There was a time when a patient with heartburn was simply told to cut down on their acidic food intake and to reduce their bad habits such as smoking and drinking. Nowadays, these lifestyle changes are not necessary thanks to the introduction of more powerful drugs and heartburn treatment methods. These include the usage of long effect anta-acids that protect the stomach against heartburn syndrome, use of pH inhibitors to regulate the excessive acidity of the stomach and proton pumps that reduce the stomach acid content directly.
Your doctor shall advise you on what to take and how to take depending on each individual case. However, for this he will also perform some tests on you such as pH test, endoscopy or even X-rays to figure out what exactly is causing the heartburn condition. Based on the diagnosis, you shall be given a particular method to adhere to. The use of anta-acids that are commonly found over the counter is allowed until your doctor advises you on a particular course of action but beware of their side effects too.