Before you self-treat heartburn symptoms, ask the following 3 questions:
- How often do you have heartburn?
- How severe are each episode?
- Have you tried medications to treat heartburn before?
If you have mild heartburn less than twice a week, you can usually treat it with over-the-counter medications such as antacids or acid lowering drugs such as ranitidine/famotidine. Both options work by neutralizing the stomach acid. Antacids provide more rapid relief compared to ranitidine and famotidine. But the ranitidine and famotidine last much longer than antacids.
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| Antacids |
Take medication within 20-60 minutes after a meal
Starts working in 15-30 minutes and provides modest relief for up to 90 minutes.
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Acid lowering drugs- Ranitidine (Zantac®)
- Famotidine (Pepcid®)
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Most benefit if taken before exposure to risk factors (i.e. large meal, rigorous exercise)
Starts working in 1-2 hours. Effect lasts up to 9 hours with single dose.
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If you are unsure of how to treat your heartburn or experience it more frequently and severely, speak to your doctor or pharmacist.