Snus and heartburn...

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  • Jason
    Member
    • Jan 2008
    • 1370

    Snus and heartburn...

    Any relation?

    One of the reasons I quit smoking was because I was getting really bad heartburn, bad enough to where I felt like there was a constant lump in my throat. Ironically, smoking a cigarette would actually sooth it slightly, if that makes any sense, but I know that smoking couldn't be helping the situation in the long run.

    Anyway, once I quit and started using snus, things got a lot better: I almost forgot that I'd even had heartburn. BUT...now after a couple of months, it's back with a vengence. :evil: I would easily say it's much worse than it was before. I'm willing to bet it's GERD (my brother has it, as well as my mother, who is in fact having her gall bladder removed this very week because of it), but I'm wondering how much of an impact the snus has on this condition? I would really hate to quit because I enjoy it so much, but you gotta do what you gotta do... :cry:
  • Xobeloot
    Member
    • Jan 2008
    • 2542

    #2
    Sounds to me like you need to schedule an appoint with your GI doctor. If it is as bad as you say, you need it taken care of fast. Otherwise you may wind up w/ some bad ulcer issues.

    In the time being, have you tried anything like zantac or pepcid?

    Comment

    • Shrewd
      Member
      • Feb 2008
      • 118

      #3
      Jason,
      I'd bet that swallowing the juices of snus can irritate a sensitive stomach. I actually have GERD myself and I take prescription Prilosec for years. Being an ex-smoker I found my stomach problems were a little worse with snus, but only with the strong portions (N&J specifically) - most normal portions or mini portions seem to react better than smokes. However, the medice easily controls it, and now my stomach seems to have adapted fine - and N&J are one of my favorites.

      I'd like to see if others have had trouble, but personally I'd see a Gastro doc and get a perscription to Prilosec (Omeprazole is the generic - very cheap on my insurance) or Prevacid. I'm sure your immediate family has probably told you the same, but I'd recommend that even if you didn't do any tobacco - it really changed my life to not have heartburn a minimum of 6 hours a day, every day. From my experience GERD does seem to run in the family - my bro has it, my wife has it, and my two kids have it (they will outgrow theirs until they're adults).

      Also, if you talk to new tobacco users (any type) they often complain of a quesy stomach - might be related to nicotine more than anything else. Since snus have more nicotine than smokes... maybe it's not the juices... dunno. Just thinking aloud.

      Final note, my heartburn definitely comes and goes, but it's always what normal people would think of as bad. I find stress is probably the largest single contributor, followed by diet which is a distant second. So it's possible that the sudden return of your heartburn is caused by something else, like stress.

      Best of luck, hope you feel better soon, heartburn sucks.

      *EDIT: looks like Xobeloot beat me to the advice, I guess I take to long to make my posts .

      Comment

      • victoryredchevy
        Member
        • Jan 2008
        • 303

        #4
        I have had problems with heartburn and reflux myself, but I don't take prescription medicine for. I usually just chew up a Zantac tablet and that nips it in the butt. My point is, when I was using American snuff for 4 years my heartburn and reflux seemed to be worse throughout the 4 and a 1/2 years I was using it. Once I started snusing, my situation with heartburn/reflux improved vastly. Now the only time I have problems with that is when I eat or drink something I know will give me problems. Snus doesn't really have an overall bearing on weather or not I have heartburn. It seems to depend on what I take in. The only thing snus attributes to is making it worse, sometimes. What exactly is GERD? Is it reflux or is it the beginning of a possible ulcer or what? If it starts with reflux, maybe I should be taking something for it.

        Comment

        • Shrewd
          Member
          • Feb 2008
          • 118

          #5
          victoryredchevy,
          GERD - Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease - don't get my wrong I'm not a doctor - but as I mentioned everyone in my corner of the universe has it - I've seen more GI doctors than I care to think about. Basically the common term is acid reflux. For me they did test for an ulcer (unfortunate test - you have to scrape samples off your poo...) because an ulcer will exhibit similar syptoms, but they are not the same. Basically, if they show you don't have an ulcer then they treat with strong antacids. I think the standard symptoms are excessive heartburn (more than 2 or 3 times a week). Change of diet won't help much. You'll also have burning in your throat (esophageal) which really hurts and can cause permanent damage. The throat burning will probably be especially prominent at night, as the lying down position allows the acid to flow into your throat - and it will almost certainly affect your sleep (it did for me). To answer your other question, I don't actually know if it leads to ulcers. For some reason I seem to think most ulcers are related to a viral infection - but I might be smoking something.

          Hope that helps. I went years before I went to the doctor - I hate doctors - but it really helped me to go in.

          Comment

          • Jason
            Member
            • Jan 2008
            • 1370

            #6
            Yeah, it's hard to explain sometimes because people think you're just whining about "a little indigestion"; but it really is very painful and can interfere with your everyday life. I do take Prilosec, but it's the OTC version; the prescription version is stronger and works better from what I hear. A Zantac 150 used to work every once in a while, but not any more.

            I agree 100% on the stress part; I work at a very fast-paced and demanding job, and it actually started giving me panic attacks a few months ago. I took a week off just to rest, but a new job would do wonders right now, I think. My diet is horrible as well, so that probably doesn't help much... :wink: I most likely will end up going to the doctor just to be safe, though.

            Comment

            • mwood72

              #7
              I suffered in this area in the past and I found Rabeprazole most effective for me. They couldn't find any ulcers or anything but a course of 20mg Rabeprazole seemed to settle things down and I need to take the odd 10mg from time to time if I feel things might be starting to flare up. I find I have to be careful not to use the strong snus too much as this can irritate things for me (just as a very hot curry etc can)

              Comment

              • Soft Morning, City!
                Member
                • Sep 2007
                • 772

                #8
                I have GERD and it has improved markedly from when I was a smoker. I still have problems with it, but OTC meds usually keep it under control fairly well.

                Also, when you sleep, try to sleep in your left side. This helps me immensely. My doctor recommended it and I'll fully endorse it.

                Also also, for some reason marijuana really helps, especially of the edible variety. Here in the state of Oregon, we have a medical cannabis program. I'm thinking of signing up and getting "legal," especially since it actually helps and it isn't just me wanting to get high with the full approval of the state (though, admittedly, that would be pretty damn cool too. )

                If any of you with GERD or reflux problems live in a place where marijuana won't get you a massive prison sentence, I recommend giving it a shot, especially if the problem is mostly caused by stress/anxiety (as mine is).

                Comment

                • Jason
                  Member
                  • Jan 2008
                  • 1370

                  #9
                  :lol: My brother swears by the cheeba, but unfortunately it actually makes me anxious and jumpy. Medical marijuana is legal here in California also, and there is a distribution office less than 2 miles from me; I drive past it every day on the way to work. :wink:

                  Comment

                  • Soft Morning, City!
                    Member
                    • Sep 2007
                    • 772

                    #10
                    Jason:

                    I used to live in So-Cal as well. Laguna Niguel to be precise. There was a dispensary that was about a 5 minutes drive from my house. Unfortunately, I left Cali before I had ever even thought to get registered.

                    I know several people who just get anxious when they smoke pot. It seems to affect quite a few people this way. It does the exact opposite to me, though admittedly I've gotten the jitters before. It seems to only occur with certain strains for me though. Odd.

                    That's too bad that it makes you anxious. You could just experiment with low doses though. If you get some lower quality plant material and just take a single inhalation it could very well do wonders when the GERD is acting up. If I have an upset stomach or some nausea going on, I usually just take one hit and it "calms the waters" so to speak. Just keep in mind that you don't have to get completely high for it to work it's magic.

                    But there's a million other solutions. Don't sweat it. Pot and the occasional OTC antacid is just mine.

                    Comment

                    • Shrewd
                      Member
                      • Feb 2008
                      • 118

                      #11
                      I've always gotten super paranoid with the 'erb. Not for me I guess. Besides, the prescription to omeprazole is so cheap - $12 for 3 months on my insurance. Also, MN isn't really keen to the 'erb - pretty steep penalties here.

                      Comment

                      • Soft Morning, City!
                        Member
                        • Sep 2007
                        • 772

                        #12
                        Shrewd:

                        It's funny how much the law varies from state to state. It might as well be legal here in Oregon. Same goes for California. But right next door to Cali there's Arizona, where you can get up to a year and a half in jail for simple possession. And right above Oregon in Washington state, there's a mandatory minimum sentence of anywhere from 1 to 90 days in jail plus a fine for simple possession.

                        Barbaric if you ask me.

                        Comment

                        • Shrewd
                          Member
                          • Feb 2008
                          • 118

                          #13
                          Agreed - it may not work for me, but I don't care about other people using. I think I heard stories about when they first outlawed it in this country that some people spent 20+ years in jail for simple possesion!!!

                          Comment

                          • Soft Morning, City!
                            Member
                            • Sep 2007
                            • 772

                            #14
                            It's very true. I've heard of people getting 10 years for possession of a single joint. It just doesn't make sense.

                            Comment

                            • Jason
                              Member
                              • Jan 2008
                              • 1370

                              #15
                              What needs to change is the mult-tiered clusterf**k of laws counteracting each other. What you end up dealing with is county, state, and federal laws all contradicting each other. :?

                              On a side note: I was kicked out of high school halfway through my senior year for possession of under 20 grams on campus. Due to Florida's zero tolerance stance, I was also banned from every school in the county. I was lucky enough to get into a JC program so I could get a HS diploma.

                              That just seemed a little harsh to me... :evil:

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