just keep coming.)

So, the secret: milk and unconsciousness.

After trying many OTC acid reducers, I found the only one that worked at all for me was Zantac. The only problem is it doesn't work fast enough. Tums, or any other calcium based antacid, works great for quick fixes. My doctor finally put me on Protonix. I take one tiny pill once a day, and I have no problems with acid at all. When I run out of Protonix, I have a prescription for Zantac 150 that I'm supposed to take twice a day (I only take it once).

I've also found that I sometimes get acid buildup when I need to eat (if I'm not currently taking Protonix). Simply eating something kills the acid.

Another vote for Zantac. I prefer 75 twice a day instead of one 150. Quick fixes are maalox, tums, or a glass of milk. Only problem is that maalox blocks absorbtion of other meds, so it's usually a glass of milk and a zantac when things go bad.

Another warning (lauren's post reminded me):

Tums (or other similar antacids) will also negatively affect the effectiveness of a medication. I was told to wait 45 minutes between taking medication and taking an antacid (antacid+45 minutes+medication, or medication+45 minutes+antacid).

Zantac 75 wasn't strong enough for me, which is why I got the Rx for 150. I know that 150 is now OTC, but it's still covered by my health plan, and I can get 90 days supply for $10. Since the Rx is for two a day, I get 180 capsules for $10, which is a whole hell of a lot cheaper than buying it OTC. I only have it around as a back-up, in case I run out of Protonix and forget to refill it.

I used to have this and now, I don't have it at all. I took all of the over-the-counter stuff and was even tested for an ulcer (which I didn't have, just the symptoms). Apparently, once your stomach is irritated, it gets irritated easily.

If she wants to invest a little time in her diet, it is worth it.

I discovered things like . . . black pepper is very bad for digestion, but things like cayenne pepper, cumin, and chili pepper are actually good.
Ginger . . . fresh, powdered, candied . . . is great
Peppermint tea . . . 1/2 hour before and an hour after meals . . . is great
Not eating within about 5 hours of sleep (5pm if you go to sleep at 10) is great . . . since it can get worse while laying down.
Regular milk not great . . . but warmed milk or particularly soy milk is better
avoid alcohol . . . something with the sulphides in wine . . . very bad
avoid caffeine and caffeinated sodas . . . very bad
bubbly water can make you feel worse, but if you drink it on a relatively empty stomach, it can actually help (sort of like a more mild alka seltzer)
eat parts of meals rather than mixing foods . . . for example, eat fruit alone and two hours before or after other foods
warmed sweet potatoes with cinnamon . . . very good . . . cinnamon is good for digestion.

Reading things about Natural Healing and Ayurveda was helpful. I was desparate and decided I needed to try something other than investing in stock in Maalox, Zantac, etc.

Within a few months, my stomach had healed itself. And now, I travel with ginger (particularly candied ginger), so I have it if I find myself feeling symptoms (especially when I travel).

Sandy

My mom has acid reflux and also had a lot of problems with the medication that the doctor gave her (Rantidine or something like that). The only medication that she's found that works and doesn't make her feel worse is Prilosec OTC.

I found that limiting carb intake helped me, not sure why tho.

No chocolate, alcohol, caffeine, tomato.
lets see, I'm a certified chocoholic (roll my own truffles),
don't drink etoh all that much. Make up for non etoh use by
tripling my caffiene intake, huge coffe drinker, Live in Texas
eat alot of mexican food, also lots of Italian. . .
sigh, is it any wonder I've had acid reflux?
I also find Green tea to help but again I can't state
why.

marty

edit: Habenero and green chili sausages don't mix real
well with reflux. Taste great but it's killer later on.

One 30 mg Prevacid each day for prevention. A half teaspoon of baking soda mixed in a cup of water for instant relief. (I'm sure it isn't good for you, but it sure works.)

I think most of the acid reflux problems are emotional or from stress. I have had it since I was 11 and now I am 41.
The times it went away was when my stress levels went down. Docs love all the new meds for it but most don’t really solve the problem. Quite a few people actually have too little acid and that causes the same problems. Trying some vinegar when you have it is a good test if it helps then you have too little acid. Foods in general may cause it but they are more just a surface thing. Hell grains give me the worst heartburn. I used to have terrible heartburn eating a bowl of cereal.
A log of people on low carb say their acid reflux has gone away.
For fast relief liquid antacid (maloxx) works or the antacid pills. They are pretty cheap too.

One 30 mg Prevacid each day for prevention. A half teaspoon of baking soda mixed in a cup of water for instant relief. (I'm sure it isn't good for you, but it sure works.)
I've been taking one 30 mg Prevacid every day for a couple of years to prevent acid reflux. I used to have episodes every couple of days, but have had none since the doc prescribed the Prevacid. I haven't experienced any side effects.