Healthy safe alternatives to tums / rolaids for indigestion?

Posted by noti @noti, Aug 20 3:11pm

I've been taking Tums for frequent but fairly mild indigestion. Mostly burning and a feeling of almost gerd starting to bubble up, with occasional painful heartburn in the middle of the night. I'd like to find something healthy that can be used as needed with as few repercussions as possible. Alginates came up on Dr. Google. I'm also thinking about, ginger, turmeric, and cinnamon. But I'd rather not experiment too much on myself if I can tap the wisdom of this group...
So I'm wondering how other people deal with this issue. I've been tapering down from 15 mg since April and expect to start my 7mg taper in a few days. Thanks in advance

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) Support Group.

@carolinlv

Sadly, my gut problems are only one of my issues. I don’t know if the anxiety/depression caused the gut problems or the other way around, but about six months ago they became really bad. I don’t have the interest or energy to actually cook anything. I have used kefir, but after a week, it started to make me very nauseous. I wish I could even fathom Drinking kombucha or eating bowls of sauerkraut, but that’s very far-fetched for me since I hardly eat anything as it is. I really am quite a mess right now. You did answer my probiotic question though. I’m just not sure they’ll be right for me. I thought of trying them now is very daunting. I would rather go the food route if I’m able. Thanks for the help!

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Have you had the test for gluten sensitivity ? Celiac disease can develop at any age and is very tricky to diagnose, do you have low iron and low calcium ?

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@carolinlv

While I was searching for the Rishi tea, I saw an article on turmeric. I just read it is bad for Gerd??? How does this make any sense when my Gastro recommended it?? Curious for your opinion.

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When I ask google if turmeric is good for Gerd it says yes, when I ask if it's bad for Gerd it says yes. AI says maybe to both? I haven't had a problem with it myself.
I get it at Whole Foods.

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@carolinlv

While I was searching for the Rishi tea, I saw an article on turmeric. I just read it is bad for Gerd??? How does this make any sense when my Gastro recommended it?? Curious for your opinion.

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I have a reaction to turmeric and stay away from it. Although it may be mildly anti-inflammatory for some people, it is high in oxalates which is bad for bones and bad for kidneys.

A lot of people recommend turmeric for various things based on what they read online, rather than on proper research. From a Healthline article:
"Although many studies have explored the medicinal properties of turmeric and its extract curcumin, there isn’t any research focused on acid reflux. Overall, there isn’t enough evidence to support the use of turmeric for any health condition."
and
"Although anecdotal evidence suggests that this natural remedy relieves acid reflux, there are few clinical trials to prove these claims.... Some people report that turmeric worsens their symptoms of acid reflux."

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@mtr2601

Have you had the test for gluten sensitivity ? Celiac disease can develop at any age and is very tricky to diagnose, do you have low iron and low calcium ?

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Hi, had an endoscopy in March and a follow up in May. I was checked for celiac and results were negative.

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@noti

When I ask google if turmeric is good for Gerd it says yes, when I ask if it's bad for Gerd it says yes. AI says maybe to both? I haven't had a problem with it myself.
I get it at Whole Foods.

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I swear, Google is the devil! I’m starting to think it could be responsible for my gut problems as well as everything else. I’m giving myself anxiety checking symptoms daily. I know it’s not healthy, but I still do it.🤦‍♀️

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@megz

I have a reaction to turmeric and stay away from it. Although it may be mildly anti-inflammatory for some people, it is high in oxalates which is bad for bones and bad for kidneys.

A lot of people recommend turmeric for various things based on what they read online, rather than on proper research. From a Healthline article:
"Although many studies have explored the medicinal properties of turmeric and its extract curcumin, there isn’t any research focused on acid reflux. Overall, there isn’t enough evidence to support the use of turmeric for any health condition."
and
"Although anecdotal evidence suggests that this natural remedy relieves acid reflux, there are few clinical trials to prove these claims.... Some people report that turmeric worsens their symptoms of acid reflux."

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Information like this is why I ask real people for opinions. Thank you! Almost everyone I know takes melatonin and I drank a cup of melatonin tea for the first time a few days ago. I felt like I was back in the 70s again with an out of body experience. It was the weirdest thing ever! Things just don’t hit me the way they do others and turmeric scares me a little.

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@carolinlv

Information like this is why I ask real people for opinions. Thank you! Almost everyone I know takes melatonin and I drank a cup of melatonin tea for the first time a few days ago. I felt like I was back in the 70s again with an out of body experience. It was the weirdest thing ever! Things just don’t hit me the way they do others and turmeric scares me a little.

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Melatonin tea includes other ingredients which may have caused your reaction. Sleepytime melatonin tea includes: Chamomile, catnip, spearmint leaf, lemongrass leaf, hawthorn berry and only 1mg Melatonin. Any of those ingredients could be a problem for some people. I take 1-2mg tablet of melatonin each night to replace the melatonin robbed from me by a blood pressure medication. I have no problem with it, but would not try the tea with all those other ingredients. As you say, some things affect some of us more than others.

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Another thing that has helped my GERD issues is not eating after 4-5pm and no sweet treats in the evening. Also only drink decaffeinated Green tea after 10am. Alcohol is a thing of the past, haven't been able to tolerate it for the last 10 years.

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@megz

Melatonin tea includes other ingredients which may have caused your reaction. Sleepytime melatonin tea includes: Chamomile, catnip, spearmint leaf, lemongrass leaf, hawthorn berry and only 1mg Melatonin. Any of those ingredients could be a problem for some people. I take 1-2mg tablet of melatonin each night to replace the melatonin robbed from me by a blood pressure medication. I have no problem with it, but would not try the tea with all those other ingredients. As you say, some things affect some of us more than others.

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After drinking, I read about this tea. It should have the other way around! I read catnip and thought WTH?? I did read further and the explanation seemed reasonable but still very odd to me. It was the Celestial Seasonings Well melatonin tea. Tossed it in the trash right away👍🏻

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@noti
I used to be on rx Tagamet for my GERD, then my doctor had to switch me to Pepcid AC because of a drug interaction. I buy the generic at Costco.
I also don’t eat close to bedtime. Another thing that works for me is drinking bottled Alkaline water. If I feel any burning sensation coming up from my stomach I just drink this and it stops. It’s just purified water that has the pH adjusted to 9.5+ to make it alkaline over acidic.

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