I have acid reflux and i don't want to take a prescription drug for it, Is it bad to consume TUMS every day?
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So you would like esophageal cancer instead of taking your pills. If you have acid reflux bad enough for the doctor to give you a prescription medication for it, you must have a pretty serious problem with it. Take the medication and yes, taking too many Tums can be hard on your system. Here is what I found on a web site re: Tums
Although side effects from Tums are not common, they can occur. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:
upset stomach
vomiting
stomach pain
belching
constipation
dry mouth
increased urination
loss of appetite
metallic taste
The calcium in the Tums is good for bone health, but can also affect other medications absorption by the body.
The constant irritation of excess acid in your esophagus can lead to cancer. Take your medication, unless your doctor has told you that you don't have to and you can take the Tums instead.
No it is not bad but you do need to treat the acid reflux with prescription meds because if you don't you will end up with esophogeal erosion which is serious.
I took tums for years. It helps for a little while but it won't cure the problem. Reflux meds will repair the damage caused by acid. You might not have to take them but a month or two before you can ween yourself off. It's worth it.
6 tabs a day is not bad, and may even be good for you as it is a source of calcium, which most people don't get enough of. But, if you take too many, you can get sick from it by having too much calcium in your body. There are over the counter medications for acid reflux such as Pepcid. You could try these, and if they don't work you could make an appointment to see your physician for some prescription strength medication.
you cannot rely on TUMS because its does not treat the underlying pathology of acid reflux disease. besides it does not work as effectively as the recommended treatment.
complications of reflux disease:
1) acid-related esophagitis, eventually leading to Barrett's esophagus (columnar metaplasia of the epithelial lining of the esophagus)--->may lead to esophageal cancer
2) larygopharyngeal reflux-->may cause chronic coughs
no, but sooner or later you will either become immune to them or you will do major damage to your esphogus.
If you are taking TUMS everyday make sure it is TUMS w/ calcium. Just FYI, I also suffer from acid reflux and I take Gaviscon. TUMS was not working so good for me and I was taking a lot of them. Now I only take two Gaviscon's right before bed unless I get acid after a meal during the day.
I tried Nexium but it took so long to get into my system that I quit taking it and went back to the Gaviscon b/c it really works well for me.
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