Wondering if this is a bac side effect?

[Isolde]

Hopefully some others will chime in here, because I have NO clue what is going on. At first I thought it was just another bac side effect, but it's been going on for almost 3 straight days now, and I can't recall reading about anyone else experiencing anything similar. It feels what I assume heartburn feels like (haven't really ever had it, so am not sure!). It started Wednesday morning, then went away for a bit, and was off and on until yesterday. It's this extremely uncomfortable sensation in my esophagus, right around the breastbone area. But it also sometimes feels closer to my throat, and sometimes closer to my stomach. Have been dealing with this constantly since yesterday, went to sleep with it, woke up with it, doesn't matter if I eat or not, or what I eat. I tried reading up on symptoms, but apparently heartburn isn't constant like this, but I have no clue what else it could be. I wasn't experiencing this when I was on 80mg, and I'm still titrating down as my next shipment hasn't arrived yet. I'm down to 50mg now, and I would think that if I wasn't feeling this at higher doses, it doesn't really make sense that I'd experience it at a lower dose, but I am at a complete loss! It's extremely uncomfortable. Tums doesn't affect it, so maybe it really is something else. Has anyone experienced anything like this on bac?? Or even if you haven't, any clue what the heck it could be?
I'm tempted to titrate off quickly (I'll prob. be down to 0 anyway, by the time my next shipment gets here), just to see if it has any effect at all.

[Topsy-Turvy-Tracy]

Wondering if this is a bac side effect?

It almost sounds like acid reflux (GERD), except the discomfort doesn't generally move around (from esophagus to stomach). Baclofen is supposed to help ease acid reflux though, not make it worse, but Tums doesn't do squat for the condition. If it was acid reflux, lying down would make it significantly worse, which it doesn't sound like it's doing.

You might try an acid reducer and see if it has any effect. Otherwise, I don't know. Sorry I'm not more helpful.

[Sunnyvalenting]

Wondering if this is a bac side effect?

Sounds like the lower esophagus to me as well. Is there any nausea? Do you have liver problems as this can at times result in dilated blood vessels low in the esophagus. Are you AF? You might try something like an OTC pepcid to see if acid is a factor.
There can also be spasms of the esophagus. If you swallow a pill and it doesn't go down it can cause a local burn. So many possibilities in that neighborhood including actual heart problems. Keep well. keep us posted
Sun

[Greg]

Wondering if this is a bac side effect?

I'm just wondering if it could be some sort of reaction to reducing the baclofen?? I am not a regular high-dose bac user, so I won't pretend to be an expert on bac, but when you mentioned your dose reduction I thought it could be some sort of baclofen withdrawal symptom. It's just a thought.

[Topsy-Turvy-Tracy]

Wondering if this is a bac side effect?

Isolde, do you ever remember having these symptoms before? I'm wondering if the bac wasn't treating (without intending it to do so) acid reflux, and reduction in the dosage is causing the symptoms?

[ignominous]

Wondering if this is a bac side effect?

Sorry Isolde no thoughts on the heartburn but by all means titrate down to 0 and tell us what the effects are like. I like extreme test rats!

Only half joking, keep with the plan. Which still seems to be to keep going up til you hit the switch. Maybe this is unrelated, change of diet perhaps, or related: whatever I don't think your in danger of a heart attack. Unless you give me reasons to think otherwise.

Trace...........Hows the Bac effecting you. Maybe new thread?

[Topsy-Turvy-Tracy]

Wondering if this is a bac side effect?

ignominous;978121 wrote: Trace...........Hows the Bac effecting you. Maybe new thread?

Thanks for asking. I'm handy-dandy fine for an AA monkey bent on destroying addicts everywhere via suppressing life-saving information by daring to question to the wisdom of their care-takers. :H

I'd feel more comfortable waiting until the au pair duo waltzes victorious into the sunset, and their cronies get a grip, before posting about my firsthand experience with the medication.

But I do appreciate you asking, Ig. Thanks.

[susanna]

Wondering if this is a bac side effect?

remedy for GERD or acid reflux -a common condition for people with Ameison's Disease?

Isolde:

Conventional medical view (promoted by pharma co's and OTC marketers) is that GERD is caused by too much acid. Naturopathic types say it's lack of stomach acid. Possibly bac impacting your production of acid? Also, if you have a nagging chronic or unexplained cough too - it's likely GERD.

Try this for ur symptoms. If you get relief you know what it is AND you'll know within a day-ish

Half hour before meal (approximate measures):
Quarter teaspoon pink Himalayan salt (health food store)
Quarter teaspoon baking soda
Half teaspoon or so apple cider vinegar (unfiltered if u can-health store)
Half cup of wam water
Sip it up, it tastes like mild alka seltzer. Stimulates and suplements your own systems digestive enzymes.

If u get relief:
Throw out your regular table salt and use the pink stuff for cooking etc).
Throw out antacids. Your Gerd is due to underproduction of acid.
Remember it if you get another flare up.

A past GERD-IAN,
Susan

Isolde;977997 wrote: Hopefully some others will chime in here, because I have NO clue what is going on. At first I thought it was just another bac side effect, but it's been going on for almost 3 straight days now, and I can't recall reading about anyone else experiencing anything similar. It feels what I assume heartburn feels like (haven't really ever had it, so am not sure!). It started Wednesday morning, then went away for a bit, and was off and on until yesterday. It's this extremely uncomfortable sensation in my esophagus, right around the breastbone area. But it also sometimes feels closer to my throat, and sometimes closer to my stomach. Have been dealing with this constantly since yesterday, went to sleep with it, woke up with it, doesn't matter if I eat or not, or what I eat. I tried reading up on symptoms, but apparently heartburn isn't constant like this, but I have no clue what else it could be. I wasn't experiencing this when I was on 80mg, and I'm still titrating down as my next shipment hasn't arrived yet. I'm down to 50mg now, and I would think that if I wasn't feeling this at higher doses, it doesn't really make sense that I'd experience it at a lower dose, but I am at a complete loss! It's extremely uncomfortable. Tums doesn't affect it, so maybe it really is something else. Has anyone experienced anything like this on bac?? Or even if you haven't, any clue what the heck it could be?
I'm tempted to titrate off quickly (I'll prob. be down to 0 anyway, by the time my next shipment gets here), just to see if it has any effect at all.

[sapphire1]

Wondering if this is a bac side effect?

Topsy-Turvy-Tracy;978128 wrote: Thanks for asking. I'm handy-dandy fine for an AA monkey bent on destroying addicts everywhere via suppressing life-saving information by daring to question to the wisdom of their care-takers. :H

I'd feel more comfortable waiting until the au pair duo waltzes victorious into the sunset, and their cronies get a grip, before posting about my firsthand experience with the medication.

But I do appreciate you asking, Ig. Thanks.

Well I for one hope that they do waltz victorious into the sunset and who wouldnt? The magnificent effort is praiseworthy, nothing more and nothing less. If more families stood by their loved ones with illness with as much unconditional love then the world would indeed be a better and brighter place.

[Topsy-Turvy-Tracy]

Wondering if this is a bac side effect?

sapphire1;978142 wrote: Well I for one hope that they do waltz victorious into the sunset and who wouldnt?

I hope so too! I'm counting on it.

[Topsy-Turvy-Tracy]

Wondering if this is a bac side effect?

susanna;978137 wrote: Isolde:

Conventional medical view (promoted by pharma co's and OTC marketers) is that GERD is caused by too much acid.

"GERD occurs when a muscle at the lower end of the esophagus does not work properly."

What Causes GERD?

That whole muscle not working properly thing might just have a little something to do with why baclofen is effective in treating GERD.

Acid reducers are like aspirin. They ease the symptom - they don't cure the condition. I really doubt you would get a medical professional - you know, someone who actually knows what the hell they are talking about - to claim otherwise. There is not, as yet, a cure for GERD, but IME a low carb diet helps immensely in diminishing the symptoms.

But, Isoolde, it's not the kind of thing that just springs up unabated one day. You might want to be checked out for other things because, as Sunny pointed out, your symptoms could also be caused by a heart condition. They could also be caused by a growth. I don't know. A doctor would know.

[susanna]

Wondering if this is a bac side effect?

Why does a muscle at the lower end of the esophagus not work properly.

A growing view is that an underlying chronic problem, such as underproduction of digestive enzymes, or perhaps other long term causes, leads to gas production and bad 'acids' in the GI because the body can't breakdown the food properly. The resulting gas causes internal pain, and also upward gastric pressure on the esophogas, which is not designed to hold gas in (burp). So just when this muscle is supposed to stay shut after letting food pass into the upper stomach, while the stomach digests contents, the bad acids and stomach contents leak up. If this goes on for an extended period, it weakens the esophagus muscle and it becomes chronic, and chronic coughing and other mystery symptoms arise (halitosis, yellowing teeth). There's some evidence that if you can get this acid issue under control the muscle will restrengthen. There's also a view that alcohol, caffeine, nicotine and stress (sound familiar anyone?), inhibit a person's production of healthy digestive enzymes.

Note to Isolde: forgot to mention - get high quality digestive enzymes too if you find the remedy I dscribed helps. If GERD from lack of enzymes is your condition you'll know if a couple days or less (I got immediate relief after years of acid blocker meds and asthma puffers (for my chronic cough and a myriad of visits to specialists.

[susanna]

Wondering if this is a bac side effect?

truce flag to Tracy

Tracy - sending you a PM. I hope we can take it 'outside', clear the air and move on to a positive, knowledge sharing place.

[Isolde]

Wondering if this is a bac side effect?

Thanks so much for all of the responses! This definitely just sprung up outta nowhere the other day, really no previous episodes with heartburn or anything similar that I can recall. I've always been able to pretty much eat anything with no negative effects. Out of sheer desperation, I did head over to the drugstore yesterday and picked up some Prevacid. Figured worst it can do is nothing! Said it can take 1-4 days to start working, although it seemed like there was some relief last night and into this morning (until I had a cup of coffee!).

Greg, that's what I was thinking, that it might be an effect of stepping the dosage down. I guess only time will tell. If this continues until I'm able to bump my bac dose back up, then I'll know for sure!

Susanna, it just so happens that I do have some really good quality digestive enzymes hanging around. And I've got everything except the pink himalayan salt as well. What do you suggest, should I try both methods simultaneously? Or are they both pretty much accomplishing the same thing? The odd thing is that it doesn't get worse when I eat, I can have been in a fasting state for hours after waking up and it's still hanging around. If anything, it seems to get slightly better for a time after eating, maybe just because my stomach is busy doing other things? :H It's interesting that it could be caused by a lack of acid. In any case, I'm always much happier taking the natural route, especially as the Prevacids and Prilosecs state not to use for longer than 14 days in a given 4 month period. What if it continues after 14 days?! Makes me wary in any case.

Ig, I may inadvertently become a test rat anyway! My shipment is taking a lot longer to get here this time around, and I'll most likely end up back at 0 before it does. In which case, I'll be sure to report what happens! But I'll definitely work my way back up til I hit my switch as soon as the package shows up in my mailbox! Hey, if tapering down on bac is causing this digestive hell, I'm not going anywhere but UP!

Thanks Tracy and Sunny for your responses. I haven't been consistently AF since starting bac, but I have been for the last 3 days (which oddly enough, have been the worst ones with whatever this is that's going on now). I was tempted last night, as I was just in a shitty place, but somehow didn't think that would really help the situation.

I'll give the enzymes a try for now, as that's what I have on hand. And so far it does seem the Prevacid is doing some good, so I'm not sure if I want to try dropping that yet. I'll keep everyone updated. I guess this is a good lesson to ALWAYS have more bac on hand than you think you need and just assume that your order is going to take a lot longer than you think! (And here I thought I knew that already, hmph!)

:thanks:

[Isolde]

Wondering if this is a bac side effect?

Oh, I forgot to mention, about the cough. I was coughing quite a bit on higher doses of bac, but I think it was just due to the inner dryness it was causing. Sometimes it felt like I had some thick phlegm that I just couldn't move, and it got pretty uncomfortable at times. Don't think that would be related to GERD though, as that's gone away as I've stepped my dose down. Sometimes my breath would catch as I was falling asleep because of it, and that got a bit scary!