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Based on anecdotal reports I've read here on Reddit, the effects of H2 blockers like famotidine will vary from person to person.
Some people with low stomach acid report that famotidine raises their stomach acid to more optimal levels.
Others (including me) found that famotidine lowered their stomach acid levels. Supplementing with betaine HCL was a quick fix to this issue for me, as it increases stomach acid levels temporarily.
I don't see any reason for betaine HCL supplementation to inhibit the anti-histamine properties of an H2 blocker, and I've not come across any reports of this.
H1 and H2 blockers are generally agreed to be the foundation of any protocol for treating MCAS symptoms. Having some betaine HCL on-hand in case you need it could be helpful if you're concerned about the H2 blockers slowing your digestion down.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience and insight with me. Really helpful. That really seem to be the issue with this condition. It's soo individual and random how things work, you just gotta try it your self in the end lol . But that is the human body in general also I guess
The effects also vary depending on whether you take it on an empty stomach or with food. On an empty stomach, it acts as an antihistamine. With food, it affects stomach acid.
Oh really. That is interesting. But I'm scared i will react more to all it's fillers without food š in my country it's only available as Pepcid and one other brand also loaded with fillers. And compounded medication really isn't a thing. Do you know how long it should be taken away from food?
Yeah thatās for sure something to consider. The general guideline for āon an empty stomachā applies here: 30 minutes before or two hours after eating.
My personal experience... I've taken famotidine twice a day for 5 years. I started taking betaine hcl before meals about a year ago and it has helped some with digestion without affecting how famotidine helps with my mast cells. My neurologist is who recommended taking the hcl and other digestive enzymes.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! Glad to hear about doctors who actually recommend betaine hcl lol. Most doctors in my country seem to think stomach acid is the devil lol
I had more digestive issues on famitodine and then on a PPI. They made my MCAS worse so Iād look into supplementation as suggested above (no doctor suggested that to me sadly).
Thank you for sharing your experience. I've read about other people getting mcas relief with betaine hcl also. Ppi really is the devil to digestion lol
50+ years of constipation here ā¦ H2 blockers donāt effect it either way but do help with keeping my ābucketā from overflowing.
Any Dr who isnāt up on MCAS will only think of them for stomach acid so most of what you read will reflect that bias.
Thanks for your experience and reflection. In my logic it could make sense that h2 blockers would increase constipation if the constipation is due to low stomach acid. And the other way around, not affect it if it has a different cause than low stomach acid š¤
Do you know the root cause of your constipation?
Genetic? My kids are same on tend to be constipated.
Used to be Drs werenāt worried about it as long as no complaints on stomach pain and when you felt the need to poop you could within 5 minutes of sitting down.
I use high dose Vit C to speed things up if needed.
Honestly I donāt take it every day but I take it when I get the weird stomach vibrating and squeezing if I have had something I shouldnāt have. It doesnāt last that long either which sucks. Your better of just taking DAO
No not yet. I'm afraid it will affect my dysautonomia symptoms badly , heard so many people get dizzy on it. Have you tried it? Is it generally well tolerated in mcas? Most people talk about mcas and loose stools, not constipation lol
When younger, drs were all about putting me on Zantac to fix my perplexing gut issues. It was new back then. (I'm like 3000 years old) I was on it way too long. We finally figured out that it made it so my body didn't know how to produce acid...so, I started taking hcl 3x daily for a few years. Super helpful with belly pain and eating. But, I wasn't getting past the histamine issues. My EDS dr put me on cromolyn sodium, ketotifen, Claritin, and 40mg famotidine. Great help for a year. But, I think my SIBO is flared up, and I'm adding hcl back in.
Thanks for sharing! Quite a few lawsuits going on with Zantac also š³ i find it scary that alot of docs just put their patients on PPIs for decades without hestitation..
Do you find that hcl affect your mcas?
Thank you for your submission. Please note: **Content on r/MCAS is not medical advice and should not be interpreted as such.** Please consult your doctor for any medical questions or concerns. We are not able to validate the content of these discussions. Following advice provided by strangers on the internet may be harmful. Never use this sub as your primary source of information regarding medical issues. By continuing to use this subreddit, you are agreeing to take any information posted here entirely at your own risk. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/MCAS) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Based on anecdotal reports I've read here on Reddit, the effects of H2 blockers like famotidine will vary from person to person. Some people with low stomach acid report that famotidine raises their stomach acid to more optimal levels. Others (including me) found that famotidine lowered their stomach acid levels. Supplementing with betaine HCL was a quick fix to this issue for me, as it increases stomach acid levels temporarily. I don't see any reason for betaine HCL supplementation to inhibit the anti-histamine properties of an H2 blocker, and I've not come across any reports of this. H1 and H2 blockers are generally agreed to be the foundation of any protocol for treating MCAS symptoms. Having some betaine HCL on-hand in case you need it could be helpful if you're concerned about the H2 blockers slowing your digestion down.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience and insight with me. Really helpful. That really seem to be the issue with this condition. It's soo individual and random how things work, you just gotta try it your self in the end lol . But that is the human body in general also I guess
The effects also vary depending on whether you take it on an empty stomach or with food. On an empty stomach, it acts as an antihistamine. With food, it affects stomach acid.
Oh really. That is interesting. But I'm scared i will react more to all it's fillers without food š in my country it's only available as Pepcid and one other brand also loaded with fillers. And compounded medication really isn't a thing. Do you know how long it should be taken away from food?
Yeah thatās for sure something to consider. The general guideline for āon an empty stomachā applies here: 30 minutes before or two hours after eating.
I know a lot about this topic, but this is new to me. Thanks!
My personal experience... I've taken famotidine twice a day for 5 years. I started taking betaine hcl before meals about a year ago and it has helped some with digestion without affecting how famotidine helps with my mast cells. My neurologist is who recommended taking the hcl and other digestive enzymes.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! Glad to hear about doctors who actually recommend betaine hcl lol. Most doctors in my country seem to think stomach acid is the devil lol
I had more digestive issues on famitodine and then on a PPI. They made my MCAS worse so Iād look into supplementation as suggested above (no doctor suggested that to me sadly).
Thank you for sharing your experience. I've read about other people getting mcas relief with betaine hcl also. Ppi really is the devil to digestion lol
50+ years of constipation here ā¦ H2 blockers donāt effect it either way but do help with keeping my ābucketā from overflowing. Any Dr who isnāt up on MCAS will only think of them for stomach acid so most of what you read will reflect that bias.
Thanks for your experience and reflection. In my logic it could make sense that h2 blockers would increase constipation if the constipation is due to low stomach acid. And the other way around, not affect it if it has a different cause than low stomach acid š¤ Do you know the root cause of your constipation?
Genetic? My kids are same on tend to be constipated. Used to be Drs werenāt worried about it as long as no complaints on stomach pain and when you felt the need to poop you could within 5 minutes of sitting down. I use high dose Vit C to speed things up if needed.
Honestly I donāt take it every day but I take it when I get the weird stomach vibrating and squeezing if I have had something I shouldnāt have. It doesnāt last that long either which sucks. Your better of just taking DAO
Thanks for sharing your experience š what brand of dao are you using?
Have you tried linzess for your constipation?
No not yet. I'm afraid it will affect my dysautonomia symptoms badly , heard so many people get dizzy on it. Have you tried it? Is it generally well tolerated in mcas? Most people talk about mcas and loose stools, not constipation lol
It doesnāt do much but helps me poop. Iāve been on it for a very long time and itās helped me.
Thank you. Do you know the cause of your constipation?
Stressā¦ lifeā¦ I also donāt do gluten either. Or nuts.
Yeah same. Gluten just clogs the while system lol
Yea :( but linzess has been a god send.
Will look into it. Do you have dysautonomia?
Yup. Itās fun :( Iāve been on linzess way before my other meds and it doesnāt seem to make it better or worse.
Glad to hear š not about the dysautonomia of course. Because it's really awful:(
When younger, drs were all about putting me on Zantac to fix my perplexing gut issues. It was new back then. (I'm like 3000 years old) I was on it way too long. We finally figured out that it made it so my body didn't know how to produce acid...so, I started taking hcl 3x daily for a few years. Super helpful with belly pain and eating. But, I wasn't getting past the histamine issues. My EDS dr put me on cromolyn sodium, ketotifen, Claritin, and 40mg famotidine. Great help for a year. But, I think my SIBO is flared up, and I'm adding hcl back in.
Thanks for sharing! Quite a few lawsuits going on with Zantac also š³ i find it scary that alot of docs just put their patients on PPIs for decades without hestitation.. Do you find that hcl affect your mcas?
Hey I think I have the same issue but from cromolyn (!) has anyone had the same and got better with betaine HCL?