The "Acid-Reducer" Scam

"Steve Wertz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I admit - I was addicted to the cimetidine - ranitidine -
famotadine stuff for 3-4 years. I usually had to take them once
during the day, and always at night.

I ran out two weeks ago and just used Tums which didn't help at
all. And after a couple days, I was too sick to bother going up
to the store to get more.

Afetr I was over the sickness (diarrhea, vomiting, heartburn,
indigestion) I was not having any heartburn problems at all,
except the original, occasional problem when I ate tomato
products.

I'm pretty convinced that these medications, while they work
great in the short term, just make the problem worse. They
appear to build up an unnecessary physical dependency.

Our drug research dollars hard at work. I'm sticking with the
old standby's from now on - Calcium Carbonate.

Good timing. I just picked up some famotidine because my
husband has been having some stomach acid trouble--
heartburn and upset stomach. I'll make sure he takes it
just when he really needs it.

There was a time when I had GERD--really dumb stuff,
eating very hot wings, so fatty and spicy, and drinking
red wine, then going to bed shortly thereafter. (When
I quit smoking six years ago, I needed something to
fill the time I used to smoke the most--in the evening.)

The doc put me on Protonix, which healed my esophagus,
and I just changed my diet. I also took famotodine and
Tums when I needed them.

Got off all very sricy foods and fatty foods, reduced
alcohol and waited longer after eating before I went to bed.
After six months I had no sign
of reflux or heartburn--though I can make it recurr if
I eat stupid things right before bed. I can have everything
now, just not all at once and not before bed. I don't take
anything at all for stomach acid now, not even Tums.

Steve Wertz said:

Afetr I was over the sickness (diarrhea, vomiting, heartburn,
indigestion) I was not having any heartburn problems at all,
except the original, occasional problem when I ate tomato
products.

Although it probably won't help your more
serious case, I've found that the occasional
bout with heartburn can be avoided by
immediately drinking water any time I notice
any backflow from the stomach into the
esophagus. If you ignore such events,
you'll get heartburn for sure. The problem
is that the two events are separated in time,
so most people don't notice the association
between them. But by taking this preventive
action, I've been able to avoid heartburn
for years. I can't remember the last time
I had heartburn. I was probably drunk or
something.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Steve Wertz said:

I admit - I was addicted to the cimetidine - ranitidine -
famotadine stuff for 3-4 years. I usually had to take them once
during the day, and always at night.

I ran out two weeks ago and just used Tums which didn't help at
all. And after a couple days, I was too sick to bother going up
to the store to get more.

Afetr I was over the sickness (diarrhea, vomiting, heartburn,
indigestion) I was not having any heartburn problems at all,
except the original, occasional problem when I ate tomato
products.

I'm pretty convinced that these medications, while they work
great in the short term, just make the problem worse. They
appear to build up an unnecessary physical dependency.

Our drug research dollars hard at work. I'm sticking with the
old standby's from now on - Calcium Carbonate.

-sw

Good luck...

I started with Cimetidine (Tagamet) and that worked for a few years,
then switched to Ranitidine (Zantac) for about 4 years before it quit
working. Now I am using Famotidine (Pepsid) and it's working ok. When it
quits, I'll try Tagamet again.

I've run out of it from time to time too, and I never got sick, just
ended up with reflux discomfort and esophageal cramping (very painful).

Rolaids do help, but have to be taken too damned frequently!

And I agree that tomato is one of the worst culprits.

That and red wine.

Sux. I feel your pain (literally).

One thing that helped a LOT was following the Gastroenterologists advice
of permanently giving up coffee and carbonated drinks. Not even decaff.
The doc told me that there were other noxious chemicals in coffee other
than caffeine that irritated the GI system.

He was right of course.
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a [censored]" -- Jack Nicholson

"cybercat" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Steve Wertz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I admit - I was addicted to the cimetidine - ranitidine -
famotadine stuff for 3-4 years. I usually had to take them once
during the day, and always at night.

I ran out two weeks ago and just used Tums which didn't help at
all. And after a couple days, I was too sick to bother going up
to the store to get more.

Afetr I was over the sickness (diarrhea, vomiting, heartburn,
indigestion) I was not having any heartburn problems at all,
except the original, occasional problem when I ate tomato
products.

I'm pretty convinced that these medications, while they work
great in the short term, just make the problem worse. They
appear to build up an unnecessary physical dependency.

Our drug research dollars hard at work. I'm sticking with the
old standby's from now on - Calcium Carbonate.

Good timing. I just picked up some famotidine because my
husband has been having some stomach acid trouble--
heartburn and upset stomach. I'll make sure he takes it
just when he really needs it.

There was a time when I had GERD--really dumb stuff,
eating very hot wings, so fatty and spicy, and drinking
red wine, then going to bed shortly thereafter. (When
I quit smoking six years ago, I needed something to
fill the time I used to smoke the most--in the evening.)

The doc put me on Protonix, which healed my esophagus,
and I just changed my diet. I also took famotodine and
Tums when I needed them.

Got off all very sricy foods and fatty foods, reduced
alcohol and waited longer after eating before I went to bed.
After six months I had no sign
of reflux or heartburn--though I can make it recurr if
I eat stupid things right before bed. I can have everything
now, just not all at once and not before bed. I don't take
anything at all for stomach acid now, not even Tums.

Tums isn't very good unless you just want some calcium. Gaviscon is much
better.

I'm a long time GERD person and I don't eat hot stuff.

MoM

Steve Wertz said:

I'm pretty convinced that these medications, while they work
great in the short term, just make the problem worse. They
appear to build up an unnecessary physical dependency.

Our drug research dollars hard at work. I'm sticking with the
old standby's from now on - Calcium Carbonate.

-sw

Taking medication every day can get old. Unfortunately, taking calcium
carbonate every day can get old, too. If you have a chronic problem with
excess acid, you may need to take something else.

Omeprazole (Prilosec) is a proton pump inhibitor. If you want to stop
excess stomach acid, omeprazole may help. Gastric secretion is
associated with erosive esophagitis which can lead to esophageal cancer.
Omeprazole is now sold over the counter. Talk to your doctor and your
pharmacist. Best of luck, I know how miserable it can be.

Becca

MOMPEAGRAM said:

I'm a long time GERD person and I don't eat hot stuff.

I'm pretty convinced GERD is not from spicy foods, but the acid
that comes is often consumed/served with it that throws the
stomach for a loop.

As Cybercat mentioned: wine (orange juice is mine) and eating
late, mostly - I used to work a lot. Sleeping with alcohol in my
stomach was much of my major problem at first. Cutting down on
anything didn't help the problem - I had it whether I ate or
drank anything, or not. Part of it may have been my job at the
beginning of my addiction.

-sw

Steve Wertz said:

OPart of it may have been my job at the
beginning of my addiction.

What happened with the job you were recently
expecting to be fired from? Still working
there?

Omelet said:

Good luck...

I started with Cimetidine (Tagamet) and that worked for a few years,
then switched to Ranitidine (Zantac) for about 4 years before it quit
working. Now I am using Famotidine (Pepsid) and it's working ok. When it
quits, I'll try Tagamet again.

Oh, I forgot to mention the best part: I didn't even have
problems except when I moved to TX and I kept getting stung by
fire ants. Which are related to bees. Which are related to a
bunch of things I'm very allergic to and put me on the verge of
shock.

That's how I discovered Famotadine. I carried it with me every
day with my Epinephrine (EpiPen) and Benedryl. That's the only
reason I even started taking it. I still carry all three of
those - I'm not discrediting drug-science completely.

Quoted message said:

I've run out of it from time to time too, and I never got sick, just
ended up with reflux discomfort and esophageal cramping (very painful).
Rolaids do help, but have to be taken too damned frequently!

Girl, you're hooked on this stuff. Why do think you have
symptoms when you only eat a simple salad with no dressing?

The doctors can tell you to stop "this" and "that", but you only
really need to unsubscribe from what they prescribe.

-sw (Oh [censored], there's a Black Helicopter circling me with
spotlights!)

Steve Wertz said:

I admit - I was addicted to the cimetidine - ranitidine -
famotadine stuff for 3-4 years. I usually had to take them once
during the day, and always at night.

I ran out two weeks ago and just used Tums which didn't help at
all. And after a couple days, I was too sick to bother going up
to the store to get more.

Afetr I was over the sickness (diarrhea, vomiting, heartburn,
indigestion) I was not having any heartburn problems at all,
except the original, occasional problem when I ate tomato
products.

I'm pretty convinced that these medications, while they work
great in the short term, just make the problem worse. They
appear to build up an unnecessary physical dependency.

Our drug research dollars hard at work. I'm sticking with the
old standby's from now on - Calcium Carbonate.

OMG Steve, you're a mess! Your tooth, your stomach, what else is
wrong?

--

A husband is someone who takes out the trash and gives the impression he just cleaned the whole house.

Steve Wertz said:

MOMPEAGRAM said:

I'm a long time GERD person and I don't eat hot stuff.

I'm pretty convinced GERD is not from spicy foods, but the acid
that comes is often consumed/served with it that throws the
stomach for a loop.

And you'd be correct. Relaxation of the sphincter that keeps acids in
your stomach and prevents them from backwashing up your esophagus is
what GERD is about. I would suggest first trying to alter ones habits
(not laying down after big meals or sleeping soon after eating) before
trying to alter the acidity of the stomach for occasional reflux
problems without other underlying issues.

sf said:

OMG Steve, you're a mess! Your tooth, your stomach, what else is
wrong?

I'm glad you asked...

I got fired, finally, for all those peeps following my story from
February-May.

It was Friday the 13th at 10:35am, and it felt great!

I looked at my desk, asked my boss if he was really, honestly,
swear-to-god-never-coming-back-firing me this time, and after I
put the words into his mouth, said, "This is so totally cool!
Thank you, Tom".

Nobody else in the office expected it (let alone Tom). I was so
elated I was having heart palpitations. It was the perfect
moment. I've never been fired before, and damn - I never knew it
felt so GOOD! Much better than getting laid. Off that is.

It took me all of about 8 minutes to look around proudly, grab my
chocolate-covered coffee beans, my can of Riga smoked sprats,
delete my cookies, and log into the D-Link wireless router and
put blocks on hsn.com, myspace.com, and yahoo.com - where all my
co-workers spend their time while I'm working my ass off.

(They're gonna be [censored] and have to hire me back at the $120/hr
I was charging them previously as a consultant).

I walked out of the office at about 10:45am and there was such an
unusually cool breeze blowing here in Austin that I felt like
taking all my clothes off and running down US Hwy 183 naked.

But I didn't. I wanted to, though.

Thanks for asking, SF ;-)

-sw (this is all true, BTW. And I got a huge jar of TUMS Ultra)

Becca said:

Omeprazole (Prilosec) is a proton pump inhibitor. If you want to
stop excess stomach acid, omeprazole may help. Gastric secretion
is associated with erosive esophagitis which can lead to
esophageal cancer. Omeprazole is now sold over the counter.
Talk to your doctor and your pharmacist. Best of luck, I know
how miserable it can be.

I'm surprised you've been the only one to mention OTC Prilosec (so
far). It's the cat's ass for my own GERD. I don't always use it,
but I've found that taking one every other day seems to work as well
as taking one every day.

--
Blinky
Killfiling all posts from Google Groups
Details: http://blinkynet.net/comp/uip5.html

Steve Wertz said:

sf said:

OMG Steve, you're a mess! Your tooth, your stomach, what else is
wrong?

I'm glad you asked...

I got fired, finally, for all those peeps following my story from
February-May.

It was Friday the 13th at 10:35am, and it felt great!

<snip>

Quoted message said:

It took me all of about 8 minutes to look around proudly, grab my
chocolate-covered coffee beans, my can of Riga smoked sprats,
delete my cookies, and log into the D-Link wireless router and
put blocks on hsn.com, myspace.com, and yahoo.com - where all my
co-workers spend their time while I'm working my ass off.

(They're gonna be [censored] and have to hire me back at the $120/hr
I was charging them previously as a consultant).

I walked out of the office at about 10:45am and there was such an
unusually cool breeze blowing here in Austin that I felt like
taking all my clothes off and running down US Hwy 183 naked.

But I didn't. I wanted to, though.

Thanks for asking, SF ;-)

-sw (this is all true, BTW. And I got a huge jar of TUMS Ultra)

So you were just fired on Friday? I'd delete a lot more than cookies!
Glad you got to block those web sites before you left.... some things
just need to be done.

Now you can relax for a while and recover from what ails you. Let
them stew for a while.

🙂

--

A husband is someone who takes out the trash and gives the impression he just cleaned the whole house.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Steve Wertz said:

Omelet said:

Good luck...

I started with Cimetidine (Tagamet) and that worked for a few years,
then switched to Ranitidine (Zantac) for about 4 years before it quit
working. Now I am using Famotidine (Pepsid) and it's working ok. When it
quits, I'll try Tagamet again.

Oh, I forgot to mention the best part: I didn't even have
problems except when I moved to TX and I kept getting stung by
fire ants. Which are related to bees. Which are related to a
bunch of things I'm very allergic to and put me on the verge of
shock.

That's how I discovered Famotadine. I carried it with me every
day with my Epinephrine (EpiPen) and Benedryl. That's the only
reason I even started taking it. I still carry all three of
those - I'm not discrediting drug-science completely.

Quoted message said:

I've run out of it from time to time too, and I never got sick, just
ended up with reflux discomfort and esophageal cramping (very painful).
Rolaids do help, but have to be taken too damned frequently!

Girl, you're hooked on this stuff. Why do think you have
symptoms when you only eat a simple salad with no dressing?

Only if it contains tomato!

Quoted message said:

The doctors can tell you to stop "this" and "that", but you only
really need to unsubscribe from what they prescribe.

-sw (Oh [censored], there's a Black Helicopter circling me with
spotlights!)

<grins>

I did not take any acid inhibitors at all until I finally went to see a
GI doc. Up to that point, I'd just used the old standby's, Rolaids and
and elevating the head of my bed.

I don't have the gastritis any more that I used to suffer from... but I
do understand where you are coming from. :-)

I also used to drink a LOT of Pepto Bismol.

The acid inhibitors were a godsend.

I don't take them every day, just when I actually start feeling
heartburn but they are always on hand!

I do love tomatoes... <sigh>
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a [censored]" -- Jack Nicholson

In article <[email hidden]>,

Steve Wertz said:

sf said:

OMG Steve, you're a mess! Your tooth, your stomach, what else is
wrong?

I'm glad you asked...

I got fired, finally, for all those peeps following my story from
February-May.

It was Friday the 13th at 10:35am, and it felt great!

I looked at my desk, asked my boss if he was really, honestly,
swear-to-god-never-coming-back-firing me this time, and after I
put the words into his mouth, said, "This is so totally cool!
Thank you, Tom".

Nobody else in the office expected it (let alone Tom). I was so
elated I was having heart palpitations. It was the perfect
moment. I've never been fired before, and damn - I never knew it
felt so GOOD! Much better than getting laid. Off that is.

You must have really hated that job.

Quoted message said:

It took me all of about 8 minutes to look around proudly, grab my
chocolate-covered coffee beans, my can of Riga smoked sprats,
delete my cookies, and log into the D-Link wireless router and
put blocks on hsn.com, myspace.com, and yahoo.com - where all my
co-workers spend their time while I'm working my ass off.

Beautiful! <Standing ovation!>

Quoted message said:

(They're gonna be [censored] and have to hire me back at the $120/hr
I was charging them previously as a consultant).

Revenge is sweet.

Quoted message said:

I walked out of the office at about 10:45am and there was such an
unusually cool breeze blowing here in Austin that I felt like
taking all my clothes off and running down US Hwy 183 naked.

But I didn't. I wanted to, though.

Thanks for asking, SF ;-)

-sw (this is all true, BTW. And I got a huge jar of TUMS Ultra)

So do you get to collect unemployment benefits for a bit? :-)
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a [censored]" -- Jack Nicholson

In article <[email hidden]>,

Blinky the Shark said:

Becca said:

Omeprazole (Prilosec) is a proton pump inhibitor. If you want to
stop excess stomach acid, omeprazole may help. Gastric secretion
is associated with erosive esophagitis which can lead to
esophageal cancer. Omeprazole is now sold over the counter.
Talk to your doctor and your pharmacist. Best of luck, I know
how miserable it can be.

I'm surprised you've been the only one to mention OTC Prilosec (so
far). It's the cat's ass for my own GERD. I don't always use it,
but I've found that taking one every other day seems to work as well
as taking one every day.

I've been a bit leery of using Prilosec.
Back when it was prescription, I had it prescribed for 6 weeks by the GI
doc.

When I asked why one could not use Prilosec long term, he handed me the
PDR to read (He knew I could understand it).

Long term side effects in original studies indicated a significant
increase in stomach cancer with test subjects.

It's why I won't use it OTC now that it's been de-regulated.

And I'm not one to panic over stuff like that as I realize that too many
things are reputed to increase cancer risks, but I've read a LOT of PDR
drug references, and that indicator is actually a pretty rare annotation.
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a [censored]" -- Jack Nicholson

"Steve Wertz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

sf said:

OMG Steve, you're a mess! Your tooth, your stomach, what else is
wrong?

I'm glad you asked...

I got fired, finally, for all those peeps following my story from
February-May.

It was Friday the 13th at 10:35am, and it felt great!

I looked at my desk, asked my boss if he was really, honestly,
swear-to-god-never-coming-back-firing me this time, and after I
put the words into his mouth, said, "This is so totally cool!
Thank you, Tom".

Nobody else in the office expected it (let alone Tom). I was so
elated I was having heart palpitations. It was the perfect
moment. I've never been fired before, and damn - I never knew it
felt so GOOD! Much better than getting laid. Off that is.

It took me all of about 8 minutes to look around proudly, grab my
chocolate-covered coffee beans, my can of Riga smoked sprats,
delete my cookies, and log into the D-Link wireless router and
put blocks on hsn.com, myspace.com, and yahoo.com - where all my
co-workers spend their time while I'm working my ass off.

(They're gonna be [censored] and have to hire me back at the $120/hr
I was charging them previously as a consultant).

I walked out of the office at about 10:45am and there was such an
unusually cool breeze blowing here in Austin that I felt like
taking all my clothes off and running down US Hwy 183 naked.

But I didn't. I wanted to, though.

Thanks for asking, SF ;-)

-sw (this is all true, BTW. And I got a huge jar of TUMS Ultra)

Sounds like time to go fishin' up in the Santa Cruz mountains again! ;-)
Watch out for them sharks, though! ;-)

"Goomba38" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

And you'd be correct. Relaxation of the sphincter that keeps acids in your
stomach and prevents them from backwashing up your esophagus is what GERD
is about. I would suggest first trying to alter ones habits (not laying
down after big meals or sleeping soon after eating) before trying to
alter the acidity of the stomach for occasional reflux problems without
other underlying issues.

In my experience that's good advice to take before getting onto the
prescription drug routine ... some of that stuff is worse than what you
took it for and once you get on that bus, it's sometimes hard to get off.
We've never had it this good, being able to look up information without
effort, find out what people do about the problem and try that first.
Once you go to the doctor, and maybe this is only my experience but
I don't think so, it's a matter of them just writing that prescription.
Symptom A ... ah, write Prescription A.

nancy

Steve Wertz <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

sf said:

OMG Steve, you're a mess! Your tooth, your stomach, what
else is wrong?

I'm glad you asked...

I got fired, finally, for all those peeps following my story
from February-May.

It was Friday the 13th at 10:35am, and it felt great!

I looked at my desk, asked my boss if he was really, honestly,
swear-to-god-never-coming-back-firing me this time, and after
I put the words into his mouth, said, "This is so totally
cool! Thank you, Tom".

Nobody else in the office expected it (let alone Tom). I was
so elated I was having heart palpitations. It was the perfect
moment. I've never been fired before, and damn - I never knew
it felt so GOOD! Much better than getting laid. Off that is.

It took me all of about 8 minutes to look around proudly, grab
my chocolate-covered coffee beans, my can of Riga smoked
sprats, delete my cookies, and log into the D-Link wireless
router and put blocks on hsn.com, myspace.com, and yahoo.com -
where all my co-workers spend their time while I'm working my
ass off.

(They're gonna be [censored] and have to hire me back at the
$120/hr I was charging them previously as a consultant).

I walked out of the office at about 10:45am and there was such
an unusually cool breeze blowing here in Austin that I felt
like taking all my clothes off and running down US Hwy 183
naked.

But I didn't. I wanted to, though.

Thanks for asking, SF ;-)

-sw (this is all true, BTW. And I got a huge jar of TUMS
Ultra)

CONGRATS and enjoy the freedom! :-)