martino,

I too believe I got my reflux as a result of taking prescription medications. I also take a cholesterol drug, Lipitor. I had never had any problems with acid or other stomach or throat issues prior to starting my drug therapy. It would be difficult to pin down the medication responsible for this, because another one of my meds has reflux listed as a possible side effect.

Everyone taking cholesterol medication should ask their doctor for the VAP test,
most insurers cover the test, including Medicare, it's an inexpensive test. It breaks down the HDL and LDL cholesterol into sub-types, large particle and small particle. My LDL (bad) cholesterol is 173 which would be considered high by the standard cholesterol test and I would have been given a statin drug. The VAP test showed that my LDL is all large particle which does not stick to the arteries, so a statin drug would be totally inappropriate to give me, I don't need it.

I wonder how many of you are taking a statin drug like Lipitor unnecessarily because of the LDL count on the standard test. The VAP test will also show you what your LPa cholesterol is, it's a genetic risk factor. The next time you get tested, insist on the VAP test!

Interesting.

I will ask about this test. I wonder if it is going to do me any good though. My cholesterol levels are messed up by my medications. Went from perfect (after months of hard work) to barely acceptable. I wonder what they are now. This all while taking Lipitor and adhering faithfully to fairly strict diets. :(

FG