Acid Reflux Disease Medications

Q: I have been suffering from acid reflux disease (GERD) for 6 years now. Why is it when I have a cold, as I do now - that involves snuffed up sinuses with yellow mucus, does the symptoms of GERD get a lot worse? I have adjusted my diet and take histamine2 (H2) blockers daily. Onions and certain spices definately make it worse and are avoided. What are the long term consequences of histamine2 (H2) blockers? proton pump inhibitors? I have periods of complete relief for weeks at a time and at times, a few weeks of severe pain. When ever my GERD acts up, I burp a lot. So when I have relief for weeks, no burps. Is the burping/belching a sign of some sort of infection? Or is it merely a sign of the irritation? Anxiety disorders run in my family and my father takes medications to handle it. I have and occasionally do suffer from panic attacks. But through "mental exercises", I have been able to manage it. Should I consider anti-anxiety drugs to help the anxiety and the GERD?

A:PPIs and H2 blockers are approved for long term use. Anit-anxiety drugs will be of no use in treating your GERD symptoms. It is common for GERD

symptoms to wax and wane. When acid refluxes into your esophagus, you swallow and gulp air, forcing it into the stomach and thereby clearing the esophagus of the acid. The air in the stomach is then belched out. More acid in stomach means more air swallowing and more belching. Your GERD can be cured such that you would be able to eat anything, take no medications; it just depends on how much trouble you want to go to. If your symptoms are being managed to your satisfaction, and an upper GI endoscopy has shown no evidence of pre-cancerous changes in your espohagus (Barrett's Espohagus), then ongoing medical treatment is appropriate. If not, consider investigating surgical options.