Acid Reflux and Baking Soda

[TromboneAl]

Although I don't have heartburn, I suffer from LPR such that when I go to bed at night, I cough.

Two triggers for me seem to be coffee and carbonated drinks (soda or beer). Even if I have them at lunch, I might end up coughing at night.

Taking some baking soda helps, but many sites warn about baking soda causing rebound acidity later.

Here's my question:

Let's say I figured out exactly how much baking soda would bring the pH of a cup of coffee from pH 5 (acidic) to pH 7 (neutral). I could take that amount right after the coffee.

Think that would work?

Any way to determine that amount other than buy some pH strips and test?

 

[GrayHare]

I've had that trouble too. With carbonated drinks for me it seemed to be more than just the acidity level. In other words, an equally acidic beverage without carbonation was not as much a problem.

As for acid rebound, experienced that too. The solution (no pun intended) for me was to wean very slowly, as in slow dose reduction over the course of a month.

 

[Helena]

.

Acid Reflux?

Try sleeping on your left side... or in a recliner chair.

.

 

[Aerides]

DH had that and tried baking soda, then did a two week regimen of pepcid OTC and seem better...for now.

 

[Sunset]

How about taking a couple of tums (similar products) , will also give you some calcium as well.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

You could try some alkaline foods instead like a banana or banana smoothie with some coconut milk. We also drink peppermint tea for over acid stomachs.


I also sometimes buy a coffee substitute beverage called Pero to drink instead of coffee later in the day.

 

[GoodWishes]

I have acid reflux and carbonated drinks seem to be a problem for me also. Mylanta and tums seem to help me.

 

[Bamaman]

My wife has a hiatial hernia, and acid reflux has gone down into her lungs and caused pneumonia three times. Twice she was hospitalized.

This is not something to fool around with. You don't say if you've been to an endodontist and had any tests. But an endoscope down the throat would tell you if you do have the hiatial hernia.

My wife is having day surgery Friday to repair another problem, but will be getting the hernia surgery in another 6 weeks, hopefully. She does not have strong enough lungs to go through pneumonia again from acid reflux.

 

[donheff]

I have had what could be LPR for years. I was able to reduce it from causing constant throat clearing to very light by slamming down a tablespoon or so of Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar with 'The Mother' once a day. I don't mix it with anything, just hold it in my mouth until I can fill the glass with water and wash it down. It sounds dumb but worked for me. Placebo? Who knows. People have asked me why the acidic vinegar doesn't exacerbate the problem. But a splash of vinegar is meaningless in a sea of corrosive stomach acid.

 

[24601NoMore]

I had a similar problem. Wedge Pillow solved it for me, since this orients your body on a slant while you sleep. Harder for the acid to work it's way upward.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00U0A06A4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

ETA - I've also heard the Bragg's works for many people, but never could figure out the logic of taking something acidic to help with acidic issues..

 

[marko]

Been dealing with this for 25 years.
I take a daily Omeprazole and still get AR if I eat too late at night.
Sleeping on my left side until 3AM helps. Acupuncture has helped a lot as well.
Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar works for me too but after a few days I fall off that wagon as I start to feel better. AFAIK, ACV comes in as an acid but metabolizes as an alkaline.

Had a massive mouth full of acid just a few nights ago....took a tablespoon of Baking Soda in a glass of water and after 30 minutes was able to go back to bed (2AM).

I find that pasta--with or without tomato sauce--later than 6PM also creates trouble for me as it takes a lot longer than normal people for the food to leave my stomach (Gastroparesis)

Al, I don't think you need an 'exact' amount of baking soda...a tablespoon and a glass of water should do.

 

[donheff]

Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar works for me too but after a few days I fall off that wagon as I start to feel better.

That's been a problem for me too. I'm gonna take a slug right now while I am thinking about it.

 

[24601NoMore]

Omeprazole totally depleted my Magnesium levels. Had very painful leg issues - felt like my bones actually hurt, to the point I almost couldn't drive and had to go to PT to get my muscle flexibility back. (Turns out most of your magnesium is stored in your bones, so that's apparently why my bones hurt).. Also had to supplement with oral magnesium (Natural Calm) and magnesium oil applied topically to my leg muscles to recover and am still, after a couple of months, not back to normal. Did some googling and turns out to be a fairly common side effect..good if it works for you, but PPIs (Proton Pump Inhibitors like Omeprazole) in general are pretty nasty. Definitely suggest checking drugs.com or similar sites before signing up for these..I thought since they were so common that they were OK..oops.

I've heard that you should eat at least a couple/few hours before going to bed, and definitely do not lay down (eg - on the couch to watch TV) for at least an hour after eating..that does seem to help.

 

[Ronstar]

I have a problem with carbonated beverages, chocolate, and sometimes ice cream. And eating too late in the day. I tried sleeping on my left side, but it doesn’t last long before I roll around. Sleeping on an elevated pillow helps. And I take slippery elm lozenges on occasion.

 

[MRG]

I was on all kinds of prescription meds, zegred was one. Eventually I had a lifestyle and diet change, I don't take anything for my stomach now.

 

[footenote]

Used to have fairly common (although mild-to-moderate) GERD and bought Tums in bulk.

Have been doing Low Carb / High Fat for other reasons, but realized last year I hadn't had even a bit of acid indigestion for a couple years.

It may be too much of a lifestyle adaptation to make just for reflux issues; any other LCHF adherents notice the same beneficial side effect?

 

[MRG]

Used to have fairly common (although mild-to-moderate) GERD and bought Tums in bulk.

Have been doing Low Carb / High Fat for other reasons, but realized last year I hadn't had even a bit of acid indigestion for a couple years.

It may be too much of a lifestyle adaptation to make just for reflux issues; any other LCHF adherents notice the same beneficial side effect?

My diet changes were about lower carb, not necessarily LCHF. Yes I do believe that lowering carbs helped me.

 

[donheff]

Used to have fairly common (although mild-to-moderate) GERD and bought Tums in bulk.

Have been doing Low Carb / High Fat for other reasons, but realized last year I hadn't had even a bit of acid indigestion for a couple years.

It may be too much of a lifestyle adaptation to make just for reflux issues; any other LCHF adherents notice the same beneficial side effect?

I did notice that noticeable, burning in the throat disappeared after LCHF and has stayed away as I added modest carbs back in. But the “silent” GERD mucus clearing didn’t abate until I tried vinegar.

 

[Bir48die]

This is a subject near and ear to my heart. Just saw my physician on acid reflux at night. My lungs are at risk for sure. Have had a number of middle of the night aspirations. Already have had pneumonia three times but it is independent of this issue. Takes me a week to get over it and the damage to my system. Basically my physician said:

Stop drinking (probably not)
Do not make dinner your biggest meal
Stop eating at least two hours before bedtime
Be careful coffee intake as it is a major contributor to this issue

I agree with left side sleeping but it's difficult especially if you are a tosser and turner. Right side sleeping opens up the acid super highway. I have two wedge pillows now. One is a 4" and one is a 7". The taller they are I find myself sliding down after a period of time. I don't like taking things like Prilosec because they have an effect on absorption of key minerals and vitamins. My wife has done some research on split beds so she doesn't have to put her side up. I figured it would be a $5k all in investment to convert. A lot of dough for sure.

Just got to the Virgin Islands and was sick as a dog for six days leading up to the trip and not sure if it was a nasty cold or the response from another verp incident. It is definitely scary at times especially when you cannot breath when you wake up. A very quick look at what drowning would be like.

 

[Chuckanut]

It may be too much of a lifestyle adaptation to make just for reflux issues; any other LCHF adherents notice the same beneficial side effect?

+1

That was a much welcome side effect of lowering my intake of carbs in general and processed carbs/sugar in particular. I now do a slow-carb diet.

The re-flux is actually my canary in the coal mine for my diet. If it makes a comeback I know I am slipping and refocus on eating right. The last time the re-flux came back was just after Christmas. I wonder why?

 

[Helena]

.

If sleeping on your left side doesn't work, try sleeping in a recliner chair.

.

 

[John Galt III]

I had acid reflux with the awful coughing (day and night) and took lots of baking soda in water, for it. I guess 2 tablespoons in one glass. It stopped the reflux, but I got high blood pressure from it. 155 over 100. *sodium* bicarbonate, isn't it? Too much sodium can cause high blood pressure.Discovered during a physical. I stopped the baking soda and went on Lansoprazole which is a PPI (proton pump inhibitor) but at only half the lowest recommended dosage (I take one 15 mg pill every other day) and it has worked well! But I worry about not absorbing enough calcium from food, due to lower-than-normal stomach acid. And I still get acid reflux sometimes if I eat certain foods close to bedtime. I have tried to go off the PPI, but the acid comes back in about 5 days.

 

[GoodWishes]

I tried Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar with 'The Mother' once a day for several days. I got worse, stopped and got better. Everyone is different so try everything with caution.

I did a lot of research and tried many suggestions. Some of them worked better for me than others. I haven't had any problem for about 3 months now.

List of things to try, many have been suggested by others already:
Stay up right for at least 3 hours after eating
Sleep with upper body elevated
Eat smaller meals
Eat slower
Eat around the same time
Don't be too hungry or too full

List of food to avoid that might be triggers:
Alcohol
Caffeine (coffee, tea, chocolate, etc)
Carbonated drink
Spicy food
Fatty heavy food (fried food, fatty meat, etc)
Citrus fruit
Tomato
Raw onion, raw garlic
Processed food, sugar, white flour, white rice, etc

Keep track of what you eat/drink to see if you can find your triggers. For me, I don't do well with: carbonated drink, high carb food.

 

[Ian S]

I would just say that GERD isn't something to be taken lightly. I wound up with Barrett's Esophagus so I'm on a regular schedule with an endoscope as well as taking pantoprazole (ppi). With Barret's, I have a significantly higher risk of developing esophageal cancer but with the regular endoscopies, we should be able to detect changes that might signal pre-cancer that can be dealt with early and effectively.

 

[TromboneAl]

I've been dealing with this since 2016 (thread) and from all my experiments, I've discovered this:

There's so much variability, that I can't learn anything from experiments.

For example, one night we had our low-carb spaghetti-squash spaghetti with my low carb tomato sauce. That night, we went to bed at 10, and at 12:30 I was still coughing off and on.

Another night, I ate the exact same meal, and experienced no coughing.

Sometimes, I get the coughing 30 minutes after eating with no reclining involved.

This variability results in belief in placebo effects. At one point, I was convinced that making myself burp every half hour between dinner (6 pm) and bedtime (10) was the key. Other times, I felt that making myself swallow frequently at bedtime helped. But most of my theories haven't withstood the test of time.

Current trick: Only drink a little bit with a meal. Even water will cause problems if I drink 12+ ounces.

But my hope with this thread was that a chemist would tell me how much sodium bicarbonate neutralizes a cup of coffee or a glass of beer.