Really bad heartburn??? I mean really bad!!?!

Really bad heartburn??? I mean really bad!!?

OK I have really bad heartburn and I need to know what you think is the best medicine/remedy for it. Please it gets so painful sometimes it sometimes keeps me up @ night. I try water but it doesn't really help. Thanks so much!!

I've had that! It's awful, isn't it?

I used to take a prescription drug called Cimetadine. Today it is non-prescription. Its called Tagamet. Tagamet stops your stomach from making so much acid. It really helped me!

Also you don't take Tagamet when you need it, you take it every day, or at least long before you think you -might- need it. It doesn't work immediately.

If that doesn't work, you should see a doctor. There are better drugs now (like prevacid) for people who have really bad heartburn that Tagamet doesn't help.

In fact it might not be a bad idea to talk to a doctor anyway. You might have GERD (Gastro-esophageal Reflux Disease), and that might need special treatment.

It's also okay to use Tums or Malox or things like that. Take one, and if that doesn't help take another one. You can take up to four.

There are pills now that have antacid in them (like Tums) and also an acid blocker (like Tagamet), so you get quick relief and also long-lasting relief.