Sudden acid reflux never had before

Check if you have acid reflux

The main symptoms of acid reflux are:

• heartburn – a burning sensation in the middle of your chest
• an unpleasant sour taste in your mouth, caused by stomach acid

You may also have:

• a cough or hiccups that keep coming back
• a hoarse voice
• bad breath
• bloating and feeling sick

Symptoms are often worse after eating, when lying down and when bending over.

Causes of heartburn and acid reflux

Lots of people get heartburn from time to time. There's often no obvious reason why.

Sometimes it's caused or made worse by:

• certain food and drink – such as coffee, tomatoes, alcohol, chocolate and fatty or spicy foods
• being overweight
• smoking
• pregnancy
• stress and anxiety
• an increase in some types of hormones, such as progesterone and oestrogen
• some medicines, such as anti-inflammatory painkillers (like ibuprofen)
• a hiatus hernia – when part of your stomach moves up into your chest

How you can ease heartburn and acid reflux yourself

Simple lifestyle changes can help stop or reduce heartburn.

Do

• eat smaller, more frequent meals

• raise the head end of your bed by 10 to 20cm, so your chest and head are above the level of your waist, which can stop stomach acid travelling up towards your throat

• try to lose weight if you're overweight

• try to find ways to relax

Don’t

• do not have food or drink that triggers your symptoms

• do not eat within 3 or 4 hours before bed

• do not wear clothes that are tight around your waist

• do not smoke

• do not drink too much alcohol

• do not stop taking any prescribed medicine without speaking to a doctor first

A pharmacist can help with heartburn and acid reflux

Speak to a pharmacist for advice if you keep getting heartburn.

They may recommend medicines called antacids or alginates that can help ease your symptoms.

It's best to take these with food or soon after eating, as this is when you're most likely to get heartburn. They may also work for longer if taken with food.

Although antacids and alginates help symptoms in the short term, they will not cure the problem and should not be taken regularly for long periods.

If you’re pregnant, a pharmacist can advise you about medicines you can take.

Find a pharmacy

Non-urgent advice: See a GP if:

• lifestyle changes and pharmacy medicines are not helping your heartburn
• you have heartburn most days for 3 weeks or more
• you also have other symptoms, like food getting stuck in your throat, frequently being sick, or losing weight for no reason

A GP can provide stronger treatments and help rule out any more serious causes of your symptoms.

If at any time you feel your symptoms are getting worse, contact a GP or NHS 111.

Treatment for heartburn and acid reflux from a GP

If you have acid reflux, a GP may prescribe a medicine called a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) that reduces how much acid your stomach makes.

PPIs include:

• omeprazole
• lansoprazole

You'll usually need to take this type of medicine for 4 or 8 weeks, depending on how serious your acid reflux is.

Go back to the GP if your symptoms return after stopping your medicine. You may need a long-term prescription.

Important: Important

If a PPI does not help, your doctor may suggest trying a different type of medicine called a H2 receptor antagonist.

Silent reflux, also known as laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR), is a condition in which stomach acid flows back up the esophagus (swallowing tube) into the larynx (voice box) and throat. LPR is called silent reflux because it often does not cause any symptoms in the chest.

Our fellowship-trained laryngologists (ear, nose, and throat doctors with specialized training in disorders of the larynx) have extensive experience diagnosing and treating silent reflux and other disorders affecting the esophagus, throat, and larynx. We usually begin with medications and lifestyle changes and then might recommend advanced minimally invasive procedures for disease that has not responded to nonsurgical treatment.

Causes of Silent Reflux

When people eat, food travels down the esophagus into the stomach, where the gastrointestinal system begins to digest it. The esophagus has a sphincter (ring of muscle) where it connects to the stomach that closes to prevent stomach contents from going up the esophagus. If the sphincter does not close properly, acidic stomach contents can flow back into the esophagus, up to the throat and larynx.

Risk factors for developing LPR include:

• Alcohol and/or tobacco use
• Certain food choices such as fried or spicy foods
• Clothing that is tight around the abdomen
• Excess weight or obesity
• Habits such as overeating or lying down just after eating

Symptoms of Silent Reflux

LPR usually does not cause chest-burning symptoms, but if symptoms do appear, they include:

• Asthma
• Bitter taste in the throat
• Chronic cough or excessive throat clearing
• Difficulty swallowing
• Hoarseness
• Postnasal drip
• Sensation of a lump in the throat
• Sore or burning sensation in the throat

Diagnosis of Silent Reflux

At UT Southwestern, our skilled laryngologists conduct a thorough evaluation, which includes a:

• Physical exam
• Review of personal medical history
• Discussion of symptoms

In some cases, we can confirm a diagnosis of LPR based on our evaluation, without any additional testing. Depending on each patient’s specific needs, we sometimes work with gastroenterologists (specialists in disorders of the digestive tract), who can help to diagnose reflux with pH, impedance, and motility testing.

When needed, additional tests might include:

• Acid reflux test: Test to measure the amount of acid in the fluid inside the esophagus
• Endoscopy: Test to view inside the throat and esophagus using a long, thin tube with a lighted camera at its tip
• Swallowing study: Test to evaluate how food moves from the mouth through the esophagus, using a special liquid called barium that shows up on X-rays

Treatment for Silent Reflux

At UT Southwestern, we typically begin treatment for LPR with lifestyle/dietary modifications and sometimes medications that reduce the effects of stomach acid, such as:

• Antacids
• Proton pump inhibitors
• H2 blockers
• Alginate therapy

More specifically, our laryngologists recommend the following lifestyle changes to help reduce the chances of reflux occurring, such as:

Why did I all of a sudden start getting acid reflux?

Can acid reflux start out of nowhere?