Dealing with Acid Reflux on the Cheap
Like many, I suffer from Acid Reflux, a condition that results in heartburn. This can happen even during the simple act of bending down to pick something up from the floor.
It’s not a big deal and can be contained with drugs, more so Pound Shop drugs which are cheap and effective.
For those not in the UK, the Pound Shop sells many things and all for £1 each. Items there are not always the cheapest and they sell a lot of cheap and nasty shit too.
Ranitidine is one of the good things, and you can carry a stack to the checkout and not be accused of trying to overdose.
As if you can overdose on Acid Reflux tablets?
I generally buy around 15 boxes at a time, each containing 12 tablets. That keeps me going for 180 days or 6 months depending on how you look at things.
Last week I was on my last box so I wandered down to the Pound Shop looking for more.
'The shelves were empty'
I went to the next town; the same problem. They do occasionally become out of stock but this was not cool.
Tesco sell their own of brand of Ranitidine at £1.50 a box it’s 50% more but in desperation, I looked on their shelves to see.. nothing.
I asked at the pharmacy counter if they had any, ’in the back’.
'I believe there has been a product recall', the spotty 18-year-old assistant tells me. ‘You can buy Gavison instead’
Fuck Gaviscon, it doesn’t work, I have tried and it costs like £4 for a small packet.
In desperation, I bought the cheapest liquid stuff I could find. It's a Tesco brand, thick as treacle and tastes like slimey hospital mucus.
Can I get some on the internet? I did this once as every store within 30 miles suddenly stopped selling the one tablet I need to keep going.
Nothing on Amazon, but wait.. plenty of eBay.
It was selling at £24.99 for a pack of 12 at the time and what's more....these idiots are paying?
I would like to hedge a bet that it’s the Pound Shop employees making that 2500% profit!
A little research tells me that there has been a cancer scare and a worldwide recall for the drug has gone into place.
This recall was in October 2019 and yet the Pound Shops’ shelves were still full 2 months later.
Someone has been taking advantage of this situation and I now know why the Pound Shop is hiring.
I dug up an old packet I had. 10 tablets left, I could sell them on eBay for a tidy profit or suffer every night.
The choice was easy. I need these things to live and so I made an emergency appointment at the doctors.
@bingbabe has some of these Omeprazole tablets to negate the effect of Naproxen, as she gets knee pains due to running marathons almost every day.
I nicked her Omeprazole and tried them for a couple of nights. They are not as effective as Ranitidine but coupled together with a swig of that shitty Tesco mucus they do the job.
The doctor was unaware of the ‘product recall’ but told me, ‘Ah it will probably be revoked in a couple of months’.
So I can get my cheap Ranitidine again? Well, that's just a maybe.
I took along the Omeprazole and he duly prescribed me a box. English prescriptions cost £9.65 and a box contains just 28 tablets.
After telling him this, he compromised with 2 boxes. It's still a much bigger cost but I felt asking for 4 boxes may be taking the piss.
I am quite sure Acid Reflux is hereditary as my mother has been taking a tablet every night for 50 years.
She’s retired and gets hers’ free.
Yesterday I visited my mother who gave me a box of Lansoprazole. This is yet another gastro-resistant tablet.
She has at least another box spare but can she pry more out of the NHS without raising suspicions?
If you live in Scotland or Wales then prescriptions are FREE. It's us English who have been given the short straw.
I wonder if doctors in those other parts of the British Isles are tighter about handing out free drugs?
Maybe @pennsif or @meesterboom can let me know.
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We do enjoy those free prescriptions. It was a groundbreaking thing. My doctor is pretty tight with stuff though. I think they all are up here
I discovered the same in December when I went to get some ranitidine ahead of going on holiday and there was none. It was fecking annoying as nothing has been as good. I had some Omeprazole stuff from when I had a mad infection and had to take lots of anti inflamatories. I will need to try and get some of that lansoprazole stuff!
I haven't tried Lansoprazole yet but did a little research. It seems more effective than Omeprazole.
What are the docs like now prescription are free?
Here you can say, 'I want this or that', here and they hand em out glad to get rid of you, the gratitude oozing out of them due to your self-diagnosis!
Do people take the piss now its all free?
They don't really take the piss and some people buy generic drugs to save the cost going on the NHS if you know what I mean. It is quite bizarre, they will give you it mostly if you outright ask (the Doctors) but people, not to my knowledge are not really going berserk getting all the free stuff. There have been some spiritted facebook discussions about it all!
It surprises me what you say. I would have thought they'd be clambering for all the free stuff. You do have it good up there, free university fees too!
I know of at least one family how have moved north of the border for such things.
The tuition fees are the best, I think. I have heard of many folk coming up to stay for them. The whole free prescription thing is a hot topic among the middle classes at least. There is a sort of push back against getting paracetamol and the like on the NHS when it is cheap as chips anyway. Don't get me won't for every person that buys it their will probably be five that stack it in the cupboard for free. Lol
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Omeprazole I think will prevent your stomach to produce acid and thus will make you get more indigestion.
Plasilvmight work but I am not sure.
I might use that one too, I suffer from most of the things mentioned above.
Omeprazole does work but I think it's one of those drugs that gets more effective the more it's used.
I'll try the Lansoprazole when my Ranitidine finishes. Do you have Acid Reflux as well as all the other horrible things happening to you?
Karma?
Hi @slobberchops,
I find these acid reducers to be risky in some respects. (maybe even dangerous) I'll explain why.
When I was a young teenager I had acid reflux so bad I was vomiting acid in my sleep. Upon visiting the doctors, they didn't question my diet a single bit. (which wasn't a very healthy diet growing up in a poor family, we had to eat what we could afford.)
The solution was simple, a prescription for Raniditine.
It turned into a lifelong necessity, with an increasing tolerance over the years.
Approximately a year ago, I was up to 10 pills a day, and experiencing some very uncomfortable side effects. I thought I had cancer, and the doctors gave me a stronger med, which made the symptoms worse, and were gearing up to perform an endoscopy on me.
My intuition said "they did this to you, fuck an endoscopy."
I knew what I needed to do, went full vegetarian for a while, and quit the pills cold turkey. All symptoms went away in a matter of no time.
Today I take baking soda to quell my acid reflux. I still have acid problems pretty badly.
Maybe for a short term solution, these are ok, I don't know.. My experience was a horrible one, where I felt seriously addicted to these, and wouldn't wish that experience on anyone.
An interesting tale! It was Raniditine? I have been taking it for perhaps 4 years and never felt the need to increase the dosage.
There have been nights when it hasn't worked and I have muttered 'faulty tablet' and taken a second one with a gulp of milk.. and that fixed it.
Going veggie could work but I'm far too carnivorous for that. I do know my diet affects it and it can get worse depending on what I'm eating.
Baking Soda tends to be powder. We do have some, how do you ingest it.. mixed with milk or something?
How about Apple Cider Vinegar (with Mother)?
Great advice, and thanks for the comment!
Yes, Ranitidine since the age of 13-15.
Didn't need to increase it until my early 20's, then it was progressive. (was also a heavy alcoholic at the start of my 20s, another aspect to consider.)
I'm sure there are different levels of acid reflux though, some to the point where surgery might be needed. I suspect I am in that class.
The baking soda I mix with hot water, and it's probably more baking soda than I should be ingesting. I go through a box of baking soda a month. It's not good, but I have a difficult time trusting the medical industry after what I went through, and not just with heartburn reducers. Misdiagnosing of mental health disorders, suicidal after testing out different anti-depressants. I'm very skeptical at this point.
Lol, me too, but I'll tell ya... much less issues with acid reflux during the time I was vegetarian.
I've never tried this remedy. I will look into it.
My pleasure @slobberchops, thank you for your response.
!ENGAGE 50
Ouch, beer doesn't help at all. Certain beers I can drink at all.
I have some in the house, can't find it.. damn. Just took a glass of that Cider Vinegar.. tastes horrible!
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Ah! @davedickeyyall could use some of this advice I bet! You mention nothing about plutonium though which he might be able to fill you in on ;)
Posted using Partiko iOS
Not sure I want to be radioactive as well as dealing with a recurring burning sensation!
Apparently that is the cause of his acid reflux. Passed it kidney stone style in a dream like a BOSS!
Ugh, I had a stone once.. It took 6 months to pass it and only a week ago I thought I had another. Terrible pains in the bollocks and then the lower abdoman.. but they seem to have gone.
Ah this may explain where the pic came from for your avatar?
Ah no... he came from elsewhere, but alas... the story cannot be told!
We buy bottles of it at the warehouse store I usually go to. My wife had it prescribed to help with her allergies. She only takes it when she really needs it though. The Rantidine I mean. I haven't been to the store lately to see if they pulled it.
Bottles, as in liquid form or tablets?
They always come in packs of 12 here. I'm guessing you won't be able to get them until all the lawsuits have been settled / everyone forgets, and they will be back on the shelf again.
These are what we get:
https://www.samsclub.com/p/mm-ranitidine-150mg-190ct/prod17850015?pid=_Aff_LS&siteID=PPkX79_c.b0-9QiLbTxa_2srZBs3TLiHIw&ranMID=38733&ranEAID=PPkX79%2Fc*b0&ranSiteID=PPkX79_c.b0-9QiLbTxa_2srZBs3TLiHIw&pubNAME=FlexOffers.com
Damn those are cheaper than the Pound Shop and double strength at 150mg. It's not letting me order them, but I may need an account for that.
It's a members warehouse so you probably need to join and pay for the membership. $35 USD/year
I kept on getting Bronchitis and after 5 days in hospital on IV antibiotics under a specialist physician, then referred to a lung specialist, followed by an ear nose & throat specialist when my voice disappeared, they discovered that GERD was the culprit! So now I take Esomeprazole religiously otherwise I end up choking on phlegm as soon as the acid burbles up into the airways which is what caused the bronchitis! I used Siberian Pine Nut Oil successfully for about 2 years, but then it stopped working and is really expensive.
I cannot eat late at night BUT two very effective and super CHEAP remedies are:
And an even better remedy when I've overindulged is
I do worry about the side effects of these medications!
Blimey, another 'zole'. If it's a zole it's for GERD!
@futuremind reckons Baking Soda works well too. I have some in the house somewhere and will give it a go. A horrible taste for a few minutes is OK with me!
I have had the choking to death gasping for air experience several times. You think your gonna die.
Cape Aloe Crystals is a new one too me. Thanks for the tips.
That choking was the worst, I honestly thought I'd choke to death, the Aloe Crystals work instantly, super bitter though.
Yeah I'm gonna try Cape Aloe Crystals too I think. The name alone is cool!
1 teaspoon is good advice for the baking soda. It tastes pretty awful, but it does work. When the burp comes, you'll feel better. It's so strange how it works, but it basically just neutralizes the acid and gas builds in your stomach :P For me, a teaspoon won't touch it, I have to take a tablespoon, and it makes me a little nervous, because that might not even be safe.
Definitely start small and be prepared for a not so pleasant flavour.
I checked, it's also known as Aloe Ferrox Bitters and is available online.
For me a teaspoon of baking soda won't touch it. I have to ingest a tablespoon. I'm not sure if that's safe but it works.
Baking soda also becomes a laxative if too much is ingested. Weird.
I might try these Cape Aloe Crystals :)
I'm not sure if you saw my comment here about the acid reducers, but I was on them for about 15-17 years of my life, and started having pretty extreme and scary side effects. Also had to take up to 10 a day just to keep the acid at bay. Today I still have pretty serious acid problems, and it might be in my best interest to get my stomach checked out, but it's really hard for me to trust the medical industry with the horrible lifelong experiences from medications.
Here is a food for thought..
A wonderful alternative to medicine , for acid reflux, is mustard! Plain, yellow mustard, the condiment sold in stores all over the world. It actually works. Just take a teaspoon full or a squeeze straight from the bottle. Yes, its a might sour, but does effevtively work for acid reflux.
It sounds terrible, but thanks for the tip!
Ha ha ha. It's not the best tasting, but does work well. No matter what you choose, I pray you get relief.
Have a great day!
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Hello dear friend @slobberchops.
Brother, the situation is really not easy for you right now.
But can I tell you something? I think it looks worse than it really is.
I am sure you would find some other medication that can help you control gastric reflux. The detail is that you are already accustomed to ranitidine. Maybe physiologically, maybe some psychological aspect is also present. The truth is that you need the ranit ...
I see two worrying aspects in your narration:
The disappearance of the product on the shelves. Did you find out if it really was an order from the health authorities?
Online product marketing. This seems to me like a mercantilist move.
Maybe someone with some "confidential" information, went ahead of the ranitidine ban and "bought" the entire existence. Since as you mentioned there is no regulation as to the amount you can buy.
This with the intention of taking advantage of the drug dependence of patients like you.
The lack of scruples has no limits on certain people.
Pd: have you tried naturist products? Aloe Vera is very effective.
All best, Piotr.
There's a bunch of lawsuits going in Lawsu.. er, I mean America.
I figure it will be back soon once it blows over.
There's a bunch of lawsuits going in Lawsu.. er, I mean America.
I figure it will be back soon once it blows over.
It's me again @slobberchops
I just realized that I never actually thanked you for your comment. Big thx.
ps.
I would need to ask you for little favour. Recently I've decided to join small contest called "Community of the week" and I desribed our project.hope hive/community. Would you mind helping me out and RESTEEM this post - just to get some extra exposure? Your valuable comment would be also appreciated.
Link to my post: on steemit or on steempeak
Thanks :)
Yours, Piotr
The Omeprazole works differently. You need to take it for basically a couple weeks till it can do its magic. I suffered using the Zantac as well. One I did a long term course of Omeprazole, I healed and have had no more issues for years.
That's what I hear. I'll run down the last of the Ranit first and then start on it.
Damn, I didn't know Acid Reflux was that bad... I never had such a thing thank god! I have a really hard time taking most medications, I know pretty well how easily doctors prescribe stuff and how most have bad effects when they are consumed for very long periods of time.
Have you tried a change in diet? There are probably some foods that can block the acid, also water, certain waters can probably tamponize the acid while others might actually increase the production of acid...
It does help but I'm not one for eating much of the rabbit food. Milk works and I do drink a lot.
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My son had acid reflux badly just like this since he was an infant. When he was a teenager, after going to a research hospital, they found it wasn't reflux at all -and he had all the symptoms and was treated for it forever.
I feel for you. I know reflux is miserable.
!tip