Gaviscon

Hi Chris,
the way Gaviscon works.... and all ant-acids... is to change the natural acidic environment of the stomach to alkaline. Over long-term use this way of dealing with digestive problems tends to make things worse. We need digestive enzymes so that we can effectively digest foods.

Protein foods and carbohydrate foods stimulate different digestive enzymes and so mixing these food groups can also lead to digestive upset in some people.

Absorption of imatinib/Glivec can be adversely affected by overly alkaline digestive environment.... hence the effects of certain foods, herbs and other prescription drugs can cause imatinib plasma levels to rise or fall depending on the food/herb/drug.

Grapefruit is one example of a foodstuff that can make plasma levels rise... so side effects might worsen. St John's Wort (Hypericum) can cause a drop in plasma levels and thus contribute to sub-optimal responses.

Anti-acidic preparations such as Gaviscon should not be taken near to imatinib.... you seem to be following this advice so I think you should be OK on that score.

However, it might be a good idea to do a little internet research on the long term effects of taking such ant-acids.

You could try fresh aloe vera juice (you can also buy this in tablet form now) which I have found is great digestive aid and can help solve problems like acid reflux.
There is also some evidence that separating high protein foods from heavy carbohydrate foods can really help... although this requires some determination and is not easy. Try searching 'food combining'

Your can also find 'digestive enzymes' which help to re-balance and re-store our natural digestive acids to the correct levels.

Sandy

Hi Chris, when I was on Glivec the hospital prescribed Lanzoprosol for reflux/heartburn. It worked well for me plus I could take it up to 4 times daily. Now Im on Nilotinib I cant take it, but dont seem to need it now.
Hope it works out for you.
Ali.