How to Treat Symptoms of Nighttime GERD

Are you tired of waking up at night with heartburn and taking chalky antacids to calm it down? You may have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), for which there are several long-acting medications to treat nighttime symptoms.

Instructions

• 1

  Try using one of the two main types of long-acting stomach acid-reducing drugs. The less expensive drug is called a histamine-2 blocker, which is sold as ageneric and under name brands such as Tagamet, Pepcid, and Axid.

• 2

  Try a more expensive drug if the histamine-2 blocker doesn’t eliminate your nighttime 'GERD' symptoms with regular use. Called a proton pump inhibitor, only one of these drugs is sold over-the-counter, under the brand name Prilosec. The generic form, omeprazole, recently became available at major pharmacy retailers.

• 3

  Change some of your eating habits in the evening. Eat lighter dinners and avoid eating anything within three hours of bedtime.

• 4

  Try eliminating milk and dairy products from your diet for two to four weeks to see if you have a lactose intolerance problem that’s helping trigger 'GERD' symptoms.