Heartburn is making me feel like a dragon! How to stop?

Lately I've been having horrific heartburn. I usually get it once or twice a month. This past month it has been on a near daily basis for the past few weeks. I'm trying to change my diet to help me eat healthier and feel better. But apparently it is helping to cause some really terrible pains. What are some of the causes everyone else has found for hearburn? I know I can easily go onto a website and find a list of normal things but everyone has different causes and outcome. I think mine may be from my new coffee addiction and the low fat foods. Foods with lower fat content have a much higher salt amount which is probably causing my pain!

What do you guys do to stop the pain and get some relief? I can only take so much Mylanta! And I have no insurance so a dr is not within my near future!

Try Tums instead of mylanta. They are calcium based instead of magnesium. The mylanta can cause diarrhea. Eat low fat. Cut coffee. There is a new low acid coffee out. Do decaf. Reduce acid foods like tomato products and citrus. Eat 6 very small meals a day instead of any heavy ones(make sure the little meals have protein and carb.). Keep a list of what bothers you the most, avoid it. Drink milk. Try sleeping with the head of the bed raised. Reduce salt in your diet. Are you taking any medications? If so take them at a different time of day and with food. Motrin or aspirin products can cause it. If all of this is followed and you get no relief, do see a doctor.

look up GERD on the internet and book an appointment to see dr. You should get it checked out, and heartburn can cause ALOT of damage if untreated! .

Stress can cause heartburn also. Coffee makes matters worse. It's like dropping a bomb into the intestines.

Food however is a major contributor as well. I went through a rigorous lifestyle change this past year, which I stopped eating all fast foods, minimized simple sugar consumption to only after a workout, and ate alot more vegetables. A few months ago I decided I could treat myself to a Big Mac, after all I'd lost 40lbs. The big mac tasted disgusting and the fries didn't help much. I had the worst heartburn ever. There's a reason Jack Lalanne tells people to stay away from this stuff, it's poison.

You need to see a doc whether you want to or not to find out what is causing the GERD. GERD can be serious and erode your esophogus. Until you see the doc try using one of the following over the counter products. Zantac aka ranitidine, tagamet aka cimetidine, Pepcid aka famotidine or Prilosec OTC. Raise the head of your bed up on blocks or buy a wedge pillow to sleep on. Do make a doc appointment whether or not you have insurance as GERD can be serious and do some damage. Also you need to find out what is causing it so you can try to fix the cause.

look up GERD not GORD!! that will give you info on heartburn...try Zantac 150 it works for me, if it doesnt, a dr is worth it...even tho you dont have ins.

In the short term I use prilosec which does not need a prescription any more--but my Dr tested for a bacteria which I had and then put me on two weeks of antibiotics--two kinds --one clarithromcin-I forget the other one- and rabeprazole. It worked and I no longer need prilosec--except on a rare occasion.

You have no insurance but if your car's brakes needed repair you have no insurance for that but you would fix them--and you are as impotatnt as a car--so go see a Doctor.

cut back on carbs they might be causing it

GERD can cause some bad damage if left untreated. You really need to see a doctor so they can properly diagnose you. My husband takes Nexium and it has really helped him. Of course it is a prescription medicine. Maybe you could check with your pharmacist and they could recommend an over the counter medicine. Good luck!

Well there can be many problems associated with heartburn. Chocolate, mints, and big meals are all attributing factors to it. Mints actually lube up the intestines and esophagus, allowing acid to creep up and burn your esophagus. Try to limit your food intake, don't eat as much, don't eat as many greasy foods, etc. Also, don't eat right before bedtime! You can develop acid reflux, which actually can be fatal! If you are feeling bad heartburn at night, you might call the hospital! Otherwise, take Rolaids, Maalox, etc. and go to the doctor if it gets worse. Hope this helps!