Heartburn Pills

Tools

Story Published: Nov 17, 2009 at 8:07 PM PST

By Jackie Watanabe

"It almost feels like there's a volcano and you're on fire," said Eric Palatnik who has heartburn.

As Palatnik got older, his occasional heartburn became more frequent and more severe.

"On [the] worst nights with acid reflux, the only way I could actually get relief was to actually sleep sitting up," Palatnik said.

To treat heartburn, more people are turning to a class of drugs called proton pump inhibitors (PPI). The biggest seller is the heavily advertised prescription drug Nexium.

With a price tag of $240 a month, sales of Nexium last year reached nearly $5 billion. It's the second most commonly prescribed brand-name drug in the U-S.

"PPIs can be effective, particularly if you suffer from acid reflux or GERD, but they're often over-prescribed, unnecessary and expensive," said Dr. John Santa.

If your doctor suggests a PPI, Consumer Reports says several over-the-counter alternatives can work just as well and save you thousands of dollars a year. Those include generic Omeprizole, Prilosec OTC, and new Prevacid 24 Hour.

"But before you start taking any heartburn medication more than just occasionally, talk to your doctor about changing diet and lifestyle and see if that helps," Santa said.

That's how Eric Palatnik got his heartburn under control.

"The dietary changes that I've made include cutting out caffeine, chocolate, tomatoes, red sauce, citrus," Palatnik said.

A few changes might help you put out the fire without getting burned.

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