Q: I keep getting heartburn. I drink beer, but not in excess, and I don’t eat a lot of spicy food. What is going on?
A: Heartburn usually happens when your lower esophageal sphincter does not contract properly. As a consequence, your stomach acid juices flow back into the esophagus.
Some medications could also affect your esophageal sphincter’s proper movement and contractions, producing acid reflux — for example, calcium channel blockers, bronchodilators, antidepressants, blood pressure medications, anxiolytics, heart and/or blood pressure medications.
In some cases, a heart condition like angina (in which your heart is not receiving enough blood associated with the presence of a clot or heart blood vessel vasoconstriction) could produce heartburn. This is something that should always be investigated.
In the meantime, there are some things that can help, including:
- Eat small meal portions and avoid alcohol or caffeinated beverages
- Do not smoke
- Avoid fried or spicy foods
- Avoid sleeping until at least 3 hours after eating
- Sleep with your head slightly elevated.
There are some over-the-counter medications you could take, like Omeprazole or Lansoprazole, to alleviate your symptoms.
— Answer from Dr. German, physician on JustAnswer.
Daily Answer is excerpted from the JustAnswer archives and features information provided by a Expert on JustAnswer.
