Medicine to help heartburn: what to know

Heartburn is a burning sensation caused when stomach contents move upwards into the food pipe. Antacids work locally and can provide short-term relief. Alginate products form a floating barrier, while acid-reducing medicines are used when symptoms are frequent or linked with acid reflux. Heartburn may also occur with gastritis, a hiatus hernia, obesity, or a peptic ulcer. The treatment choice depends on frequency, severity, other symptoms, and your medicines.

Use a product according to its label and separate antacids from some other medicines because they can affect absorption. Avoid lying down soon after eating, notice which foods or drinks trigger symptoms, and choose smaller meals if large meals worsen burning. Ask a pharmacist before self-treating if you are pregnant, have kidney disease, or take regular medicines. Do not keep treating recurring symptoms without finding out why they continue.

Call emergency services for chest pressure, pain spreading to the arm or jaw, sweating, faintness, or difficulty breathing; these symptoms can resemble a heart problem. Arrange prompt medical review for trouble swallowing, repeated vomiting, vomit containing blood, black stools, unexplained weight loss, or heartburn that is persistent or changing.

Ask whether your symptoms fit reflux, how long to try treatment, which medicines need spacing from antacids, and whether you need testing. Describe when the burning occurs and what makes it better or worse.