Home treatment, such as lifestyle changes and nonprescription medicines, may be all that is needed to treat mild to moderate heartburn. However, if your symptoms do not get better with home treatment, or if your symptoms occur frequently and last longer than 2 weeks, see your doctor to find out whether other medical conditions may be causing your symptoms.

Keep a record of your heartburn symptoms before and after making lifestyle changes or using nonprescription medicines so you can discuss any improvement with your doctor. See an example of a heartburn symptom record(What is a PDF document?).

Lifestyle changes to treat heartburn

Try lifestyle changes first to control your symptoms before you take nonprescription medicines. If you take medicines to relieve your heartburn without making lifestyle changes, your heartburn is likely to return.

• Change what and how you eat.
  • Eat smaller meals. Having a very full stomach increases your chances of having heartburn.
  • Do not lie down or exercise for 2 to 3 hours after you eat. When you are sitting up, gravity helps drain food and stomach acid into your stomach. Avoid eating large meals and snacks just before bedtime.
  • Avoid chocolate, fatty or fried foods, and peppermint- or spearmint-flavored foods.
  • Do not drink alcohol, including beer or wine; coffee and other caffeinated drinks; or carbonated drinks.
  • Limit acidic foods, such as grapefruit, oranges, tomatoes, or vinegar.
  • Limit spicy foods that contain lots of pepper or chilies.
  • Eat foods that are high in protein and low in fat. For more information, see the topic Healthy Eating.
• Decrease pressure on your stomach.
  • Avoid tight clothing. Tight belts, waistbands, and panty hose that press on your stomach may make your symptoms worse.
  • Put blocks underneath your bed frame or use a foam wedge under your mattress to raise the head of your bed 6in. to 8in.. Using extra pillows to raise your head does not work because pillows cause you to bend at your waist, which squeezes stomach acid up farther and can make heartburn worse.
  • Avoid lying on your right side.
  • Be careful when lifting and bending. Bending over tends to increase reflux. When lifting, bend at the knees.
• Do not take aspirin and similar drugs, which can irritate the esophagus and stomach, or take them with food or an antacid. For mild to moderate pain relief, try taking another nonprescription medicine, such as acetaminophen (for example, Tylenol).
• Make sure that you stand or sit up when you swallow pills. Take a few sips of water to moisten your throat before you swallow the medicine. Drink a full glass of water to swallow the medicine. Do not lie down right after you take a medicine.
• Do not smoke or use other tobacco products. Smoking causes the valve between the esophagus and the stomach to relax and not close completely. This allows stomach acid to back up (reflux) into the esophagus.
• Maintain a healthy weight. Lose weight if you are overweight. Being overweight puts added pressure on your stomach and increases the chances that stomach acid will back up into the esophagus. Even losing a few pounds (kilograms) can decrease your chance of developing heartburn or reduce your symptoms. For more information, see the topic Healthy Weight.
• Avoid alcohol.
• Decrease stress. For more information, see the topic Stress Management.

Medicines to treat heartburn

Antacids