Gagging has many causes

November 9, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: Thank you for your balanced, sensible and unbiased information. It is a breath of fresh air.
My husband has a problem with spontaneous gagging. It does not seem to be related to eating, foreign objects or any activity in particular. It has caused him to pull the car over or stop talking with clients.

This has been going on for almost a year. We have had monitoring of his throat for acid reflux, and he did have some, but the rise in acid doesn’t seem to correspond with the gagging, and medication doesn’t make a difference. He has tried over-the-counter medications as well as prescriptions. He has also had an endoscopic procedure, which showed no polyps.

I would greatly appreciate any information you can provide; our doctors seem to be at a dead end.
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Prilosec for a cough?

March 3, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I had a dry, hacking cough all last winter. I finally went to an allergist, had a good work-up, and several ideas were put forth. I was told when all else fails and as a last resort, try over-the-counter Prilosec, the heartburn medication. Very much to my surprise, it worked. No more cough! As long as I continue to take one tablet daily, I’m free of the annoyance.

DEAR READER: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) commonly causes heartburn and a sour taste in the mouth; however, nearly half of all sufferers experience a chronic cough with no other symptoms. If the heartburn medication works, you probably have GERD. [Read more…]

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Daily Column

February 14, 2009 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I have GERD and an inflamed esophagus which I was told needs to be watched. I take one Prilosec daily but still have a sour taste in my mouth. I watch my diet, don’t eat spices, citrus, desserts, or greasy food. What else can I do?

DEAR READER:
Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) is often due to a weakness of the hiatal sphincter in the diaphragm that separates the stomach from the lungs. This weakness can cause a hernia in which the stomach actually slips through into the esophagus. This also allows for backwash of stomach juices which can cause pain, burning, stinging and sourness.

If your Prilosec is not working, return to your gastroenterologist who can further advise you about other medications and lifestyle modifications that may be beneficial.

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Daily Column

February 7, 2009 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I have been on Prilosec for my acid indigestion. It works. Recently my daughter called me and told me that in India they have you eat a banana as a treatment for GERD and that I should try it. The next day I put a chopped up banana in my breakfast cereal. To my surprise it worked.

Since I have started this I have had no indigestion and have not had to take my Prilosec. I don’t know why or how it works but it does. Please pass this on to your readers.

DEAR READER:
Done. Like, you I have no idea why this would work but am curious to know if it works for others as well.

So readers, if you suffer from gastro-esophageal reflux disease or frequent heartburn and indigestion, please give this remedy a try and let me know what your results were. [Read more…]

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Generic alternatives nowhere to be found

February 24, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I read your column every day and it has helped me quite a bit. I’m in my upper 80’s and take Prevacid. Since there’s no generic for it, it gets pretty expensive. Is there much difference between Prevacid and Nexium?

DEAR READER: To my knowledge, Nexium is a slightly stronger medication than Prevacid. It also does not have a generic form and can be very expensive.

I recommend that you try over-the-counter medications, such as Pepcid or Zantac. If they do not work for you, you may wish to try Prilosec. This medication was once available by prescription only but was found to be relatively free of side effects. It is now available for over-the-counter sale. If you try these unsuccessfully, you may benefit from comparison shopping your area pharmacies as each one can have a different price for your medication.
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