Antidepressants for reflux? Bad doctor??

[DougPoison]

I just went to a gastro specialist in Columbus, Oh after being referred by my Columbus ENT that said I have LPR (laryngopharangeal reflux.)  Well, this gastro in Columbus wants to put me on antidepressants so maybe I wouldn't feel my throat problems.  What the F#$%!!!  Then he didn't even want to schedule another appointment to see me again even though he also switched me to Asiphex from Prevacid.  What kind of a doctor is this guy???  I've been struggling for well over a year: internal bleeding and blood transfusions from GERD that gave me a Mallory Weiss tear, Nissen Fundoplication surgery, and continuing symptoms that medicines and the surgery haven't helped.  

Although my ENT specialist diagnosed me with LPR (which means test results don't show a much-irritated esophagus), this doctor seems to think it's in my head or something.  It has been a horrible year of suffering, and I had so much hope in these visits to "specialists"....Now my hope is shattered.  What should I do?  Where is a doctor who won't give up cuz they don't know how to help??????????????????

[ROBETTE]

IT IS MY FEELING A BELIEF THAT WHEN A DR, CAN'T FIND A CAUSE THEY BELIEVE THAT IT IS ALL IN YOUR HEAD. MY GASTRO DR, HAVING ADMINSTERED ALL TESTS THAT HE FELT WAS NECCESARY, AND AFTER BEING HOSPITALIZED TWICE FOR THE SAME SYMTOMS(I CAN'T EAT SOLID FOODS WITHOUT REGURITATING THEM BACK UP)BELIEVED THAT I WAS UNDER THIS TREMENDOUS STRESS AT HOME(THAT I WASN'T AWARE OF, AND REFUSE TO ADMIT TO) PUT ME ON ANTI- ANXIETY MEDICATION AND THEN" YOU WILL BE ABLE TO EAT".. IT NOW HAS BEEN ALMOST 4 WKS, NEEDLESS TO SAY I STILL CAN'T EAT. IF I EAT I HAVE AUTOMATIC REFULX, PLEASE SEEK A SECOND OPINION, TAKE YOUR RECORDS AND HAVE SOMEONE ELSE LOOK AT THEM. I DID THAT AND I THE DR ACTUALLY TALK TO ME LONGER THAN 10 MIN AND GAVE ME SEVERAL POSSIBSILITIES AS TO WHAT MY PROBLEM COULD BE. SO FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 3 MONTHS I FEEL THAT I AM HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.  YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE.

[DougPoison]

Thanks for the input.  My problem is that so far, this would not be seeking a "second opinion"...it would be like seeking a 10th!  Can you believe my hometown doctors have NEVER heard of LPR!!!!!
Good luck to you, my friend.

[gardenmaniac]

when i was searching the net for info for my daughter's condition, i ran across this article that talked about how when you are stressed, your body produces more CCK...this is a hormone that does several jobs in digestion. One thing is does is trigger the gallbladder to contract and it also triggers the sphincter of oddi to open. It does something else with the small intestine too. anyway..this article did talk about how possibly an anti-anxiety med can sometimes help, because it decreases the amount of CCK your body releases...so..while it might be your brain..it is a real physical response...CCK is the stuff they give you during a HIDA scan to see what the ejection fraction is..

So..anyway..her HIDA scan showed that it was her gallbladder acting up, but i found the other possiblility interesting..might be worth a look...(just a side note..when i brought the subject up..she got pissed at me..like i was saying it WAS all in her head...not what i meant)


So, this does not mean i agree with your doctor, because he sounds like an insensitive clod....  :)

[4gpact]

have they done a gastric emptying scan? Sounds like perhaps your stomach isn't emptying properly. That can certainly cause those symptoms. I have gastroparesis(delayed stomach emptying), and I did end up on an anti depressant (because I WAS depressed), but it also helped to manage the other symptoms, so it might not necessarily be a bad thing; just not the solution you are looking for. I also take an anti anxiety medication, because when I get sick, there is something about the process that makes me physically tense, and it helps to relax me, and helps settle my stomach down as well. Not for everyone, but it helped in my case.

[DougPoison]

I haven't had a gastric emptying scan.  The docs haven't even looked at my gall bladder.  Seems a little ignorant to me for them to not consider some other options.  Some symptoms seem very different since I had the Nissen Fundoplication surgery (stomach wrapped around the esophagus), and they don't seem to even consider the effect that could be causing.

[achrisch]

I've recently moved due to a job transfer. I was concerned with off and on dizziness and a burning sensation when urinating. I visited a new doctor which told me that the dizziness was caused by allergies. When I asked again about the burning he cut the conversation short and told me lets concentrate on one problem at a time. I wasn't happy with the doctor because he didn't let me explain about my prior doctor diagnosing me with gas reflux. This doctor took my blood pressure and told me I had allergies because of dizziness. I decided to get a secound opinon. My secound doctor completed a full physical. I was able to describe my symptoms and health history to him without interruptions. He prescribed Antivert for my dizziness (only if the dizzy spells becomes worse) and Cypro for the infection. The infection is gone but now my symptoms are dizziness, nausea, stomach pain (occasinally), shortness of breath and blood in stool (two occasions) . After another doctor visit, I'm told to start taking the Antivert and if my panic attacks (he calls them) become worse (chest pain or head aches) come see him. He told me the blood in the stool could be from a hemorrhoid. I'm starting to think some
doctors are becoming like auto dealership mechanics. If you can't find the source of the problem immediately, wait till it breaks to fix it. After reading some of your comments and other subjects (Acid Reflux, Gas, and the Heart) on this website. Though my gas reflux isn't a daily occurence, I'm starting to think that gas reflux could be causing some of my symptoms. I also think job stress isn't helping the situation. I would like to stop further damage to my system. Should I think about antidepressants? Is there a natural supplement to help with the gas reflux when it flares up?

Thank You

[gardenmaniac]

back when my daughter was still in high school, we thought her problem was stress. I stopped into GNC & asked about Herbs for stress..they recommended Kava-Kava. She tried a low dose & for a while it really did help her. It isn't something you should take for an extended length of time, but it worked for a while for her. Her problem turned out to be her gallbladder, but I DO think stress aggivates just about any stomach condition.

[silverstanger]

Well I was nauseated , had diareah on and off, a pain that came 2 weeks after in my lower left ab. for over a month one time.

I went to the doc after 1 1/2 weeks and they said it was the stomach flu. I went back after another week and a younger doctor told me "you are too young for this, don't let your body control your mind let your mind control your body". He and my grandmother tried to say the low RBC count was because I was anemic like "my grandmother and the rest of her family". Testing earlier before my symptoms and after my symptoms showed everything, even my RBC level to be normal and NOT anemic.

I got another opinion and they did alot of tests.
They found elevated creatinine level 1.5, red and white blood cells in my urine, a low Red Blood Cell count (and I am NOT anemic as the first doctor thought), a fatty liver, hyatel hernia, mal-rotated kidney, hemmoroids (hemorrhoids).

As I was being tested the fourth or fifth week into the symptoms, the nausea subsided and the pain in my lower left ab. went away too. Now they gave me lots of fluids, they also made me drink a laxative for the colonoscopy, so I got flushed out with fluids.. that may have did the trick I don't know.

Get a second opinion until you are satisfied.

[horses]

[horses]

I see these postings are old but this may help any newcomers to this subject and or comments you may have for me. I had reflux after taking heavy doses of Ibuprophen for a torn back muscle. It was recommended from a holistic Dr. that I take digestive enzymes from the health food store that has enzyme normal to your stomach's own which can be affected by medicine and age and it really helped. Now I seem to have digestive problems lower in my stomach and at the end of digestion, like several hours after I eat. So I started taking them again, 2 or 3 with each meal and I can eat! It's never perfect but it's a big improvement and I'm not on RX.  Now I wonder though if my gall bladder doesn't work properly and consider getting it checked but if people have no better luck after removal of gall bladder, may as well just take enzyme, cheaper, less trouble and works relatively well.