Prevacid vs. alternative drug treatment for GERD? Any suggestions?

Prevacid is so expensive, even with insurance. What are good alternatives?

Roberta,
Are you sure you even have GERD. Dr's like to pass it off as this when they dont know what is wrong or want to admit that it is Gallbladder problems

I went thru hell and back dealing with this. I said to my Dr. this is not the norm for me. I think it is my gallbladder. They of course did the expensive route and i had every test imaginable. When I finally demanded to be referred to a Surgeon, He took one look and said it was my gallbladder. AHHHH! So, I had surgery and have not had another episode. it was really strange - I had been on NSAIDS for years, and Aciphex (RX) and Zantac (can get a OTC-over the counter) and due to the way the tests were reading it didnt come back as Gallbladder. but the pain was obvious.

If you have not had your gallbladder removed, Ask your Dr if this could be the cause. OF course this is a complete longshot...what is good for one is not for another..but I said the same thing to my sister and friends when she presented the same symptoms as me- and It was gallbladder, NOT GERD

Would you at least consider the thought? This could save alot of money, time and suffering.

I will check back- but the other alternative is to go to the Pharmacy and get the Over the counter Zantac (ranitidine)

Get well soon. I hate to hear about people suffering needlessly.

Personally, I would look for an alternative to it if you have too much stomach acid because the acid blockers like that cause more problems when they are taken long-term. Namely, if your stomach doesn't have enough acid, it can't digest your food as well, so you won't get as much of the nutrients as your body may need. I know there are a number of people that tend to have bone problems after taking acid blockers over the course of years.
There are natural alternatives available (herbs and nutrients as well as avoiding certain foods) that can help to prevent stomach acid from flaring up as well, so you could look into those if stopping your Prevacid brings your heartburn back. I know DGL (Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice) is very popular and beneficial for healing ulcers, so you could start out with that if you still need the help, but there are others as well. Good luck!

my brother had gerd severe enough to be hospitalized and bleeding and he cured himself (at my suggestion) by drinking raw cabbage juice. He has not have any problem in several years

I told him the other day I posted this somewhere and asked him more details..he said he juiced at least a head of cabbage a day and did this several weeks.

definitely try that..
it is a lot cheaper than drugs and it worked for my brother and others. I originally had read about a study they did in prison and like 98% of the people with gerd using the cabbage juice recovered.

cabbage is not that expensive and a juicer can often be bought for under $10 at a thrift store. If you can't afford one you could probably add the cabbage to a blender with water but it may not taste as good and will require drinking more fluid.

Also be sure to drink it within 15 minutes or the helpful enzymes dissipate..make fresh each time

Hi Roberta - this is a direct re-post from one of my answers to a similar question. Thought I'd share the info with you, as well.
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Acid reflux is actually most commonly caused by **too little stomach acid.** Stomach pH is the trigger for the valve at the top of the stomach to close - if there isnt enough stomach acid, the valve doesnt get the "message" to close.

Prevacid works by neutralizing/decreasing stomach acid. This treats the symptoms pretty effectively, but will not correct the problem. (In the long run, it actually makes the problem worse.)

Insufficient stomach acid has a tremendous impact on digestion and can eventually lead to a host of inconvenient "downstream" issues (rarely life-threatening, so generally not addressed in mainstream medicine.)

((NOTE that low stomach acid is not the ONLY cause for reflux. It's just the most common one.))

Email me if you're interested... if you provide an address to which I can send attachments, I'll send you my protocol for GERD/acid reflux. I'd recommend talking with a naturopathic doctor near you, though, to help you through the process. Getting off the prevacid and correcting the problem will take some time - working directly with an ND will help keep you as comfortable as possible so your body has time to heal.
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EDIT: In the last 5 years, science has shown that the transient relaxations in the lower esophageal sphincter/LES (aka the valve at the top of the stomach) are related to insufficient stomach acid. IE: Low stomach acid is the CAUSE for the sphincter not closing properly.

Furthermore, stomach pH should ideally be around 2... if it gets higher than 3, not only is digestion compromised, but there's increased risk of H. pylori infection (and therefore ulcers). And because the acid level is too low, there's a constant out-put of stomach acid... which results in a constant slow trickle of acid, produced by the stomach that cannot effectively trigger closing of the valve. (Note: in pH, lower numbers are more acidic.)

It's true that GERD should not be ignored... but proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and antacids treat the symptoms and never address the cause.

Also, just so you're aware - - there are things that can be done to manage/treat a sliding hiatal hernia besides surgery. The hernia happens because the diaphragm isn't moving properly. The diaphragm is a muscle... if the part of the muscle around the hiatus (that's the ring that the esophagus passes through) fails to relax properly, the diaphragm can no longer slide up and down the esophagus freely. Massage, acupuncture and breathing exercises (alone or in concert) can restore proper tone to the diaphragm and resolve the hiatal hernia.

The cabbage juice thing - cool that it was included here! That's an old "folk remedy" for treating ulcers, and it can be extremely effective! We learned about it from a prof who was a internist/surgeon from the Ukraine. She taught us it's less effective for GERD, but works really well for peptic ulcers. (I've not yet had the occasion to try it in practice, but I will!)

There are different reasons one gets acid reflux. Often it is a weak esophageal sphincter muscle that is allowing acid and pepsin to gurgle into the esophagus. Or it can be a hiatal hernia. If it is the hernia and it is fixed then nothing short of surgery will correct, often the hernia is a sliding one. This would mean that sometimes it herniates and at other times it is not, so the symptoms of heartburn are intermittent. There are ways to officially diagnose hiatal hernias and perhaps it is worth doing. One way is to do a barium swallow x-ray. If it is a weak sphincter muscle then diet changes, the meds. or even weight loss can often help. The weight loss is extremely effective if you are overweight. Avoiding acidy foods like coffee, orange juice, and many others are also often effective. Chronic heartburn is extremely damaging to the esophagus and can be a precursor to esophageal cancer, so do not take heartburn lightly. The notion that heartburn is caused by too little stomach acid is simply moronic.