Acid reflux and diabetes

… i’m not sure if its due to me being vegetarian… but i have acid reflux all of the time. Can this be harmful to diabetics, or cause fluctuations in bs as well? I’ve had it all day and my bs has seemed to be a bit high all day… 140-190

Jill-

I haven’t had any issues with acid reflux. If you click here, it will take you to past discussion (tudiabetes) about acid reflux. I hope it gets better for you.

Cherise

I’ve had reflux for years, no real D complications that I;ve seen. Tho, before I started prilosec for it, I would sometimes not eat well or would sometimes actually get sick after I ate. Most of the complications, for me at least, seem to be the same ones everyone would get.

I get heartburn once in a blue moon and haven’t noticed any connection with it and my blood sugars.When I do get it I use Tums and drink a glass of milk.

Hi Jill,

I never saw where the reflux affected my glucose levels. I don’t think it’s any more harmful to a diabetic than it is to a normie. Naturally, as with any stress or illness, it could cause a rise in BGL. Having said that, my reflux is all but gone these days. Since adopting a primarily raw, natural foods based plan, the reflux seems to have receded significantly as a result of that. Since you said you’re a vegetarian, I wonder what the difference in my diet versus yours might be. Here are a couple of ideas… I also have fibromyalgia and have been treating that with oregano oil, caprylic acid, and some pro-biotics in an effort to optimize my digestive health. Also, in order to lower the glycemic index of my foods, I use quite a bit of naturally acidic things like mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, and anything else I can find. As long as I don’t overeat, I rarely get the reflux anymore. I’m not sure which of these things has helped the most. Might even have something to do with the resultant weight loss.

Some other things to consider, realizing that there are various degrees of vegetarianism… Do you consume any milk products? I stay away from them, mostly. Alcohol can precipitate it also. Especially wine.

Here’s a list from one of my favorite health writers of good and bad foods: Chet Day article

Best regards,
Craig

I have issues with reflux, they diagnosed me with GERD approximately 4 years ago.

I take Nexium daily. I haven’t realy seen any diabetes issues except you can count the days that I have reflux so bad I can’t keep anything down, then I have blood sugar issues for that day.

Hi Jill,
I am with you and the others who have a very bad problem with acid reflux. There are definite triggers for me and many times when the nausea and or vomiting become real issues. Then I too have blood sugar issues on those days. I think the hardest times for me are the times when I wake up aspirating the acid or liquids that come up.during sleep. Thank God this isn’t frequently. I am very careful about anything spicy and can’t do anything raw, other than a few fruits. Most of my triggers are medications. There are some meds I can use for a long time and then all of a sudden it will start causing me a problem. I will have an upper GI with the barium in another week. Then if we find something again we will do another scope and open things up again. I find the best thing for me to do when the acid comes up my throat is to simply wash it off by drinking some plain water. I wish you well and hope you find something to help you

Jill:

I am a long time sufferer of acid reflux and I enjoy a nice nasty case of gastroparesis. You gotta love gastroparesis, it just messes one up. It is a great joy. Now I had acid reflux long before gastroparesis, and no doubt the reflux preceded the gastroparesis. I do not think it was caused by the gastroparesis rahter I think it just preceded it. I take nexum and it works well, I suggest talking to the doc.

Rick

I’ ve had diabetes since 04 and I’ve always had acid reflux and I stared to take asciphex for my acid reflux and Ihadn’t had any trouble with it no matter if my bs get high or low.

Hey Danny:

I have GERD, acid reflux, and heartburn and GP, but my a1c’s were never above 8. However, I have an irritable gut to begin with, so I think the BG situation only aggravated that.

I used to be ok taking Tagamet, then Zantac, then Prilosec, and finally Previcid before my acid reflux went away.

I think it’s all tied up in the endocrine system.

However, I didn’t notice the difference in my BG when those symptoms were going on - I was too busy either gagging or rubbing my chest from heartburn.

Now that I’m under more strict control, I notice a lot less symptoms with my GERD and GP, even though I’m on Byetta, which slows down the digestion.

Good luck, Jill!

I had a hiatal hernia for several years, and it gave me the most horrible refulx I have ever seen. However, the good news is that I never once saw any corrleation bewtween reflux and BG levels (aside from what I had eaten…).

I found that a Prilosec a day did the trick or me, but YMMV, as always.

Good luck with the reflux, at any rate.