Mr. Heals

You tried to stop your PPI. Two weeks later the heartburn came roaring back, worse than before. You assumed your reflux had returned. You went back on the drug. Here's what almost nobody tells you about that rebound. 🧵

Full article covers: → The two recognized tapering strategies → Who should NOT be tapering off → The mistakes that restart the cycle → An interactive PPI Rebound Timeline Estimator → 24-minute audio narration mrheals.com/blogs/journal/…

The UK Coyle study, 2019: 6,000+ long-term PPI patients given education plus alginate to manage rebound. 12 months later: 75% had stepped down or completely off. Average use: under 2 bottles of alginate. Mechanical barrier. No acid suppression. No new rebound cycle.

You tried to stop your PPI. Two weeks later the heartburn came roaring back, worse than before. You assumed your reflux had returned. You went back on the drug. Here's what almost nobody tells you about that rebound. 🧵

Twenty years with a great rheumatologist is gold, especially with that combination. Autoimmune connective tissue disease and reflux feed each other in ways most patients never get explained to them. You sound like you've built a strong care team around it. Sending good thoughts back your way.

@MrHealsLLC @originalmarkz Thank you so much for commenting. I have been blessed with an excellent rheumatologist and team for the past 20 years. I also have tested positive for Lupus and RA.. the trifecta. Lucky me. 🤦🏼‍♀️ (lol) I pray relief for anyone dealing with these issues. 💖🙏🏻

Chronic cough. Throat clearing. Hoarseness. Lump-in-the-throat feeling. Years of doctors. Years of "your tests are normal." Years of inhalers and allergy meds that didn't help. You may have LPR. Laryngopharyngeal reflux. Silent reflux. It's one of the most underdiagnosed conditions in clinical practice. 🧵

Kathy, thank you for sharing this. What you're describing — laryngospasm episodes that wake you up gasping — is one of the most frightening LPR presentations, and unfortunately not rare. Glad your ENT caught it quickly and that Gaviscon has been helping. You're right about the Sjögren's link too. Reduced saliva production means less of the natural buffering that normally neutralizes refluxed pepsin in the throat. The reflux events do more damage when there's less saliva to clear them. It's an underrecognized connection. Wishing you continued symptom relief.

After 3 episodes where I awoke literally gasping to breath and my uvula being swollen so large that it was blocking my throat and airway, I went to an ENT doctor and was immediately diagnosed with Silent Reflux after a full work up of the sinuses and throat. It's very serious and terrifying to wake up from a dead sleep because you stopped breathing! My ENT offered that I take Gaviscon at bedtime. It really helped. I also have Sjögren's Disease since childhood, Silent Reflux is common with Sjögren's.

What Is LPR? The Reflux Most Doctors Miss mrheals.com/blogs/journal/…

The 2025 systematic review (Tsilivigkos et al.) on alginate for LPR concluded it has a beneficial role both as monotherapy and as PPI add-on. Full article covers the science, the four lifestyle factors that actually help, an interactive 9-question self-check, and a 24-min audio version. Link in reply 👇