# What happened with Alka Seltzer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 31, 2013, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-with-alka-seltzer/677539 "2013-12-31T03:27:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![NeutronJack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/neutronjack/32/4134_2.png) [@NeutronJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NeutronJack)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2014, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-with-alka-seltzer/677539/21 "2014-01-01T04:00:24Z")
> [@Isilder](#): > > omeprazole is prescription . I regularly buy Omeprazole over the counter at Walgreens and Safeway here in Colorado. No Rx or pharmacist is involved—it’s on the shelf, like cough drops. I’m sure that it can also be prescribed, but it’s available non-prescription. The product at the Walgreens web site: [http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/walgreens-omeprazole-acid-reducer-tablets/ID=prod3895075-product](http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/walgreens-omeprazole-acid-reducer-tablets/ID=prod3895075-product) ---
**Author:** ![Jamicat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c67d28/32.png) [@Jamicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamicat)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2014, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-with-alka-seltzer/677539/22 "2014-01-01T04:28:15Z")
I discovered homemade alka selzer by accident while hung over one morning…(add as little water before combining lemon juice and baking soda). :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![AtomicDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@AtomicDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomicDog)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2014, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-with-alka-seltzer/677539/23 "2014-01-01T05:27:34Z")
The prison commercial is one of my all time favorites ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2014, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-with-alka-seltzer/677539/24 "2014-01-01T08:10:08Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Was it “plop” in America? In the UK I remember it as “plink, plink, fizz”. “Plop” has rather unsavoury overtones over here… “Plop” is the sound of something dropping into liquid and making a small splash. “Plink” is the sound of something dropping into container when it makes a high-pitched metallic sound, such as a coin into a drinking glass. “Plop” can also mean to drop or fall inelegantly: “He was tired and just plopped [himself] onto the sofa.” “Plink” can also mean shooting small-caliber arms at targets such as bottles or tin cans. > [@cochrane](#): > > Yes, [plop] means dropping a deuce here, too. Perhaps that’s regional. I’ve never run into it. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2014, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-with-alka-seltzer/677539/25 "2014-01-01T09:21:47Z")
[quote=“Duckster, post:8, topic:677539”] 1972 CLIO Hall of Fame commercial: [/QUOTE] Remade with Peter Boyle and Doris Roberts, aka Frank and Marie Barone. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/EiGYMe1d7No/hqdefault.jpg "Alka Seltzer "I Can't Believe I Ate the Whole Thing" Redux") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiGYMe1d7No) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2014, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-with-alka-seltzer/677539/26 "2014-01-01T16:55:54Z")
The aspirin in Alka-Seltzer was the recommended form if aspirin upset your stomach. Because it was dissolved, it left the stomach faster, so it didn’t have time to cause problems. Once Tylenol came along, though, that was no longer a selling point. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2014, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-with-alka-seltzer/677539/27 "2014-01-01T18:00:59Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > The aspirin in Alka-Seltzer was the recommended form if aspirin upset your stomach. Because it was dissolved, it left the stomach faster, so it didn’t have time to cause problems. That was indeed the justification. Sadly, that’s not how aspirin works to cause stomach irritation. As long as it ends up in the bloodstream, it can cause gastritis via prostaglandin inhibition. And its ability to make platelets less sticky can promote bleeding from said gastritis. ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2014, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-with-alka-seltzer/677539/28 "2014-01-02T03:46:12Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Was it “plop” in America? In the UK I remember it as “plink, plink, fizz”. “Plop” has rather unsavoury overtones over here… Take a look at [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FiRjxaNTWM). The action begins about 6:30. ---
**Author:** ![Cerealbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Cerealbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerealbox)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2014, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-with-alka-seltzer/677539/29 "2014-01-02T04:37:21Z")
> [@Mornac](#): > > The Alka Setzer of my youth was marketed as a sort of antacid /over-eating/drinking relief thing (“Mama mia! Thatsa spicey-a-meatball!”). These days, the only kind of Alka Seltzer to be found in drugstores is one variety or another of Alka Seltzer cold medicine. Can you still get classic Alka Seltzer for stomach relief? (I suppose expecting it to still come in those cool tube-like bottles would be asking too much). Will Alka Seltzer cold medicine do the same thing for your stomach that the traditional Alka Seltzer did in addition to treating your cold symptoms? I used to take alka seltzer for hangovers. Never had any trouble finding it. It came in a box. I know I’ve seen them in the past few months, too. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2014, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-with-alka-seltzer/677539/30 "2014-01-02T06:04:45Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Was it “plop” in America? In the UK I remember it as “plink, plink, fizz”. “Plop” has rather unsavoury overtones over here… I have a very clear memory the jingle went, “Plop. Plop. Fizz. Fizz. Oh what a relief it is.” Unfortunately, I carried that tune in my head for many, many years. Seems like they broadcast that jingle for at least 4 or 5 years around 1962 or so. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2014, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-with-alka-seltzer/677539/31 "2014-01-02T06:41:42Z")
> [@Lazlo Hapsburg](#): > > I always figured that it had just plopped so many times that it just fizzled out. > > Remember, “Plop. Plop. Fizz. Fizz. Oh how annoying that is?” The fizzing is the loudest and most excruciating sound in your life after a particularly indulgent night on the town. ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2014, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-with-alka-seltzer/677539/32 "2014-01-03T14:03:03Z")
_Thread jack_ I find without antacids to hand a bit of raw ginger (about the size of a penny) chewed slightly and swallowed does a very good job with stomach acid. Low sodium too. /Thread jack ---
**Author:** ![jrsone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jrsone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jrsone)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2014, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-with-alka-seltzer/677539/33 "2014-01-03T14:51:16Z")
It looks like Alka Seltzer “Plus” is for colds and Alka Seltzer is for upset stomachs. I love the original. It’s great for when you need some quick relief. Tastes a heck of a lot better than baking soda. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2014, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-with-alka-seltzer/677539/34 "2014-01-03T19:23:08Z")
Alka Seltzer disappearing? When I was a kid, the old farts always called it “Bromo Seltzer”, even though that brand hadn’t been on store shelves in decades. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2014, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-with-alka-seltzer/677539/35 "2014-01-03T19:32:40Z")
When I was a kid, there were tablets like Alka-Seltzer sold-only they were for instant soft drinks". You could get them in cola, root beer, orange soda etc. Are they still made? ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2014, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-with-alka-seltzer/677539/36 "2014-01-03T19:46:09Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > When I was a kid, there were tablets like Alka-Seltzer sold-only they were for instant soft drinks". You could get them in cola, root beer, orange soda etc. Are they still made? Those were called Fizzies, and yes they are [still around](http://www.fizzies.com/). You can buy them at [amazon](http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=fizzies+tablets&tag=googhydr-20&index=grocery&hvadid=34024390117&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12760431271861092126&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_7kldmhg8qe_b) Fizzies are the basis of an expression used by me and my late husband to describe a particularly boring event, to wit, “It’s a Happy Fizzies Party.” :dubious: If you took a mouthful of water and then put a Fizzie in your mouth, you WOULD have a Happy Fizzies party in there. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2014, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-with-alka-seltzer/677539/37 "2014-01-03T19:46:10Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > When I was a kid, there were tablets like Alka-Seltzer sold-only they were for instant soft drinks". You could get them in cola, root beer, orange soda etc. Are they still made? [Fizzies](http://www.fizzies.com/)are still available. “What’s worse than a fire in a match factory?” “A flood in a Fizzies factory.” ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2014, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-with-alka-seltzer/677539/38 "2014-01-03T23:53:06Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > One thing going against classic AS is the need for instant gratification. Young people are not too likely to want to sit around while the tablets fizz out enough to be ready to drink. Wow, if they can’t wait the whole less than a minute it takes for AS to dissolve, we’ve truly ruined an entire generation. As for fizzies, they were gone for a while, since the original formula had cyclomates which got banned. I only remember them from when they brought them back in the 90’s using nutrasweet. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2014, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-with-alka-seltzer/677539/39 "2014-01-04T00:01:52Z")
> [@AtomicDog](#): > > The prison commercial is one of my all time favorites I was just thinking about that one the other day. It was one of the greatest commercials of all time. Very close to the Apple 1984 commercial, for greatness. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-with-alka-seltzer/677539.md?page=1)