Are antacids good for you? Let’s look at when and how you should take antacids or if you should ditch them altogether.
Discloser: I am not a trained health professional. All articles are based on my own experience and opinions. Please consult with a health professional before making lifestyle changes.
This post may contain affiliate links and I may earn a small commission when you click on the links at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. You can read my full disclaimer here.
If you’re new to this blog, welcome! I share my experience with acid reflux and how I spent 5 years on daily antacids until I decided to ditch them for good and focus on healing my body.
This post is about the thought process I went through to make that decision. You may read through this and decide on a totally different plan of action, but if you relate to me you might find my experience healing from acid reflux really helpful.
If you want more of the nitty-gritty details about my experience with acid reflux you can check that out here.
What Antacids Are Designed For
Let’s start by understanding what antacids are and what they are specifically designed for.
Most over-the-counter antacids are designed for occasional acid reflux and should not be used for more than 14 days. They are designed to neutralize the stomach acid that causes heartburn and provide short-term relief from the pain that comes with acid reflux.
So they can be helpful after a really big meal, a spicy meal, or maybe just a night of overindulging in general.
But if you experience chronic acid reflux you may want to make other lifestyle changes instead of relying on an antacid.
What Happens When You Take Antacids Long Term
Depending on what you use and how long you use it you may experience:
- Constipation
- Nausea
- Mood changes
- Heart rate changes
- Headaches
- Infections
- Bone fractures
- Vitamin and mineral deficiencies
- Stomach cancer
My Experience With Antacids
As a really young child, I remember having acid reflux and my pain being ignored. By the time I was a teenager, I finally convinced my parents to take me to a specialist.
I had my first endoscopy and they found my esophagus to be really inflamed with some tissue scarring. They asked if I was really stressed and then prescribed me a daily antacid.
They didn’t talk with me about how to reduce my stress or figure out if anything else could be causing my pain, just wrote a prescription and sent me out the door.
For years I took them every day and didn’t think much about it. But, if I missed a dose I would feel the most intense heartburn of my life as if my stomach and esophagus were literally on fire.
When I would go back to my doctor and complain about that intense pain after a missed dose they just prescribed a higher dose.
After about 5 years I was fed up with this process. I was confused why I had to take these pills every day when the bottle specifically said to only use them for 14 days.
I felt that my doctors were taught to only prescribe pain killers instead of helping me fix the underlying issues. Don’t get me wrong, I feel that modern medicine is wonderful for some things, but for things like this that can be better fixed with diet and lifestyle changes, I’m not a fan of simply taking a pill to mask the pain.
I’m also in no way saying I thought I was smarter than the doctors, I just wanted to understand if there was a better way to manage my acid reflux that didn’t involve medication and was never provided that information.
Finally, a new doctor recommended I get another endoscopy to see if there was anything else going on. When we did that it can back completely normal, with no irritation, inflammation, or scarring. She told me that everything looked fine so there wasn’t any explanation for my pain when I didn’t take my pills.
That day I decided to ditch my pills. In my mind, there was no clear reason why I shouldn’t feel fine if my body had in theory healed completely over the last 5 years. I also decided to trust that my body could heal and neutralize my stomach acid itself if I focused on my diet and lifestyle.
So I started researching everything I could do and made a plan to ease off my antacids, let my body heal, and get rid of my acid reflux for good. I also started researching the root cause of my acid reflux and found a strong connection between gut health and acid reflux.
How I Did It
I’ve shared my whole journey on how I eased myself off my antacids in 4 weeks here. There you can read about all the natural remedies I used, what I ate, how I dealt with the pain etc.
If you’re also sick of your antacids and want to take a more natural approach to manage your acid reflux you can check out my 4-week guide to getting rid of acid reflux.
Should You Use A Antacid?
I’m not one to tell you what you should do with your body.
If taking antacids from time to time or even on a daily basis works for you, then stick with it.
But I am telling you that there are natural remedies that may work better for you in the long run. You can check out all my favorite natural remedies for acid reflux here. And yes, some of them are just as easy as taking a pill.
If you have chronic GERD you may need to rely on medication to help your pain, but you may also benefit from some natural remedies and lifestyle changes to help your body heal and manage even better.
If you have mild to moderate acid reflux and you’re willing to make lasting lifestyle and diet changes you can learn to manage your acid reflux on your own and not depend on antacids to get you through the day. And no, you don’t have to give up salsa forever!
If you have any questions about my personal experience with acid reflux or about my journey to naturally managing my acid reflux feel free to leave a comment below or send me an email at acidrefluxqueen@gmail.com. I’m in no way a medical professional, just someone who’s been there and understands how frustrating it can be. I’m happy to help in any way I can!