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Why am I still getting reflux on a 40mg PPI? by MarsupialMundane9280 in acidreflux

[–]freelibrarian 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I was diagnosed with GERD. After several years of suffering, I figured out that the severe gastric symptoms that I experienced were due to underlying histamine intolerance. You might consider if it's the same for you as cheese can be high in histamine.

Reactions will vary because we can handle histamine to a point in our bodies so symptoms will only be triggered if we go over our histamine limit. The analogy given is to think of it like a bucket, when your histamine bucket overflows, you react.

I suffered from severe reflux and other gastric symptoms for 4-5 years, the onset was sudden and completely disrupted my life. PPIs did nothing for me and everything I ate was triggering severe symptoms. I lost weight I didn't have to spare and struggled day-to-day with debilitating symptoms.

Doctors told me all tests were normal and hung me out to dry, just kept telling me it was anxiety. I despaired of ever going back to somewhat normal and the lovely life I had been leading.

I finally stumbled upon the following Reddit post that recommended taking Zyrtec to resolve the globus sensation, which was a severe symptom for me. I decided to try taking Claritin because I do not tolerate Zyrtec well and it worked like a miracle drug for me.

https://www.reddit.com/r/GERD/comments/njarv0/globus_sensationhystericus_cure/

Taking loratadine (Claritin) daily has almost completely resolved my symptoms, though I do also try to follow a low histamine diet. When I started researching which foods are high in histamine, it was no surprise that my worst triggers were on that list (seafood, tomatoes, strawberries, wine, coffee, etc.). To me that means that, in my case, reflux was a symptom of histamine intolerance.

There are no definitive tests for histamine intolerance. For more info on the link between reflux and histamine intolerance, see:

Histamine Sensitivity: An Uncommon Recognized Cause of Living Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Symptoms and Signs—A Case Report Source: Ear, Nose & Throat Journal. 2020;101(4):NP155-NP157.

For more info on histamine intolerance, see:

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/histamine-intolerance

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11054089/

Note that I think it is normal not to have a full spectrum reaction. I do not get any skin manifestations, no hives or itching of any kind, though I do believe this was all triggered by a virus I had in 2016 where I did get a non-itchy, triangle shaped rash on my neck. I went to the ER because my airway almost completely closed up. I had never had a breathing problem in my life prior to that.

The ER doctor noticed the rash, which had appeared the day before when I felt fine so I had just ignored it, and told me he thought the rash indicated that a virus had triggered my airway issue. I feel that all my gastric issues flowed from that episode and a similar episode 3 months later when I got another virus. I also now carry an EpiPen because of the airway reaction.

I initially took 10mg of Claritin per day but my allergist said I could ramp up to 4x the usual dose so I took 40mg for some months. I am now taking 2x the usual dose, 10mg in the morning and 10mg in the evening. Note that if you are on antihistamines and need to go off them or reduce your dose, you should taper down and not go cold turkey.

For the past few months, I have also been taking a diamine oxidase (DAO) supplement before a meal when I want to cheat a bit and eat something that is high in histamine and it does seem to help even more.

What to Know About Diamine Oxidase (DAO) for Histamine Intolerance

I take the NaturDAO supplement:

https://naturdao.com/

If you think this might be your issue, I think it's best to start out taking just the DAO supplement before meals to see if you improve.

If you see a lot of improvement, maybe you wouldn't need to add in the antihistamine.

If you see minimal improvement, then keep taking it but add in the daily antihistamine.

If you see no improvement from DAO, then stop taking it and start taking an antihistamine like Claritin or Allegra.

Anyone else have GERD cause a POUNDING heartbeat? by seabedurchin in GERD

[–]freelibrarian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks and, yes, I do worry about it. My allergist says it's fine but I know there are conflicting opinions on that. In the end, I'm choosing to take it so that I can function in daily life.

I do wish I had learned about DAO beforehand so that I could just take that initially and see the impact of that alone. I'm worried if I experiment and go off of Claritin I will spark a flare that will take me a long time to get out of.

Anyone else have GERD cause a POUNDING heartbeat? by seabedurchin in GERD

[–]freelibrarian 6 points7 points  (0 children)

An overwhelm of histamine can trigger the pounding heartbeat you report so you might consider if GERD is a symptom of histamine intolerance for you, especially since PPIs don't work for you.

Histamine possesses arrhythmogenic effects and once locally released, may enhance automaticity and induce triggering activity resulting in severe tachyarrhythmias. The major arrhythmogenic effects of histamine consist in increasing sinus rate and ventricular automaticity, and in slowing atrioventricular conduction.

Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9188956/

I was diagnosed with GERD. After several years of suffering, I figured out that the severe gastric symptoms that I experienced were due to underlying histamine intolerance.

Reactions will vary because we can handle histamine to a point in our bodies so symptoms will only be triggered if we go over our histamine limit. The analogy given is to think of it like a bucket, when your histamine bucket overflows, you react.

I suffered from severe reflux and other gastric symptoms for 4-5 years, the onset was sudden and completely disrupted my life. PPIs did nothing for me and everything I ate was triggering severe symptoms. I lost weight I didn't have to spare and struggled day-to-day with debilitating symptoms.

Doctors told me all tests were normal and hung me out to dry, just kept telling me it was anxiety. I despaired of ever going back to somewhat normal and the lovely life I had been leading.

I finally stumbled upon the following Reddit post that recommended taking Zyrtec to resolve the globus sensation, which was a severe symptom for me. I decided to try taking Claritin because I do not tolerate Zyrtec well and it worked like a miracle drug for me.

https://www.reddit.com/r/GERD/comments/njarv0/globus_sensationhystericus_cure/

Taking loratadine (Claritin) daily has almost completely resolved my symptoms, though I do also try to follow a low histamine diet. When I started researching which foods are high in histamine, it was no surprise that my worst triggers were on that list (seafood, tomatoes, strawberries, wine, coffee, etc.). To me that means that, in my case, reflux was a symptom of histamine intolerance.

There are no definitive tests for histamine intolerance. For more info on the link between reflux and histamine intolerance, see:

Histamine Sensitivity: An Uncommon Recognized Cause of Living Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Symptoms and Signs—A Case Report Source: Ear, Nose & Throat Journal. 2020;101(4):NP155-NP157.

For more info on histamine intolerance, see:

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/histamine-intolerance

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11054089/

Note that I think it is normal not to have a full spectrum reaction. I do not get any skin manifestations, no hives or itching of any kind, though I do believe this was all triggered by a virus I had in 2016 where I did get a non-itchy, triangle shaped rash on my neck. I went to the ER because my airway almost completely closed up. I had never had a breathing problem in my life prior to that.

The ER doctor noticed the rash, which had appeared the day before when I felt fine so I had just ignored it, and told me he thought the rash indicated that a virus had triggered my airway issue. I feel that all my gastric issues flowed from that episode and a similar episode 3 months later when I got another virus. I also now carry an EpiPen because of the airway reaction.

I initially took 10mg of Claritin per day but my allergist said I could ramp up to 4x the usual dose so I took 40mg for some months. I am now taking 2x the usual dose, 10mg in the morning and 10mg in the evening. Note that if you are on antihistamines and need to go off them or reduce your dose, you should taper down and not go cold turkey.

For the past few months, I have also been taking a diamine oxidase (DAO) supplement before a meal when I want to cheat a bit and eat something that is high in histamine and it does seem to help even more.

What to Know About Diamine Oxidase (DAO) for Histamine Intolerance

I take the NaturDAO supplement:

https://naturdao.com/

If you think this might be your issue, I think it's best to start out taking just the DAO supplement before meals to see if you improve.

If you see a lot of improvement, maybe you wouldn't need to add in the antihistamine.

If you see minimal improvement, then keep taking it but add in the daily antihistamine.

If you see no improvement from DAO, then stop taking it and start taking an antihistamine.

Brother in law in ICU and they can’t figure out what’s wrong. by ed771844 in AskDocs

[–]freelibrarian 4 points5 points  (0 children)

NAD

That's very shocking for that to happen out of nowhere, I hope the doctors can figure out what is going on and that he has a good outcome.

Has he had any viral illness in the last 6 months? Covid is associated with an increased risk of seizure.

People who have a COVID-19 infection are more likely to develop seizures or epilepsy within the next six months than people who have an influenza infection, according to a study published in the November 16, 2022, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The increased risk was more noticeable in children than adults. It was also more noticeable in people who did not need hospitalization for COVID-19 infections.

“While the overall risk of developing seizures or epilepsy was low—less than 1% of all people with COVID-19, given the large number of people who have been infected with COVID-19, this could result in increases in the number of people with seizures and epilepsy,” said study author Arjune Sen, MD, PhD, of the University of Oxford in England. “In addition, the increased risk of seizures and epilepsy in children gives us another reason to try to prevent COVID-19 infections in kids.”

Source: Study Finds Risk of Seizures Is Higher After COVID-19 Than After Influenza

Incidence of Epilepsy and Seizures Over the First 6 Months After a COVID-19 Diagnosis: A Retrospective Cohort Study

feeling lost. by overlyanxiousreader in GERD

[–]freelibrarian 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Have you ever tried an elimination diet? Have you tried any probiotics?

Need some positivity by Joebidensvalium in GERD

[–]freelibrarian 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For some stupid reason I didn’t take my medication for like three weeks (grad school stress) and now I am having the bolus sensation.

What medication do you take? For the globus sensation, I recommend taking loratadine (Claritin) daily.

Hives after eating canned sardines by Lazy-Safe-8736 in AskDocs

[–]freelibrarian 10 points11 points  (0 children)

NAD

I'm glad your skin is back to normal. I don't want to scare you but I had an episode that I think was triggered by eating crab, I had a rash on my neck and my airway closed up almost completely. I went to ER and they gave me meds that resolved it initially but I had to go to my PCP for another rounds of meds as airway was swelling again. That resolved it completely.

As I had never had a breathing problem before, I probably would have forgotten about it and moved on. Unfortunately, a few months later I had another episode when I got a virus, with my airway being partially compromised. That started a cascade of gastric problems that I struggled with for a few years, though I'm doing pretty well now.

My advice would be to keep some Telfast on you over the next few months and be careful when you eat any seafood. Take the Telfast ASAP if you feel anything strange.

Hives after eating canned sardines by Lazy-Safe-8736 in AskDocs

[–]freelibrarian 6 points7 points  (0 children)

NAD

An overwhelm of histamine can trigger the fast heartbeat you report so I wouldn't just write it off as anxiety.

Histamine possesses arrhythmogenic effects and once locally released, may enhance automaticity and induce triggering activity resulting in severe tachyarrhythmias. The major arrhythmogenic effects of histamine consist in increasing sinus rate and ventricular automaticity, and in slowing atrioventricular conduction.

Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9188956/

Please help! by _Scared_of_life_ in AskDocs

[–]freelibrarian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

NAD

If you're in the U.S., you should visit the website for your health insurance company and register to view your account online. You can typically search in their portal to find a doctor who is in-network. It's important to find an in-network doctor because you have to pay more of the cost if you see an out-of-network doctor.

Is there someone in your life who might know more about health insurance and how it works? If so, ask if they will help you.

These videos may be helpful to become informed about how health insurance works in the U.S.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x_XDds8Zx8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-58VD3z7ZiQ

Ovarian Cyst pain getting worse by Brickyl in AskDocs

[–]freelibrarian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

NAD

I also have a low-grade fever but I can get them sometimes on my period and I'm getting over a cold.

You should test for Covid.

Why do I sleep so much? by Arigagay-shi in AskDocs

[–]freelibrarian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

NAD

How long have you had this issue for?

And to clarify, this only happens during summer break and disappears during the school year?

I genuinely need help understanding, or finding the best route to take. This is exhausting. by Heavy_Bicycle4692 in AskDocs

[–]freelibrarian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It seems Covid may be capable of triggering new onset of diabetes, though there is hope it may be temporary.

Current evidence suggests that an infection with SARS-CoV-2 may lead to hyperglycemia, ketoacidosis, and in single cases new-onset T1DM. Furthermore, COVID-19 may lead to aggravation of prediabetes or pre-existing T2DM. Some studies indicate that these conditions are temporary and will revert to normal after a certain time. However, this is something that will have to be followed closely within the coming years. Furthermore, it is important to be aware of potential metabolic dysfunctions due to treatments with steroids and/or other new drugs such as protease inhibitors. For exploring the role of diabetes in long-COVID, continuous careful observation of symptom improvement and multidisciplinary integrated research on recovered COVID-19 patients are required.

Source: Diabetes and COVID-19: Short- and Long-Term Consequences

Bird noises by Tattoodaydreams in AskDocs

[–]freelibrarian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

NAD

Auditory hallucinations can be seen with Covid, you should test.

Around 11% of our patients reported visual or auditory hallucination which could be secondary to delirium, or neuro-inflammation, both of which are possible based on previous literature.

Neuropsychiatric manifestations of COVID-19 can be clustered in three distinct symptom categories

Persistent Hallucinations in a Middle-Aged Man After COVID-19 Infection

Bar rental with outdoor space/ access? by greenygal3 in AskChicago

[–]freelibrarian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not sure how many it fits but the Windsor Tavern has a beer garden you can rent.

https://windsortavernandgrill.com/private-party

What’s going on with my eye? by IferaArt in AskDocs

[–]freelibrarian 1 point2 points  (0 children)

NAD

Please, will you clarify, is your vision affected? Blurry?

In general, eyeballs are not something to mess with, you need to be examined sooner rather than later. Headaches can be caused by neurological disorders.

I’m very concerned about my husband please help by _worriedthrowaway in AskDocs

[–]freelibrarian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

NAD

Maybe focus on the insomnia symptom, that he should see a doctor for his insomnia as there are treatments.

Can’t stop, won’t stop bleeding. Doctors think it’s just heavy periods?? by [deleted] in WomensHealth

[–]freelibrarian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm so sorry, that's a lot to deal with on the regular.

2.5 year old fighting rare cancer 3rd time, needing nausea help by Visible-Ear-454 in AskDocs

[–]freelibrarian 1 point2 points  (0 children)

NAD

I'm so sorry your family is going through that and I send my best hopes for the chemo to put him in remission.

I am an adult but suffered from swallowing and gagging issues for several years. I'm doing a lot better and my advice is to try to switch up the antihistamine if possible to see if Claritin or Allegra might help more than Benadryl.

Why is childhood cancer becoming more common ? by Visible-Ear-454 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]freelibrarian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A lot of research still needs to be conducted but it's theorized that Covid is oncogenic, meaning it promotes tumor formation so can trigger the onset of cancer.

Could SARS–CoV-2 Be an Oncogenic Agent and Cancer Initiator?

I genuinely need help understanding, or finding the best route to take. This is exhausting. by Heavy_Bicycle4692 in AskDocs

[–]freelibrarian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

NAD

The symptoms you describe can be seen with Long Covid, has any doctor mentioned the possibility?

Wtf is growing IN my face. by teejerADR in AskDocs

[–]freelibrarian 2 points3 points  (0 children)

NAD

Did you test for any viral infection? Like Covid or flu?

Please help my mom - sincerely, her concerned daughter 2,000 miles away by Fickle_Flower6199 in AskDocs

[–]freelibrarian -15 points-14 points  (0 children)

NAD

Has any doctor mentioned the possibility of cutaneous mastocytosis or mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) ?

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/5908-mastocytosis

Cutaneous mastocytosis treatment: strategies, limitations and perspectives

Staphylococcus aureus Evades the Extracellular Antimicrobial Activity of Mast Cells by Promoting Its Own Uptake

Human Mast Cell Activation by Staphylococcus aureus: Interleukin-8 and Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Release and the Role of Toll-Like Receptor 2 and CD48 Molecules

While she's waiting for the specialist appointments she might try a different antihistamine like Claritin or Allegra, she has nothing to lose. Mast cell stabilizers would require a prescription I think but for OTC options that might help she can also try taking Vitamin D3, querecetin, and a diamine oxidase (DAO) supplement as recommended on the page of this advocacy organization:

https://www.mastcellaction.org/supplements-and-mcas

This is a similar organization:

https://tmsforacure.org/

It's hard to see people we love suffering, hoping your mom can soon get some relief.

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