Another question about GERD and AHI

Hello ALL- I've noticed that on the nights I do not take something like Pepcid or Zantac my overall AHI is higher. What would be the reason for that?? The numbers are not horribly higher but enough so that I have begun to see the pattern. Any thoughts on this?? Sorry that I ask such stupid questions, I guess I was just curious as to why this happens. THANKS!!!

That's weird?
One thing that comes into my mind is, maybe it's not the Pepcid or Zantac, maybe it's the need of those.
Maybe Pepcid or Zantac just makes you feel better and during the night the effect fades.

I'm relly no expert, maybe there are "refreshing" additives in them.

[edit]
I checked the possible side effects of Pepcid and they were:

Less common or rare
constipation
decreased sexual ability
decrease in sexual desire
diarrhea
dizziness
drowsiness
dryness of mouth or skin
headache
ringing or buzzing in ears
swelling of breasts or breast soreness (women and men)
change in taste sensation
trouble in sleeping

Also:
Famotidine should not be used by anyone who:

is allergic to famotidine or any of the ingredients of the medication
is allergic to other acid-reducing agents known as H2-receptor antagonists (e.g., ranitidine, cimetidine, nizatidine)

Zantac is based on ranitidine.

grumpygirl wrote:Hello ALL- I've noticed that on the nights I do not take something like Pepcid or Zantac my overall AHI is higher. What would be the reason for that??

Untreated or undertreated acid reflux disease can be a big problem, imho, in getting cpap treatment to work effectively. Nightly acid baths can irritate soft tissue making it become swollen and harder. Can even cause spasm of the vocal cords. CPAP air is designed to push aside soft tissue. It's difficult for cpap air to push against a brick wall.

Case in point - loonlvr's saga:

Nov 05, 2005 subject: SUCCESS AT LAST-GERD,420E, PRILOSEC AND BENADRYL -SWS's thoughts on loonlvr's massive clusters of events and loonlvr's followup post.
viewtopic.php?t=5551

Apr 28, 2006 subject: Articles about Acid Reflux, Sinus and Nasal congestion. Links posted by RestInSeattle
viewtopic.php?p=95185

Well, here are my two cents on alternative solutions for GERD relief:

When not taking proton pump inhibitor medication (lanzoprasol), these supplements have worked well for me:
- Slippery elm (powdered form, mixed with hot water or warm milk) before bed. Coats the stomach and Esophagus with a soothing and protective mucus.
- Aloe vera juice, also before bed. helps prevent and relieve inflamation of the Esophagus.
- Licorice Root. capsules, 2 to 3x a day. prevents and relieves heart burn and indigestion.
- Ginger, especially freshly juiced, (also good as an anti inflammatory and seems to be very effective at reducing GERD in the long run).

It does seem counter-intuitive though that your AHI would go up WITH ant-acid medication...

Good luck!
arkein

my guess cause I ain't no GI specialist:

There is a presentation not too log ago on one site that demonstrated if you injects a saline solution (very small amount think it was 1cc) just below the upper esophageal sphincter via catheter that it would cause a closure of the airway and more importantly caused an arousal on the EEG.

So if you can artificially induce a reaction to the UES and produce a corresponding "arousal" seen on the EEG it is assumed the same will happen if reflux liquid contents from the stomach.

Elevating the head of your bed then seems to make more sense.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_esophageal_sphincter

Thanks for the links RG! I've also found that I'm sleeping better now that I'm taking some meds for GERD. Although in my case my AHI has not changed significantly (although my pesky flow limitations seem to be slightly less in number).

It does seem counter-intuitive though that your AHI would go up WITH ant-acid medication...

Actually it's the opposite, she says in her post AHI has been going up when she did NOT take the acti-acid meds, so that fits with the GERD theory.

grumpygirl - are you being followup up with a GI specialist? Untreated or prolonged reflux/heartburn/GERD can cause damage to the esophagus which can lead to cancer over time. This can be detected easily by an endoscopy before it reaches anywhere near being cancerous.

My story is that my dad took proton pump inhibitors for many many years, prescribed by his GP, but he never was recommended to a GI specialist. He ended up with esophageal cancer (never smoked), which was diagnosed when he had complaints of not being able to swallow properly (choking). So i'm pretty dogmatic about the need for everyone to get an endoscopy every 5 years if they have had reflux for a long time (after he was diagnosed, his doctors recommended that my sister and I get scoped every 5 years since we also have GERD symptoms). It can takes years to get Barrett's esophagus, and some more years or so for that to turn cancerous, though the risk of cancer, they say, is "low". So there is plenty of time along the way to detect and prevent this cancer. BTW 5 year survival rates for this type of cancer are in the single digits. Other complications of GERD, like ulcers, are discussed here: http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/barretts/ and http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/barret ... us/HQ00312

echo wrote:nActually it's the opposite, she says in her post AHI has been going up when she did NOT take the acti-acid meds, so that fits with the GERD theory.

Woops! I'll blame it on my sleep-deprivation!