burning in the throat

I will wake up once every six months or so with a severe burning in my throat accompanied by some wheezing that seems to be in the back of my throat.  The burning causes me to swallow constantly and cough.  I have taken prescription Prevacid for 4 or 5 years (maybe more) for acid reflux, but ever so often I wake up with this burning in my throat and I just can't put my finger on what it is.  I am 34 year old male I have been smoke free for 8 years and alcohol free for 6 years.  I just don't want this to be something worse that your run of the mill acid reflux and doing nothing about it.  Please give me some answers.

Thank You
Neil Coleman

[FurballsMom]

I have GERD, too.  I was actually able to stop taking the PPI medications after I changed my diet.  I went to a naturopath and went through a food elimination challenge test, which takes a while to do, and discovered food sensitivities were the reason for my GERD.  It was worth the work it took to stop having the reflux in my throat that you're describing.  Conventional doctors tell their patient to sleep with the head of the bed elevated.  I couldn't sleep like this myself.  

For your peace of mind, though, you should also see your GI.  It may also be time to run some of the scopes again, although I suspect that most of us have food sensitivity issues we're unaware of.