What medicine can you take for heartburn?

Antacids neutralise acid in the stomach and can provide short-term relief. Alginates create a barrier that helps limit acid moving upwards. Acid-reducing medicines lower acid production and may be considered when heartburn is frequent or keeps returning. A pharmacist can help match an option to your symptoms and check for interactions.

Heartburn is often linked with acid reflux, but a burning chest sensation can also occur with gastritis, a hiatus hernia or a peptic ulcer. The symptom alone cannot identify the cause. Read more about [Heartburn](/symptoms/heartburn/).

Use the product exactly as its label or prescription directs. Ask before taking it if you are pregnant, have kidney or liver disease, or use regular medicines, because some products can alter how other medicines are absorbed. Avoid taking several heartburn products together unless a pharmacist or clinician has advised you to do so.

Try smaller meals, stay upright after eating, and identify foods or drinks that trigger symptoms. If you need medicine repeatedly, arrange a review rather than continuing self-treatment without checking the cause. See [Acid Reflux Medication](/treatments/medical-management/acid-reflux-medication/) for related treatment information.

Arrange an appointment if heartburn is frequent, affects sleep, causes difficulty swallowing, or does not improve with suitable pharmacy treatment. Seek urgent help for chest pain or tightness with breathlessness, sweating, faintness, or pain spreading to the arm or jaw. Also seek prompt assessment for repeated vomiting, black stools or unexplained weight loss.

Ask which medicine is appropriate, how long it should be used, and when the diagnosis should be reviewed. Ask whether any regular medicine may be contributing, whether you need assessment for reflux or another condition, and what symptoms should trigger urgent care.