Antacids

What Are Antacids?

Antacids are medicines that work by increasing the pH balance in your stomach. Americans currently spend close to $1 billion per year on antacids. This is because antacids can quickly relieve the symptoms associated with occasional heartburn and indigestion. Though they cause problems for some, antacids can be taken safely by most people. Consumers who use antacids only once in a while, and as directed, are unlikely to experience significant side effects.

 

But antacids may not always be necessary, and they can have serious consequences if used improperly. Frequent and prolonged use can cause irreparable harm to your heart, kidneys, or bones. Even if used occasionally and in moderation, antacids can cause problems for people with special medical conditions.

 

How Do They Work?

The opposite of an acid is a base, and that's exactly what an antacid is. Antacids make you feel better by increasing the pH balance in your stomach. The pH system is a scale for measuring the acidity or alkalinity of a given environment (in this case, your stomach). The scale goes from 0 to 14. A pH of 7 is neutral. Below 7 is acid. Above 7 is alkaline.

 

Normally, the acid level in your stomach is about 2 or 3. Trouble may start when your pH drops below those numbers. To make you feel better, an antacid need not bring the pH level all the way up to 7 (neutral), which would be a highly unnatural state for your stomach. In order to work, all the antacid has to do is get you to 3 or 4. It does this by neutralizing some of the excess acid.

 

Due to several complex factors, a base can't neutralize your acid all by itself. A base needs some chemical "helpers," or ingredients, to accompany it as it neutralizes the acid in your stomach. All antacids contain at least one of these four primary ingredients:

 

 

Types of Antacids

As mentioned above, antacids have four types of ingredients. Within these four types, there are many different brands. Below we discuss each type, name several brands, and discuss their possible side effects.

 

Sodium bicarbonate (commonly known as baking soda) is perhaps the best-known of the sodium-containing antacids. It is potent and fast-acting. As its name suggests, it is high in sodium. If you're on a salt-restricted diet, and especially if the diet is intended to treat high blood pressure (hypertension), take a sodium-containing antacid only under a doctor's orders.

 

Antacids in the form of calcium carbonate or calcium phosphate are also potent and fast-acting. Regular or heavy doses of calcium (more than five or six times per week) can cause constipation. Heavy and extended use of this product may clog your kidneys and cut down the amount of blood they can process. Extended use of calcium antacids can also cause kidney stones.

 

Magnesium salts come in many forms -- carbonate, glycinate, hydroxide, oxide, trisilicate, and aluminosilicate. Magnesium has a mild laxative effect; it can cause diarrhea. For this reason, magnesium salts are rarely used as the only active ingredients in an antacid, but are combined with aluminum, which counteracts the laxative effect. (The brand names listed above all contain magnesium-aluminum combinations.)

 

Like calcium, magnesium may cause kidney stones if taken for a prolonged period, especially if the kidneys are functioning improperly to begin with. A serious magnesium overload in the bloodstream (hypermagnesemia) can also cause blood pressure to drop, leading to respiratory or cardiac depression -- a potentially dangerous decrease in lung or heart function.

Salts of aluminum (hydroxide, carbonate gel, or phosphate gel) can also cause constipation. For these reasons, aluminum is usually used in combination with the other three primary ingredients.

 

Used heavily over an extended period, antacids containing aluminum can weaken bones, especially in people who have kidney problems. Aluminum can cause dietary phosphates, calcium, and fluoride to leave the body, eventually causing bone problems such as osteomalacia or osteoporosis.

 

It should be emphasized that aluminum-containing antacids present virtually no danger to people who have normal kidney function and who use these products only occasionally and as directed.

 

Is Simethicone an Antacid?

Some antacids contain an ingredient called simethicone, a gastric defoaming agent that breaks up gas bubbles, making them easier to eliminate from your body.

 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says simethicone is safe and effective in combination with antacids for relief of intestinal gas associated with heartburn. Not all antacids contain simethicone.

 

If you are looking for relief of symptoms associated with gas, read the antacid's label carefully to make sure it contains simethicone.

 

What Are Antacids Used For?

Antacids can be used to treat a number of common symptoms in the esophagus, stomach, and intestines. Some of these antacid uses include:

 

If antacids fail to relieve symptoms of any of these conditions within 10 to 15 minutes, or if symptoms are severe, you should visit your doctor.

Indigestion is a fuzzy word that is often used to refer to vague abdominal discomfort. It is also referred to as:

 

Gastritis is a condition that occurs when your stomach lining becomes inflamed by too much acid secretion.

 

Heartburn occurs when the stomach's contents, including its corrosive juices, go into reverse and come back up the esophagus (known as acid reflux or gastroesophageal reflux).

 

If you experience gastroesophageal reflux frequently, then you may have something called gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD for short.

 

If the location of the burning sensation is a little lower, and if it stays around for more than a few days, you could have a peptic ulcer. An ulcer is simply a sore in your stomach that keeps getting irritated by stomach acid.

 

When to Consult Your Doctor About Antacids

It's a good idea to consult your doctor before using antacids if you:

 

Final Thoughts on Antacids

Though they cause problems for some, antacids can be taken safely by most people. Consumers who use antacids only once in a while, and as directed, are unlikely to experience significant side effects.

 

As with everything else in life, moderation is the key. It is important to remember that antacids are drugs, and they should be used only for occasional acid indigestion or heartburn relief. Antacids are fast-acting and should provide relief within minutes. If you are taking antacids and you do not find relief, something else may be causing your problems. You may also have a problem if you find that you are constantly taking antacids for more than a week or two. In either case, you should visit your doctor so that the problem can be diagnosed and treated.