What type of acid reducers are being prescribed after esophagectomy?

I'm also 2 years down the track. I take Omeprazole, acidex (which is like pepcid) and sucrulphate (caraphate).
Sleeping elevated sufficiently is key tho. I also do not eat after 6 pm

@seanski, good question. @suensteve17 your reply reminded me of this discussion that @lori57216 started a little while ago.

- Adjustable bed frames: Acid reflux after esophageal cancer treatment https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/adjustable-bed-frames/

Sean, what has been working for you?

I am taking 40mg of Pantoprazole in the morning and 20mg Pepcid before bed and that works pretty well. I tried cutting down to 20mg of pantoprazole in the morning and the same at bedtime, but that wasn't working. It would be nice to find a lesser dose of something that would work.

I had gastroesophagectomy with the anastamosis in the neck. I sleep flat and am not on any acid reducers. The only time I wake up coughing is when I am on my back in a lazy boy. I'm a side sleeper and don't have any problems flat in a bed. I am told that this is unusual. I guess I caught a break on this topic.

Knowing what you have is key... acid reflux... or bile reflux. Bile reflux is a different animal.

For acid reflux... maybe take a swig of Gaviscon Advance at bedtime. This helps a bunch.

I had a esophogectomy 3 and a half years ago and just started to get acidreflux I have been on omeprazole 20 years 20 mg now I'm on 80 mg and pepcid twice a day just started the higher dose of omeprazole and pepcid I'm worried that my cancer has come back I go Monday for a endoscopy.

I take generic protonix & pepcid twice a day and also cholestyramine, a bile sequestering powder because I continue to have reflux, bile reflux and aspiration, for 4.5 decades prior to cancer and since. I am grateful for any relief from these extremely painful acid secretions that have led to 21 bouts of pneumonia and probably a few hundred episodes of bronchitis, with lung scarring and pulmonary nodules that need to be monitored for cancer. I accept that I will be on medications for the rest of my life. I hate it, but hate and fear cancer and pneumonia more

Hi from Tasmania, I had an esophagectomy 18 months ago and had no problem with reflux for the first 12 months. My surgeon said that proton pumps in the remaining gastric tissue are often shocked into a state of inactivity for a period post surgery. Once started, the reflux problems increased over a 3 or 4 month period and the dose of Esomeprazole required to keep me symptom free increased from 20mg to 40 mg to 60mg. It takes a good week of regular dosing to accurately gauge the efficacy of any given ppi dose and taking it on an empty stomach and refraining from eating for about 60 minutes is important - the potency of any dosed is reduced by the presence of food. I’ve been able to reduce the dose a little by taking (Esomeprazole) 60mg for 2 days followed by 40 mg for 2 days ( it only comes in increments of 20 mg. )
Some people don’t seem to be troubled by reflux post esophagectomy - it’s difficult to understand why that is, given the absence of the lower esophageal sphincter. Some specialists in Australia want to limit the dose of the ppi meds and supplement with a histamine blocker. In Australia there are prescribing restrictions on some ppi’s - it may be to circumvent these restrictions. It’s very important to make sure you don’t have reflux damaging esophageal tissue - also be aware of nutrient deficiency risks associated with long term ppi use (mainly vit B12). All the best for the future. Geoff