heartburn

Alessia87

Took my last two tums last night....never had to have tums before...nor think id finish it all...dr. said i could take zantac or nexium for relief. Tums no longer works since i was awake all night last night...anyone else have heartburn and are you taking anything for it?

JenniferAnn1972

My doctor told me to take Zantac 2 times/day.  Mine was so bad I was waking up choking in the middle of the night.  I feel so much better taking it consistently- I still need the occasional Tums but for the most part the Zantac has taken care of it.

mariaculbreth

I was just put on Zantac. It definitely helped with my heartburn!! Some nights I may have to take a tums before bed but it depends on what I had for dinner that night.

nilvero

Zantac here too. Doctor said I could just buy it over the counter. It has definitely helped. I think last night was the first night I was able to sleep without heartburn!

brittneyandadam

Tums didn't touch it from the beginning and I was vomiting 1-2 times a day from the built up acid...sleeping was a challenge b/c of the pain. They prescribed me rx Pepcid (famotidine) which gave me awful diarrhea. I'm finally taking omeprazole...which I was on a few years ago to treat peptic ulcers...and it's been so much better. Also, try eating small meals and don't over do it at dinner...try bland foods with little to no spices and stay away from anything acidic...tomatoes, fried food, and coffee will trigger major heartburn for me.

brittneyandadam

wingardiumleviosa said:

My doctor let me know that it takes around 48 hours for your esophageal lining to heal, so take your meds regularly in those 48 hours, even if you don't feel like you need them yet.

As for what to take, he suggested Gaviscon (possibly only Canadian?) I take the liquid and it tastes chalky, but provides instant relief most times.

Gaviscon works great...and you're right, it's wicked chalky...but it does the trick. I was taking the max dosage and my heartburn started to come back...but if you don't have an evil stomach, I'd highly recommend it as well!

JenniferAnn1972

Chocolate is another trigger.  I had a handful of chocolate chips after dinner (ok, maybe a little more than a handful) and woke up at 1:45 AM with bad heartburn despite the Zantac.  I got up and took a Tums and was OK.

fernane

Sometimes just drinking milk helps me. I get it sporadically and mostly late at night, sometimes so bad I feel like i will throw up. So far I've just struggled through it when milk doesn't work.

mrsH1112

I know your struggle.  I have GERD normally so now that the baby is even higher up for me its an every night worry that Ill wake up choking on acid.  Im on prevacid which has been working pretty well but some nights I still have issues.

christinaperchaz

I had GERD pre pregnancy as well, and was taking omeprazole, but I ditched that before we started trying...my gosh has it been a ride without it. Tums are my best friend when I can't take it anymore.

Oh and @fernane, if the heartburn comes and goes real quickly for you that may be why it seems like milk is working, but as a nurse and a person with GERD I do know that its patient teaching that milk actually makes heartburn worse. Milk coats the stomach, which makes heartburn temporarily feel better, but then acid production actually has to increase to remove that coating. Just thought you should know!   

dobbysmom

I've been taking baking soda and h20 it's the only thing that's working. How many people do this? Has anyone had any issues other than burping??

brittneyandadam

dobbysmom said:

I've been taking baking soda and h20 it's the only thing that's working. How many people do this? Has anyone had any issues other than burping??

This used to make me vomit.

cbear2010 said:

Someone on here suggested Papaya Chewable Tablets and they helped me a lot! I found them at Whole Foods. Also, I have heard that eating well before you lay down helps at night.

The papaya helps for some...but not all. You should never lay down right after eating. You might feel ok right after, but it will eventually make the problem worse as the acid from a big meal will then be able to travel up you esophagus.

babyd143

I was taking otc zantac and when that stopped working started OTC nexium, no heartburn since! Good luck!

StefanyaMarie

Tacos and pasta have been killing me lately with the middle of the night heartburn. I woke up last night and almost threw up from it. We have nothing in our house for heartburn so I have been just drinking a small glass of milk. Last night I had to get up twice and drink a small glass but it helps me a lot. I have heard others say that milk doesn't help them at all. Since tums are mainly calcium, I figured I would give it a shot and it has worked for me.

JD83

Peanut butter is the biggest trigger for me, but I usually just use ginger tea or a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. Seems to do the trick. If I can avoid meds, I will.

drae86

@cbear2010, I'm so glad the papaya tablets worked for you. I was scrolling down to mention them but I'm glad it helped somebody! 

cls0602

I've never had heartburn in my life, but my best friend experienced it terribly. Her only relief was a large coke slurpee from 7-11 lol

fernane

christinaperchaz said:

I had GERD pre pregnancy as well, and was taking omeprazole, but I ditched that before we started trying...my gosh has it been a ride without it. Tums are my best friend when I can't take it anymore.

Oh and @fernane, if the heartburn comes and goes real quickly for you that may be why it seems like milk is working, but as a nurse and a person with GERD I do know that its patient teaching that milk actually makes heartburn worse. Milk coats the stomach, which makes heartburn temporarily feel better, but then acid production actually has to increase to remove that coating. Just thought you should know!   

I guess that's why it seems to help. When I get it, it's usually not long lived, just comes in waves for a little while. Yesterday my midwife also suggested apple cider vinegar and papaya tablets like pp mentioned. Maybe I'll try one of those.