A heartburn-related question

I'm almost 22, and I get heartburn nearly every other day. I take two to three antacids (Tums) whenever the symptoms occur, and they are relieved for a very short time. Even the new Tums Lasting Effects isn't lasting for more than an hour.

So my question is: which over-the-counter antacid/pill/liquid medication helps relieve heartburn the best and the longest? I'd love to go see a doctor, but I don't have medical insurance. :(

Your input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advanced.

If you can get a prescription for Nexium, it works for 24 hours at least.

If you can stand the taste. A tablespoon in a tall glass of water - drink it fast.

and determine exactly what foods you're eating that are causing such severe reactions. You are very likely allergic to something that you're eating a lot of and it's giving you acid indigestion. You'll save yourself a lot of pain and anguish down the line if you take steps to prevent this problem now.

It's the acids in the pop I drink. I don't want to give up my pop, though. :(

You must really hate yourself...

I take rx nexium, self treat with pepcid complete or OTC prilosec. You need to adjust your diet, the soda will catch up with you by the time you are 30.

If you drink any alcohol or coffee, I'd start by eliminating both of those. Citrus juice also bothers me.

One of the best things I've found for heartburn is mint tea. I particularly like Celestial Seasonings' Tummy Mint with chamomile.

Good luck to you - this problem seems to run in my family and it's really miserable. :hug:

have you seen a doctor?

Isn't it too soon to be cancer? I've only been having this problem for a six months or so.

and even if we were it's not a good idea to even try and diagnose other people's problems on an internet forum.

With that said, you have really GOT to start telling yourself that the sodas you're drinking aren't worth the pain and discomfort of constant acid indigestion. Take it from a former Diet Coke junkie... making the switch to lots of plain old WATER might seem bland, but it makes me feel sooooo much better than I did before. I might go and treat myself to a big fountain refill (of a 64 oz. insulated mug) once a week now instead of once or twice a day like before. While all that soda did not give me acid indigestion, I nonetheless feel as though I have more energy than I did before.

At your age, cancer is highly unlikely, but the incidence of acid indigestion could eventually lead to problems like that so if you can stop the problem cold NOW, it could add years to your life.

I'll try to quit drinking pop, but it'll be tough.

acid reflux caused by diet, allergies, or a hiatal hernia.

You're getting extreme, and scaring people for no reason. The same thing happened to me. IT could be Acid Reflux Disease. Malox Max works wonders. I usually throw in some Pepcid occasionally to mix it up...the Pepcid in that funny looking bottle, the bigger pills...they're like max strength or something. They work great.
Duckie

It seems to be popular for heartburn prevention. How much does a bottle of Pepsid cost?

Thanks for the advice.

Either he's overreacting, or he's trying to mess with Cena's head. Either way, it's inappropriate.

Had it checked out and it was not cancer.

"Barrett's Esophagus" which IS a pre-cancerous condition. My upper endoscopy came out negative, but it can be a serious matter.

I agree that the "cancer" post was a little abrupt, but GERD is nothing to mess with. It might be just "heartburn" now bot it could lead to major problems (including cancer) in the future. It should be checked out.

Sorry to be alarmist but I knew someone who died of Esophagus Cancer. Self diagnosis is not always a wise choice. Again I am sorry for the disruption.

If you have chronic heartburn antacids will not help you much. Try a generic version of Zantac, called Ranitidine. You take one pill a day, and it works very well. It costs me $10 a month with the co-pay, but even if I didn't have insurance it would only cost about $11-12 a month.

and the best thing I found over the counter was Chooz chewing gum.

Nothing much else in it than Tums or Rolaids has, but it seemed like the chewing and saliva release helped it work better.

I frequently had heartburn and never could figure out the cause. I did eat far more fatty foods than I do now, all these years later. It eventually went away and I simply forgot that I used to have it, until some recent heartburn threads here on DU.

If you know for sure what's causing it, you really should stop. Heartburn, even when it's benign and not a precursor to something more serious, is no fun.

That gets rid of it naturally.