Gaviscon makes me want to throw up - what are the alternatives - please

[bigmouthstrikesagain]

I am 15 weeks into pregnancy no 3 and heartburn is kicking in - bleurgh so I have bought me Gaviscon but I cannot take it anymore!! I think I have reached my limit after chewing my way through boxes of the stuff in the 2 previous pregnancies I feel pretty much the same about peppermint tea. What else is there that works??

I have just had 2 of the lemon flavoured Gaviscon in the vain hope that the slightly different taste would fool my gag response - no joy.

I also no longer drink cider or rum due to over indulgence in my misspent youth - shudder just the thought of a pint of strongbow is enough to make me want to hurl.

So suggestions please - heartburn is a b*gger .

You can get tablets that you just swallow, none of that nasty chewing on chalk business. Ranatidine or something like that?

I know this sounds very weird, but if you have any cider vinegar try sipping a couple of tablespoons of that. It used to work for me (honestly!).

Sorry Bigmouth - there is nothing else!!! I take zantac normally so was buggered when preggers as couldn't take it.
Rennie chewables are quite nice but not very effective. Have you tried the liquid Gaviscon? Mint one, still gag worthy but I was swigging it from the bottle by the end of both my pregnancies

IMO it's better than the tablets [hurl]

Tigana - I don't think you can take ranitidine when pregnant. If you can I'm at my midwife for telling me otherwise.

oh...i did..and took it during labour too...with MW knowledge...ho hum..ds seems ok!!

When I was pg with DD the GP prescribed me some chalky, milky minty stuff called Maalox. Sounds gross and it was, but not as thick and gag worth as gaviscon.

I could have sworn I started this thread!

I have a hiatus hernia which made life unbearable when pg with ds. At first I was given Gaviscon but I was literally drinking a bottle a day, so the doctor prescribed me a once a day tablet, I believe it was called omneprazole which I took for the rest of the pregnancy. It was totally amazing. Best thing to do is go to your doctor and insist that they look in BNF for a heartburn tablet that is safe during pregnancy, they do exist!!

I have this problem and just discovered the soft chewy tablets. I have remegel ones. They are square, like starburst shape, and minty and chewy. Very pleasant. Not at all chalky. They have done the trick for me. I don'tthink they are very strong but it definitely helps!

Blimey thank you for your replies

Sniffy - I have tried all the variables of Gaviscon I think - swigging straight from the bottle etc. etc. I think I have just reached my tolerance level.

I will speak to my GP - see if he can prescribe something - but if I get desperate I suppose I will get dp to pour the god awful stuff down my throat while I hold my nose or something!

I have never heard of Rantadine, Maalox or Zantac so I will ask Chemist about them...

Any herbalists with a 'natural' cure - chewing bark or something (can you tell I reaaaally don't want to take Gaviscon?).

Hmmm Remegel I think I used to take them but had to move on to the hard stuff as they did not do the trick.

yoghurt drinks or custard!

A Hiatus hernia sounds awful Norwich mummy - does that only affect you when pregnant?

is it baking soda that you can drink with water, makes you burp and meant to make indigestion better? my mum recomended it to me but im not sure, i just drank gaviscon out of the bottle, lovely!

I have a Yogurt drink every day Kat - any particular brand of custard

THANK YOU for starting this!

I am 13 weeks and in the same boat.

I took rantidine by prescription in my 3rd trimester with DD1, but by then my 'heartburn' as full on acid reflux which ate a very painful hole through several layers of my oesophagus and i started to get malnourished.

No problem Expat I hope you get some help - your heartburn sounds pretty full on, what a nightmare!

Nancy - I have been looking longingly at the Bicarb - I used to love taking andrews liversalts when I had a hangover, got DH some the other day but I am not sure they are ok for pg - have to ask about this all at Chemists I think.

thats it bicarb, not baking soda! pretty sure you can take it, i know i tried it once but it couldnt compete with my gaviscon habit!(cant even look at gaviscon now without wanting to be sick)

i'm going to try the cider vinegar.

i chewed Gaviscon last night and it triggered a huge vomit at midnight.

i'm still vomitting and nauseated.

expat have you tried the blue flovour of gaviscon (called cool something) i remember its wasnt quite as vile as the original one.

yes.

i've tried the lot.

might try that Maalox, too.

i might just hang my head over the bucket before even doing this vinegar thing.

all i have to do is take out my bucket and stare into it and the vomitting starts.

it does get rid of that awful nausea, but it's so unpleasant.

gaviscon makes me weep
i contemplate the bottle for 10 min before i can face a swig

sob

it ruins the pg

God it is tough the how even the thought of some things (let alone the taste of them!) can trigger such strong vomiting responses!?!

Earlier this evening I was watching one of those annoying 'M&S food' adverts and it was about their use of free range eggs - just looking at all that runny egg yolk on screen made me want to chuck - then there is the joy of travelling any distance in the car - I get travel sick at the best of times but when I am preg it is a farking pain in the posterior!

Sorry about this moanathon

disgusting as it is, the only thing i found that cured the vomiting and helped the heartburn was mcdonalds (cant believe i have told anybody that) i hadnt set foot in a macdonalds for 10 years before i bacame pregnant, hate it in every way and it was the only bloody thing that made me feel better!