How to Treat Excess Stomach Acid Production

Excess stomach acid production can lead to many problems such as heartburn and indigestion. It can make enjoying certain foods, and even a good night's sleep, difficult. Thankfully, it's possible to treat excess stomach acid.

Instructions

• 1

  Determine what is causing your excess stomach acid. Start this process by eliminating certain foods known to cause excess acid production. These include greasy foods, spicy foods, tomatoes and tomato-based products, foods with citric acid, and dairy. Also make note of any other foods that increase your stomach acid and try and eliminate them from your diet.

• 2

  Evaluate some of your habits if you still have persistent excess acid. If you drink or smoke, know that both habits can damage your stomach lining, causing an excess of acid. If you do either, try quitting or cutting back drastically to see if that helps alleviate symptoms. Caffeine also falls in this category.

• 3

  Change your eating habits. Often, eating too quickly, or eating too much in one sitting, will cause your stomach to overproduce acid. Try eating more frequent smaller meals, four to six a day.

• 4

  Try over-the-counter medications to relieve your symptoms. Antacids are great for relieving symptoms on the spot. You can also try proton pump inhibitors, taken either daily or 30 minutes before eating, that prevent your stomach from overproducing acid. Their brand names are Zantac and Pepcid.

• 5

  Visit your doctor if you are still experiencing excess stomach acid or have to take over-the-counter medication daily to control it. You may have an underlying issue such as gastroesophageal reflux disease, irritable bowel syndrome or a hiatal hernia. Your doctor will run tests, determine the cause and treat your excess acid accordingly.