How To Take Antacids
Most commercial antacids come with some instructions. It is important to heed the contraindications and not exceed the recommended daily dose.
The need for these antacids is highly individual and regular use should only be as directed by a physician. A common recommendation is to take the antacids after meals and at bedtime. In practice, most users learn to take the antacid when they have symptoms, e.g., heartburn. A useful technique is to anticipate the timing of symptoms, such as after spicy foods or at bedtime, and take the antacid before.
This Common Digestive Disorder Can Have Many Causes How To Stop Diarrhea Treatment And Recovery Is Often Easy And Fast
Diarrhea symptoms usually come and go, but some of them symptomsand their frequencymay prompt you to rule out a more serious ailment .
Everyone experiences diarrhea symptoms at some time. They can be due to something you ate or drank, or can result as a common side effect from such conditions as the flu or irritable bowel syndrome . But before we answer the question of how to stop diarrhea, lets further explore the possible causes.
Diarrhea makes your bowel movements loose and watery. Although it is uncomfortable and embarrassing, diarrhea is often not that serious and typically lasts one to two days.
Are There Any Differences Among The Different Types Of Antacids
Some antacid products may neutralize more acid in the stomach than others. The way to express the ability of an antacid to neutralize acid is by determining the antacid’s neutralizing capacity . The ANC is expressed as milliequivalents of acid that is neutralized, and it measures the ability of the antacid to neutralize acids . Per FDA requirements, an antacid must have a neutralizing capacity of 5 mEq per dose. The most effective antacids should have a high acid neutralization capacity and rapid gastric acid neutralization qualities.
- Antacids such as sodium bicarbonate and calcium carbonate have the greatest neutralizing capacity but are not used for long periods of time due to adverse events.
An antacid’s onset of neutralizing action varies among different antacids.
- Sodiumbicarbonate and magnesium hydroxide dissolve quickly and provide a rapid buffering effect,
- while aluminum hydroxide and calcium carbonate dissolve slowly.
- Antacid suspensions generally dissolve more easily than tablets or powders. If a tablet antacid is used, however, it is advisable to chew the tablets thoroughly for maximal effectiveness.
Another difference amongst the antacids is the duration of action .
- Sodium bicarbonate and magnesium hydroxide have the shortest duration of neutralizing action,
- while aluminum hydroxide and calcium carbonate have the longest.
- Combination aluminum magnesium antacids have an intermediate duration of action.
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What Are The Warnings And Precautions For Antacids
- Antacids when consumed in high doses and for long periods of time may cause acid rebound. Acid rebound is a condition in which the stomach produces even more acid after the consumption of foods and drinks. Fortunately, the effects of acid rebound are not clinically important.
- High-dose calcium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate when taken together can cause a condition called milk-alkali syndrome. Its symptoms include headache, nausea, irritability, and weakness,hypercalcemia , and reduced function of the kidneys.
- Extensive use of aluminum-containing antacids may cause hypophosphatemia , which in severe cases could lead to muscleweakness, anorexia, and osteomalacia .
- Antacids containing aluminum hydroxide should be used with caution in patients who have recently suffered massive upper gastrointestinal bleeding.
- For patients with conditions such as high blood pressure, chronicheartfailure, renal failure and those who have sodium or salt-restricted diets, it is important to pay attention to the sodium level in sodium-based antacid preparations such as sodium bicarbonate
- Antacids should not be given to children under six years of age.
Side Effects From Misuse
Many of the side effects of antacids come from not taking them as directed.
Many antacids including Maalox, Mylanta, Rolaids and Tums contain calcium. If you take too much or take them for longer than directed, you could get an overdose of calcium. Too much calcium can cause:
Excess calcium can also lead to alkalosis. In this condition, your body doesnt make enough acid to function properly.
If you feel like you need to use a lot of an antacid for relief, that might be a sign of another condition. If youve taken an antacid according to the directions and havent gotten relief, talk to your doctor.
Antacids can interfere with the function of other drugs. If you take other medications, check with your doctor or pharmacist before using antacids.
Some antacids, such as Alka-Seltzer, contain aspirin. The Food and Drug Administration issued a safety alert about this type of antacid in June 2016. This alert was issued because of reports of serious bleeding related to aspirin-containing antacids.
If you take another medication that increases your risk of bleeding, such as an anticoagulant or antiplatelet drug, you shouldnt take these antacids.
Be sure to talk to your doctor before taking aspirin-containing antacids if you:
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How Should It Be Used
Tums comes as a tablet, chewable tablet, capsule, and liquid to take by mouth. The amount taken per day depends on the strength. Follow the directions on your prescription or package label carefully, and ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand.
Take Tums exactly as directed. Do not take more of it or take it more often than prescribed by your healthcare provider. When using this medicine as a dietary supplement, take it with food or following meals.
Chewable tablets should be chewed thoroughly before being swallowed do not swallow them whole. Drink a full glass of water after taking either the regular or chewable tablets or capsules. Some liquid forms of calcium carbonate must be shaken well before use.
Do not take Tums as an antacid for more than two weeks without talking to your healthcare provider first.
Can Too Many Tums Make You Constipated
As it turns out, too much calcium in your diet can lead to some serious consequences, including constipation.
Many OTC heartburn remedies rely on calcium carbonate as their active ingredient, so Tums and other antacids could lead to constipation.
It doesnt affect everyone who uses antacids, but you may be overusing them if you suffer from heartburn a lot.
Thus, your constipation chances are higher.
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When To Call A Doctor
Antacids can often relieve symptoms of excess stomach acid. However, sometimes these symptoms mean you have a more serious condition.
Its important that you know how to recognize these conditions and how to respond to them. An upset stomach could actually be gastroesophageal reflux disease or a peptic ulcer.
Antacids can only soothe, not cure, some of the symptoms of these conditions. If you have severe pain that doesnt get better after using the recommended dosage of antacids for two weeks, call your doctor.
Some heart attack symptoms can also mimic stomach pains. You may be having a heart attack if you have severe chest pain that lasts longer than two minutes with any of the following symptoms:
Does Tums Cause Constipation
If you regularly suffer from heartburn, you may rely too heavily on Tums or other antacids to treat its symptoms.
“Can tums cause constipation?” Yes, if you take too many.
As such, your best option for managing your heartburn is to do everything you can to prevent it from happening in the first place.
Look after yourself by managing your health and diet.
Avoid eating too many carbs and raw onions and avoid drinking carbonated, citrus, and alcoholic drinks.
You may find that such small changes will help eliminate your heartburn without experiencing constipation and other tums antacid side effects.
Still, you can also try sleeping with your head slightly elevated.
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Is It Bad To Pop Antacid Pills Like Candy
How bad is this habit, really? A doctor weighs in.
If you pop antacid pills regularly, you definitely want to break this habit. First of all, there are many different kinds of antacids with ingredients that, in high doses, can have icky side effects. Some contain calcium, magnesium, or aluminum overloading the body with these substances can cause constipation or diarrhea. Other antacids have sodium bicarbonate and may not be suited for long-term use by folks with high blood pressure or those watching their salt intake.
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Second, antacids work by neutralizing stomach acid to help temporarily relieve heartburn, an upset stomach, or indigestionbut they dont treat the actual health issue triggering those symptoms. While stomach upset or indigestion is commonly related to acid reflux, the discomfort could also be due to a peptic ulcer or gallstonesand each of these underlying health issues has its own course of treatment. Plus, masking your symptoms with antacids for too long could lead to an even larger health problem down the line for instance, the long-term acid exposure associated with acid reflux could damage the esophagus. Be proactive and discuss with your doctor when and why you find yourself popping antacids, so she can give you a concrete diagnosis and recommend the best solution.
Healths medical editor, Roshini Rajapaksa, MD, is assistant professor of medicine at the NYU School of Medicine.
What Are The Side Effects Of Antacids
- Antacids may cause dose-dependent rebound hyperacidity and milk-alkali syndrome.
- Antacids that contain aluminum hydroxide may cause constipation, aluminum-intoxication, osteomalacia, and hypophosphatemia.
- Antacids that contain magnesium have a laxative effect that may cause diarrhea, and in patients with renal failure they may cause increased magnesium levels in the blood, because of the reduced ability of the kidneys to eliminate magnesium from the body in the urine.
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Are You Popping Tums Like Candy Why This May Be Detrimental To Your Health
“What do you do if you have heartburn or indigestion?”
“Take Tums, of course.”
Well, it’s time to think twice about this answer.
Taking Tums or other antacids for heartburn has become second nature. It has become the adult version of smarties, yes those small little candy tablets you used to eat as a child and pretend they were medicine. Oh, how the times have changed: now we use medicine like it’s candy.
Heartburn usually occurs when a muscle, called the lower esophageal spincture, does not close completely, allowing stomach contents to regurgitated from the stomach into the esophagus.This muscle acts like a valve, opening to allow food from the esophagus into the stomach, and closing to prevent the backflow of contents from the stomach into the esophagus, but with every valve comes the potential for leaks, and in this case heartburn. Part of the contents regurgitated include gastric acid , which is usually the main culprit behind that burning sensation. It is this acid that can lead to corrossion and excessive inflammtion, after all as it’s name implies it is an acid.
Now that we went over some of the basic physiology and mechanisms of action involved in heartburn, lets talk about some risk factors that can be causing or worsening symptoms.
2. Smoking. Once again is it not the easiest to stop smoking, but it is one of the best things that you can do for acid reflux, amongst many other health concerns.
5. Hernias and pregnancy are also common causes of heartburn.
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Quick Insights: What You Need To Know
- Food, blood, and black medications are the 3 main causes of black stool.
- Bleeding from your stomach or duodenum can cause black watery stool.
- bleeding from ulcers, esophageal varices, and other lesions inside your gut is an emergency medical condition.
Common causes of black watery diarrhea include:
- Peptic ulcer bleeding.
- Taking Pepto Bismol for diarrhea.
- Bleeding esophageal or gastric varices.
- Bleeding from tumors or malignant ulcers inside your gut.
- Angiodysplasia: bleeding from malformed blood vessels.
- Black foods such as blueberries, and black licorice.
- Black medications such as iron supplements, Pepto Bismol, and activated charcoal.
- Swallowing of blood from nose or tooth bleed.
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Remedies And Treatments For Upset Stomach And Diarrhea
Upset Stomach Remedies
Most stomach ailments can be treated at home. As soon as you start feeling sick, begin limiting your diet to clear liquids in frequent, small amounts. Make sure to drink enough fluids to keep your urine clear or a pale yellow.
If youâre not able to keep liquids down and begin to vomit, start with sips of water or sucking on ice chips. Once you are able to keep that down, try other fluids like:
- Clear soup broth or bouillon
- Clear soft-drinks like 7-Up, Sprite, or Ginger Ale
- Juices like apple, grape, cherry, or cranberry
- Popsicles
Once you are able to keep all liquids down, try some solid foods along with the liquids. Good foods to try are:
- Applesauce
- White rice
- White toast
It may take several days to one week to regain your appetite, energy level, and for your bowels to regain normalcy.
Diarrhea TreatmentsMost cases of diarrhea clear on their own within a couple of days without treatment. If you’ve tried lifestyle changes and home remedies for an upset stomach and diarrhea without success, your doctor might recommend the following:
Antibiotics might help treat diarrhea caused by bacteria or parasites. If a virus is causing your diarrhea, antibiotics won’t help. Alternatively, if your doctor determines that antibiotics are whatâs causing your diarrhea, they will likely lower the dose or switch to another medication.
Treatment to Replace Fluids
Treating underlying conditions
Upset Stomach and Diarrhea Prevention
When To Use Antacids
Antacids are a good treatment for heartburn that occurs once in a while. Take antacids about 1 hour after eating or when you have heartburn. If you are taking them for symptoms at night, do not take them with food.
Antacids cannot treat more serious problems, such as appendicitis, a stomach ulcer, gallstones, or bowel problems. Talk to your provider if you have:
- Pain or symptoms that do not get better with antacids
- Symptoms every day or at night
- Nausea and vomiting
- Bleeding in your bowel movements or darkened bowel movements
- Bloating or cramping
- Pain in your lower belly, on your side, or in your back
- Diarrhea that is severe or does not go away
- Fever with your belly pain
- Chest pain or shortness of breath
- Trouble swallowing
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How Can You Prevent Heartburn
If you suffer from heartburn regularly, then you really should try to find the cause of it.
That way, you can prevent it, as opposed to just treating the symptoms.
You can make a few changes to your lifestyle, which should decrease the regularity of your heartburn.
Some of the simplest changes you can make include changing your sleeping habits and diet.
Can Tums Help Get Rid Of Diarrhea
No. Your best bet is to stay away from dairy until a few daysafter you start to feel better, then do a small test and wait andsee how it took. Then slowly build it back in. Your best bet is tostick to the B.A.R.T. system . Noother fruits, they contain too much sugar. Drink plenty of fluidsand take probiotics. You can buy them at any natural foods storesuch as Henry’s or any other local place. This will help balancethe natural flora in your intestinal tract and speed up yourrecovery.
If you get diarrhea often you should consider that your poordiet or a gluten intolerance are to blame.ake care of yourself. You can reverse most disease before damage toyour body is too great.
To your health!
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What Happens To Your Body When You Take Tums
On average, 6 million Americans take Tums or other anti-acids to prevent stomach discomfort caused by heartburn. For people not suffering from an underlying condition, these over-the-counter medications can be quite useful for relieving heartburn that occurs only every once in a while. They work by changing the heartburn-causing acids in the stomach. They are not a cure or treatment for heartburn, however. They mask the symptoms instead of correct them. All antacids work relatively well, especially if taken 1 hour after eating or when heartburn initially sets in. Alternately, if they are being taken for symptoms that occur at night, they should not be consumed with food. They are not successful for treating more serious conditions, such as gallstones, appendicitis, stomach ulcers, or bowel problems.
Does Tums Cause Constipation: Heartburn Treatments And Prevention
Heartburn is a common condition that affects over 60 million Americans who experience symptoms at least once a month.
In fact, some experts suggest that over 15 million Americans experience heartburn symptoms every single day.
If youve ever suffered from heartburn, then its likely that youve tried to alleviate the symptoms by taking the popular over the counter remedy, Tums.
Some people, though, noticed changes in their bowel movements after taking it, so we’ve answered the common question, “Does Tums cause constipation?”, in detail.
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When Should You Take Them
People can use antacids to help relieve occasional heartburn or indigestion. If someone needs them every day, they should see their doctor, as they may have an underlying health condition, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease .
A person should always read the instructions before taking antacids, as different types of antacids contain different active ingredients.
As a
When To See A Doctor
- If you experience excess urination, quit using Tums immediately and contact your doctor if it persists.
- Serious allergic reactions to Tums is very rare. However, if you experience rashes, itching and swelling, severe dizziness or any trouble breathing you need to contact a doctor as this could be a sign of allergic reaction to calcium carbonate.
- If any side effects persist or worsen over a period of time, seek medical attention immediately. Some symptoms will simply go away once you stop taking Tums. If symptoms dont improve once you stop taking Tums, it could mean that you are suffering from a more serious condition.
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