If you take medications that cause heartburn, try these tips from experts for relief.
You're taking medications for heart disease, or an anti-inflammatory drug for arthritis, or a cancer drug, and you know these drugs are helping. But every time you take your medication, it seems like the cure is worse that the condition. Painful heartburn flares up, from your stomach to your throat. You may even have acid reflux -- where food and stomach acid "burps" back up from your stomach, with that awful, irritating taste.
"Unfortunately, it's just the way that it works," says Tara O'Brien, PharmD, a pharmacy manager at Pharmaca in Seattle, a national, integrative pharmacy network combining Western medicine with self-care. "You put a chemical in your body, your body responds, and as long as you're taking the medication, the symptoms are going to be there."
You can't stop taking your medications, so what can you do? Fortunately, there are ways to ease heartburn triggered by medications. First, check this list.
Medications That Cause Heartburn
10 Tips When Medication Causes Heartburn
1. Review your medications with your doctor. Talk with your doctor to review your complete list of medications -- and not just the ones that particular doctor is prescribing -- but all your drugs. Perhaps your doctor can change the dose, the time of day you take the medication, the brand, or method of delivery -- such as a slow-release instead of fast-acting pill.
2. Talk with a pharmacist. Take the time to sit down and speak with a pharmacist and show them your entire drug list, not just the medication you think is causing the heartburn, says O'Brien. A pharmacist is trained to look for drug interactions and side effects and suggest ways to ease the burn.
3. Move all your prescriptions to one pharmacy. Doctors don't always have the time to double-check all of the other medications you may be taking when they prescribe a new drug. Your cardiologist may not know what your rheumatologist has prescribed for arthritis -- and drug interactions between those two drugs might be causing your heartburn. A pharmacist can help identify the causes of heartburn -- and possible solutions -- but only if you give them the full picture of everything -- and that means everything -- you're taking.
4. Try ginger tea and natural remedies. Look for simple, natural solutions first, says O'Brien. Some medications can be taken with alternative health remedies, depending on what the medication is, says O'Brien. Try herbal teas, like ginger tea, that soothe and aid digestion. But always check with your doctor first before trying any new herb or supplement. Even "harmless," natural remedies can interfere with how some medications work -- either boosting or blocking their effects.
5. Look for over-the-counter relief. It's ironic, but often the only way to treat heartburn that's a side effect of taking a medication is to take another medication. Start small and safe, with over-the-counter (OTC) antacids. Maalox, Rolaids, Tums, and other calcium-based antacids are generally safe for most people, says O'Brien -- but again, be sure you check it out with your doctor or pharmacist first to be sure.
6. Ask about prescription relief. For severe or chronic heartburn, a class of drugs called proton pump inhibitors (Prevacid, Prilosec, Protonix, and others) may offer heartburn relief. "For the most part, proton pump inhibitors are typically dosed once a day, which is much more convenient," says O'Brien. Histamine blockers such as Pepcid, Tagamet, and Zantac are the other major group of heartburn drugs. These are usually taken twice a day.
7. Understand drug interactions and absorption. With prescription heartburn drugs that block stomach acid -- that means both histamine blockers and proton pump inhibitors -- ask your pharmacist whether you'll also block the effects of your other medications. "There are concerns that when you decrease stomach acid, certain drugs aren't absorbed as well," says O'Brien. Again, use your local resources. Talk with your pharmacist -- it's a free, quick consult.
To get around this, she suggests taking calcium-based antacids a few hours before or after your other medication. "Some drugs need an acidic environment to be absorbed, so you make sure they're taken a few hours apart," says O'Brien. But if you're taking a histamine blocker that constantly reduces stomach acid, she says, some medications may not be absorbed -- another good reason to talk with your pharmacist about all of the drugs you're taking.
8. Consider your vitamins and supplements. Many people take a daily vitamin and mineral supplement. But too much of a good thing -- like vitamin C and iron -- can cause heartburn. A pharmacist is an excellent source of information about different forms and brands of supplements you can try to prevent the burn.
9. Consider timing. "The most effective way for some heartburn medications to work is to take them an hour or half-hour before you eat," says O'Brien. Other heartburn treatment is taken once a day. So talk with your pharmacist about when you usually eat, when you're supposed to take your other medications, and when you have your worst heartburn symptoms. Some medications have to be taken on an empty stomach, while others should be taken with food.
10. Practice patience. No matter how often you feel the burn, try to cultivate patience as you work through the trial-and-error process of finding the right solution for you. No two cases of heartburn are alike. Your solution may not look like the guy's next door.
Call Your Doctor or Pharmacist If:
Remember: Never stop taking any medication without first talking with your doctor. And hold onto hope: most people do find relief from heartburn with patience and persistence.
Rebecca Buffum Taylor - WebMD
