Can A Person Get A Rating For Acid Reflux?

[sawgunner]

Can a person get a rating for acid reflux after taking medications to control pain for a service connected disability?

In other words.... Can it be proven that years of taking the meds caused the acid reflux?

[Testvet]

Can a person get a rating for acid reflux after taking medications to control pain for a service connected disability?

In other words.... Can it be proven that years of taking the meds caused the acid reflux?

http://www4.va.gov/vetapp09/files1/0902694.txt

read this case this veteran was granted the claim secondary to medications the VA was giving him the bottom line is you need a doctor to state that the meds you have been taking can be the cause of GERD which is the same as acid reflux basically your esophegeous is shot I have to take two prevacid a day for my GERD but it's not worth my time of effort to file that claim I gain nothing by doing it I am already SMC S

[Vync]

This makes a lot of sense. I cannot recall how long, but the VA has been giving me naproxen for years for SC TMJ. They also have been giving me prevacid and/or omeprazole to help control heartburn. Before they gave me the reflux medicine, I remember the VA hospital sent me for a radiological upper GI exam (not an endoscopy) and it confirmed I had reflux. And the VA has frequently given me prednisone to help overcome some allergy/sinus problems and they also give me inhaled steroids for SC asthma, which is also in the link Testvet provided.

http://www.drugs.com/sfx/naproxen-side-effects.html

COMMON side effects:Constipation; diarrhea; dizziness; drowsiness; gas; headache; heartburn; nausea; stomach upset; stuffy nose.

Testvet,

Thank you for posting that link. I never realized my reflux could have been caused by the medications the VA prescribes for my SC conditions.

Sawgunner,

This looks very promising. Hope you get to feeling better.

Does anyone else think this is worth pursuing?

[Berta]

http://www4.va.gov/vetapp09/files3/0916857.txt

another case-

the veteran was awarded for GERD because of the NSAID he was prescribed by the VA.

In cases involving NSAID and GERD I have seen just an internet printout in some claims that awarded the SC.

The association was known in the medical community and the VA has recognized this association.

I would think however that if the GERD is not a SC condition-then the vet would have to file under Section 1151.

I am not sure and if I have time will try to find more claims at BVA-to see how they were awarded -1151 or secondary SC.

[Berta]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11683254

I checked the 2009 BVA decision- of 71 claims for NSAID causing GERD- only 2 claims were denied.

The BVA awarded secondary SC for the GERD whether the claim involved SC condition or not.

So there is no need to file Sec 1151 claim-just claim for the meds you take and the resulting GERD.

The few claims I read so far had independent medical opinions.

I am sure that the VA might award even without IMO if the evidence you have is strong enough.

The above link is but one of many medical studies done that show the association of NSAIDs to GERD.

Obviously your medical records would have to reveal this prescibed med prior to the development of the GERD or show to be aggravating any established GERD after they were prescribed to you.

[Vync]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11683254

I checked the 2009 BVA decision- of 71 claims for NSAID causing GERD- only 2 claims were denied.

The BVA awarded secondary SC for the GERD whether the claim involved SC condition or not.

So there is no need to file Sec 1151 claim-just claim for the meds you take and the resulting GERD.

The few claims I read so far had independent medical opinions.

I am sure that the VA might award even without IMO if the evidence you have is strong enough.

The above link is but one of many medical studies done that show the association of NSAIDs to GERD.

Obviously your medical records would have to reveal this prescibed med prior to the development of the GERD or show to be aggravating any established GERD after they were prescribed to you.

Berta,

You're awesome. My service medical records are riddled with motrin prescriptions, which is also an NSAID (http://www.drugs.com/pdr/motrin.html) also known to commonly cause heartburn.

I have an appointment at the VA on Thursday and am planning on requesting a full copy of my treatment records back through 1995 (when I got out of the military). I don't expect them to produce the records on the spot, but it will be worth checking.

This is somewhat related, because it could be secondary to the medication, but the VA also prescribed me sudafed to help treat my allergies. They wrote me scripts for 360 count with 5x refills several times. Now I am being treated for atrial afibrulation (irregular heartbeat as of 2006 I think), which happens to be one of the more serious side effects of the drug (http://www.drugs.com/sfx/sudafed-side-effects.html). I probably need an IMO, but it could also be secondary. I'll see what my VA medical records show...

[Berta]

I hate to bring this up[ but sudafed =prescribed by VA-was a contributing factor to my husband's untimely death.

He had a heart attack while on the job at VA and they rushed him to the ER.

The diagnosis wasnt heart attack however but sinus problems.

When I won my FTCA case the VACO doctors agreed with my evidence that showed his heart attack was never properly diagnosed and treated and his sudafed prescription- 4 times a day for the next 6 years-along with the malpracticed heart disease-contributed to his death.

Pseudoephedrine (sudafed) can cause serious problems.Are they still giving sudafed to you -even with the afibrulation problem?

BTW-when I finally got his med recs and learned how to decifer them-I found he had been given X ray of his sinuses and they were clear.I sent this to VA OGC as further proof of the sudafed charge.Regardless the VA continued the sudafed and the VACO doctor said there seemed to be no good cause whatsoever for this med that contributed to his fatal heart disease.Also his HBP med was at a dose so low that between that low dosage and the ability of sudafed to raise ones BP- this was sound medical rationale I used for my negligence case.

Every veteran should read their med recs and question anything they dont understand in them.

Medical Symbols , blood chem values and ECHOs- etc can be decifered much better by a layperson these days then the days without the internet when it took me months to figure medical stuff out.

Edited November 2, 2009 by Berta