Healthy safe alternatives to tums / rolaids for indigestion?

I like Pepcid. I take the generic. Magnesium is possibly a helpful ingredient
for sleep. Do you have contraindications to ingredients in antacids?
Melatonin has been studied in GERD with some potential benefit as well as
being promising as an anti inflammatory immunomodulator.
I take both at night.

Antacids work fine for me. My problem is that I would be inclined to take them every day, which wouldn't be great long term. So I'd like something that I could take as needed when needed with no repercussions.

Just before PMR I had severe heartburn/reflux every night for over 6mths and had to sleep with 2 or 3 pillows. I switched to a low carbohydrate diet with no snacking between meals and strictly no food after 7pm, and the night-time reflux stopped immediately. I suspect the burning reflux was caused by the carbohydrates feeding a yeast overgrowth like candida in my stomach and colon. I eat dairy, meat, salads and vegetables with no return of the problem. So for me the problem was fixed by removing most sugars/carbs and processed foods and not eating after the evening meal.
Now that we take prednisone, we have to be sure to have something to eat before taking it so as not to damage the stomach/colon lining. Do you do that?

I do take my prednisone with breakfast in the morning. I don’t have much sugary food at all, but I think I could replace a significant amount of carbs with better, healthier choices.

I don’t have PMR (it’s my dad who has PMR), but I have a chronic pain condition and functional dyspepsia (FD).

I use FDGard—it’s enteric coated caraway oil and menthol. It’s pretty effective for me taken 30 minutes before eating, but if you get reflux, the menthol might make it worse. My GI doctor recommended it.

Another thing she recommended is Iberogast, the fluid version in a bottle. It’s a first line treatment in the EU and Canada for FD and IBS, and it was really hard to get here. But then Bayer bought it and now I see it in Target and in capsules. I can’t vouch for the capsules though because one reason it’s thought to work is because when taken in fluid form, it activated the bitter receptors in your mouth, which trigger digestive secretions that help with the pain…

Both are herbal treatments if you’re interested in that kind of thing, and they have more definitive studies than others out there so might be worth a look.

Hi!
I don't typically have indigestion, however when I do I am miserable.
My wife is an Acupuncturist and Chinese Medicinal herbs practitioner.
I am not recommending any specific herb to use.... But we keep a bottle of capsules of
*Ping Wi San" ..... which works so quick that is ridiculous! I do recommend locating a Chinese medicinal herb specialist however.

I tried many things (no caffeine, no food after 7, no alcohol) for mild GERD. One day, I stopped drinking carbonated flavored water (La Croix), and it completely disappeared. I quit drinking any carbonated beverages and quit any snacking in the evening and have no problems.

Occasionally I chew a couple of antacid tabs made by Genexa. Each tab is 1000 mg of Calcium Carbonate made in the USA without talc, FD&C blue. q lake, FD&C red no. 40 lake, or sucrose.

My acupuncturist tends to prefer just using needles to get you to the point where your body can heal itself, and I have improved a lot from where I was a few months ago. But he will use herbs when he thinks it's necessary so I will run it by him the next time I see him if I'm still having problems.

Oh, wow, I'm addicted to La Croix. I'll start there!