If you’ve ever felt a burning in your chest after eating or drinking certain substances, you’ve most likely experienced a bout of heartburn. It’s completely normal to experience it from time to time, especially after you reach a certain age or if you’ve been drinking alcohol. However, if it is happening frequently it can cause painful symptoms that can make it hard to eat, drink, and even sleep.

What Are Acid Reflux and Heartburn?

Heartburn, also known as acid reflux, is a condition where some of the acids in your stomach travel back up your oesophagus and throat. While stomach acid isn’t harmful whilst it’s in your stomach, it can cause damage and pain to your oesophagus, throat, and mouth.  

Common Heartburn Symptoms

• A burning sensation in your chest
• A sour taste in your mouth
• Bloating
• Feeling sick
• A hoarse voice
• Bad breath
• Cough
• Hiccups

Heartburn Triggers

Chocolate is a common trigger of heartburn, but do you know what the other common triggers are?

• Any spicy foods like chilli or curry
• Onions
• Mint
• Alcohol
• Salt
• Coffee
• Acidic fruit and juices
• Fatty foods
• Fried foods
• Tomato and tomato products
• Carbonated drinks
• Caffeinated drinks

Everyone’s triggers for heartburn are different. If you’re having trouble narrowing down which foods and drinks are causing your acid reflux, consider keeping a food diary. In it, mark down everything you eat and when you eat it then make a note of any symptoms you experience.

How to Stop Heartburn

Sometimes avoiding trigger foods isn’t enough to keep heartburn from happening. If you keep getting episodes of acid reflux, there are several things you can do to help prevent it and/or reduce your symptoms when it happens.

Tips for preventing heartburn:

• Maintain a healthy weight
• Quit smoking
• Don’t drink alcohol excessively
• Don’t wear tight clothing
• Exercise moderately
• Don’t eat large meals
• Avoid eating late at night
• Cut back on stress
• Wait at least three hours before going to bed after eating
• Sleep with your head slightly elevated
• Take heartburn treatment

Heartburn Treatment

If making healthier life choices and cutting back on trigger foods isn’t enough to stop your heartburn from coming back, speak to your GP or pharmacist. Depending on your symptoms and their severity, they can make suggestions about potential medication options.

Your pharmacist may recommend over-the-counter antacids that you can take with food or right after eating. If they don’t work, a GP can prescribe a medication called a proton pump inhibitor (or PPI).

Proton pump inhibitors like Lansoprazole and Omeprazole work by reducing the amount of stomach acid your stomach produces, making it less likely that acid will travel up and out of your stomach. It will also help if your stomach is producing excessive stomach acid. PPIs can also be taken to treat indigestion and stomach ulcers.

If you have persistent acid reflux, Pharmacy Planet can help. We sell a wide range of medications with swift home delivery including those used to treat heartburn. You can buy Lansoprazole Capsules and Omeprazole Losec Capsules online in the UK from Pharmacy Planet.