I should start by mentioning that I am not a sufferer. I have never spent a penny on antacids or any other digestive aid/remedy, until I became pregnant. I just want to say I now understand what some people have to live with. You have my sympathy. For the last two months I’ve been awakened almost nightly by stomach acid refluxing into my nasal passages. Blinding horrible PAIN!
Fortunately my brother, who has cronic indigestion, has turned me on to Pepsid AC and things are looking up.
Ooh, I feel for you. If it’s any comfort, this is one of those pregnancy horrors that goes away completely after the baby’s born. My only consolation when I was pregnant was that, the more Tums I ate, the less milk I had to drink.
Standard Worrywart Disclaimer:
Be sure you inform your doctor and ask about side effects before taking any over-the-counter drugs while pregnant.
I’ve demolished an entire bottle of Tums in three months, that’s why I tried the Pepsid. My doctor did OK the new medication. I’d die if the baby was hurt from something I could have avoided!
Mr. S has a hiatal hernia with acid reflux and frequent heartburn. He’s familiar with all the treatment, and has it under control most of the time, but he still keeps Alka-Mints and Zantac on hand as a staple. He often urps up from his little “pocket” a piece of food that he ate several hours ago – yuck. So heartburn is a regular thing with him.
I had it once a few years ago. I called him up at work and described it to him. He said, “Yup, you’ve got heartburn. Take some Pepto or chew an Alka-Mint.” I could not believe that he deals with that awful stuff every day. :eek:
When I became pregnant, Gorgon Heap’s wife gave me one piece of advice–Get a bottle of Tums. I never used the things before either, but I’m using them now. Yarrgh.
I feel for ya. Hang in there!
Green Bean How far along are you?
Scarlett67 That’s the way my brother is. I never understood what he lived with until now.
I’m either 32 or 34 weeks along, depending on which method of calculation you wish to use. How far are you?
I never had bad heartburn until I got pregnant either, but my son is now 6 1/2 years old and the heartburn hasn’t gotten ANY better.
A bottle of Tums in 3 months? HAHAHA. Amateur. I go through a 200-tablet bottle in a week. (that’s the really big fat bottles).
Sometimes I cry. Sometimes I throw up. I talked to my doctor about it, all he could say was “lose weight”… gee thanks.
Btw, the “Assorted Berries” flavor of Tums is the least gross, IMO, followed by Wintergreen.
Avoid, by all means, Rolaids’ “fruit” flavored. I don’t what “fruit” it is, but I can assure you it is not of the earth! I like Tums “assorted fruit”.
One thing will trigger an episode is anything tomato-based. Which sucks because I love tomatoes. And spaghetti. And lasagna.
Whenever I have some of those foods, I immediately chug a couple of Tums and all is well.
My reflux has proven resistant to all over the counter drugs. I can eat Tums like candy. I can take a whole bottle of Zantac or Pepsid AC. I’m currently on a proton-pump inhibitor, and even that doesn’t seem to make much of a difference. The current gossip on the street is that I may have to undergo surgery. Blech, I say.
I just developed acid reflux last week(and searing back pain). Pepcid Complete seems to help.
I’m about 34 weeks, the official date is May 11th.
No kidding? My official due date is May 19. My “unofficial” due date is May 5. But we are hoping for May 11, because that’s my father’s birthday. Wanna trade due dates? You’re free to take either of mine. 
I’ve been a sufferer of Gastroesophogeal Reflux Disease for at least 4 years now. I used to use Prilosec to control the symptoms, and now I use Prevacid. Both are highly effective. When taken regularly (one per day), the heartburn disappears. Wonder drugs! They have been my savior.
Well, he may be right, I don’t know. But I’d say a second opinion might be in order. Surely, 200 of those pills a week can’t be good for you?
I have a little heartburn every now and then, but the OTC stuff helps to clear it. It’s a nuisance, but a small one, in my case. I guess I take about 2 Rennies a week.
Pregnant Heartburn Sufferers:
A word about taking too many antiacids.
When I was 25 weeks pregnant, (I’d had terrible heartburn since week one, and it got worse and worse until the day she was born) I got Salmonella D food poisoning, resulting in a 7 day hospital stay and a 6kg weight loss. The doctors said it was a horrible occurance, but it happened at the least dangerous time. If it had happened earlier, I could have miscarried, and later may have resulted in premature labour (I had HORRIFIC cramping).
Anyway, one reason they thought I was more prone to it, than my non-pregnant friend, who’d eaten the exact same foods for 48 hrs as I did, was the use of antiacids. Seems that killing all the acid in my tummy resulted in my tummy being a more viable place for bacteria to survive.
I’m still not sure about this, and despite intensive research, I didn’t find anything to either confirm nor deny this. Make sure your doctor knows about your heartburn, because towards the end of my pregnancy, I couldn’t even drink water without having a horrible burning attack of heartburn. It resulted in me losing weight in the last few weeks of pregnancy. If/when we have another, I’m going to get prescription heartburn medication, or else!
All the best to you gestating gems.
I’m also pregnant (due August 4), and have been lucky so far with heartburn. When I get it, it comes in flashes. If I’m going to eat something that I know will cause a problem, I pop a Zantac first. I’ve also got a large bottle of mint Tums and a box of Gas-X.
Robin
Love to! I’ll take the 5th. The sooner the better, and the kid’s plenty big.
Anahita Water makes me cry sometimes. I want it so bad, but it’s one of the worst offenders!
I first got a bout of heartburn when I was 23, and I’ve had some trouble with it over the last year or so. It’s horrible!! Last time I ate KFC, I had a three day bout of heartburn, and recurring bouts every couple of days for weeks. I’m too afraid to eat KFC again!
I hate getting older. My list of foods I can’t eat for one reason or another is longer than my Grandfathers - it’s just not fair!