Is It Safe To Take Tums While Pregnant
Before there were how-to guides like “What to Expect When You’re Expecting,” women had other ways of passing down information about pregnancy and childbirth to their daughters. Despite being dismissed as old wives’ tales today, folklore and oral tradition have provided some of the most essential material for the study of reproduction, both historically and presently .
One of these common adages, which claims that women who suffer heartburn during pregnancy will have babies with full heads of hair, was recently proven to have some truth behind it. A 2006 study published in Birth, found that about 82% of women who complained of moderate heartburn during pregnancy gave birth to babies with average or above average amounts of hair. Conversely, a little over 83% of women who experienced no heartburn gave birth to bald babies.
Keep in mind, more than half of all pregnant women experience severe heartburn during pregnancy in the third trimester . That’s a lot of hairy babies. Heartburn is uncomfortable, and pregnant women seeking relief may be wondering if it’s safe to take Tums while bearing a child. Let’s find out.
Make Sure You Understand The Dosage
You must speak with your doctor and have clear indications of health and to take medicine correctly. Make sure you understand the exact dosage and if you do not want to risk any mistakes ask the doctor to write all the instructions on a piece of paper.
Learn these instructions by heart because they will help you always to take the right dose of Tums. Always follow the instructions and never take any action regarding the dosage of medicines.Dosage is essential and taking too much, or too little medicine is very harmful to your health.
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Here are some things you need to be careful about, if you do take Tums when pregnant:
- While talking to your doctor about taking Tums, make sure you get the dosage right. There is a good chance that the dosage you need to take now is different from the dosage you would have taken when not pregnant. Try to keep track of how many tablets you should take in a day, and do not exceed the dosage under any circumstance. Always consult your doctor for any change that you might want to make, for example, if youre feeling like the medicine isnt really working.
- Now that you know these has a large amount of calcium in it, do not start thinking of it as a sort of calcium supplement, because it isnt. Upping the dosage of it during your pregnancy because your body requires more calcium will do more harm than good. Instead, focus on adding more calcium rich foods to your diet. If your body is still falling short on calcium, get your doctor to prescribe some calcium supplements.
- Tums is a serious no-no for anyone with kidney problems. Even if you dont have any kidney problems but have been placed on high risk for chances of developing them, you must stay away from Tums. This is because the calcium present in Tums could lead to stones forming in your kidneys.
- Tums could possibly lead to teratogenicity. If taken in the first trimester, it could potentially lead to a condition known as teratogenicity .
Additionally, Tums could also cause the following side effects during pregnancy:
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Change Your Eating And Drinking Habits
You may be able to control your indigestion with changes to your eating habits.
It can help to eat small meals often, rather than larger meals 3 times a day, and to not eat within 3 hours of going to bed at night.
Cutting down on drinks containing caffeine, and foods that are rich, spicy or fatty, can also ease symptoms.
Natural Alternatives To Antacids
So, does that mean antacids are bad? No! of course not! Having them once in a while is fine. However, there are natural antacids for pregnancy, such as bananas and yoghurt, which can be just as helpful as something from the pharmacy. You will need to make changes in your lifestyle that can help avoid acidity in the first place. This include:
- Smaller meals: Avoid having large meals as the stomach needs to produce more acid for it. Small meals mean lesser acids leading to fewer chances of acidity and heartburn.
- Wear loose-fitting clothes: Tight-fitting clothes can press against the abdomen. With the baby pushing on one side and clothes on the other, the acid will push itself up and lead to heartburn.
At the end of the day, you can choose which way you wish to go. While some might try to avoid antacids completely, for others, antacids may actually help in making life easier. If you feel that you are not sure how to go about this, book an appointment with a dietician. They know how food works and can even give you a schedule and chart to minimise the chances of acidity.
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How Often Can You Take Tums While Pregnant
For regular-strength TUMS, the recommended dosage for pregnant people is up to 10 per day, which can work out as about 2 every 4-6 hours.
For extra-strength TUMS, the recommended dosage for pregnant people is up to 6 per day, so thats about 2 every 6-8 hours.
And for the TUMS Chewy Bites, the recommended dosage for pregnant people is up to 6 per day, which is about 2 every 6-8 hours.
Can I Use An Hsa Or Fsa To Buy Tums Products
You can use your HSA and FSA tax-preferred savings account to purchase certain OTC products including TUMS. The passage of the CARES Act by Congress includes provisions to restore OTC eligibility under tax-preferred HSA and FSA accounts. Your plan details may vary so save your receipt and check with your benefits or health provider for eligibility.
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Ask Them About Themselves
Letting a teen know that you are by actively listening is a good way to open the door to connected conversations. It is also helpful to ask them questions about themselves. For example, if you have a teen in high school, ask them regularly about their day at school. Change up the questions by using some of the thoughts and ideas below:
- What is your favorite class right now? Why is it your favorite?
- What was the best thing about your day today?
- Was there anything difficult about your day today that you want to talk about?
- Which of your friends do you share classes with and do you get to talk to them or sit by them?
- Whom did you sit with at lunch and did you talk about anything interesting? If so, can you share?
- Who is your favorite teacher and why?
- Was there something that you looked forward to doing today? If so, what was it and how did it go?
- What was the hardest part of your day today?
- What was something you did today that you are proud of doing?
Here are some additional questions to ask your teen as conservation starters:
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Heartburn While Pregnant What Is It
Heartburn is also known as indigestion. In this pathology, you feel a sensation of fire inside the stomach that also reaches the throat. While you are pregnant, heartburn is caused even by the hormonal and physical changes in your body.
During pregnancy, the placenta produces a hormone called progesterone, which affects the muscles of your uterus, allowing these muscles to be much more elastic and provide more space for the baby. This process of relaxation and the hormone significantly affect all the muscles of the digestive system and the muscular valve that divides the esophagus from the stomach.
This valve divides the esophagus and the stomach, but in some circumstances it can not be completely closed, and the gastric acids produced by the body and by the digestion manage to come out and reach the throat, creating the sensation of burning of the stomach.
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What Other Drugs Interact With Calcium Carbonate
If your doctor has directed you to use this medication, your doctor or pharmacist may already be aware of any possible drug interactions and may be monitoring you for them. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicine before checking with your doctor, health care provider, or pharmacist first.
Severe Interactions of Calcium Carbonate include:
Calcium Carbonate has serious interactions with at least 21 different drugs.
Calcium Carbonate has moderate interactions with at least 127 different drugs.
Calcium Carbonate has minor interactions with at least 66 different drugs.
This information does not contain all possible interactions or adverse effects. Therefore, before using this product, tell your doctor or pharmacist of all the products you use. Keep a list of all your medications with you, and share this information with your doctor and pharmacist. Check with your health care professional or doctor for additional medical advice, or if you have health questions, concerns, or for more information about this medicine.
What Causes Heartburn During Pregnancy
When you’re pregnant, your bodys hormone levels experience changes. Some may act as a muscle relaxant that helps to prepare your body for childbirth. The downside? The increase of some hormones may also relax the lower esophageal sphincter, or LES. That’s the valve responsible for keeping stomach acid from moving up into the esophagus, where it doesn’t belong. If the acid moves into that area, it can irritate the esophagus and cause heartburn.2
As your pregnancy progresses and your baby grows, there may be more pressure on your stomach. This too can push the acid in your stomach past the LES and back into the esophagus, causing heartburn.
The good news is that heartburn will likely stop for most women after they give birth. If you have heartburn while pregnant, however, you may be at an increased risk of having heartburn later in life.
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Medicines For Indigestion And Heartburn
Medicines for indigestion and heartburn during pregnancy include:
- antacids to neutralise the acid in your stomach
- alginates to relieve indigestion caused by acid reflux by stopping the acid in your stomach coming back up your gullet
You may only need to take antacids and alginates when you start getting symptoms. However, your GP may recommend taking them before symptoms come on for example, before a meal or before bed.
If you’re taking iron supplements as well as antacids, do not take them at the same time. Antacids can stop iron from being absorbed by your body.
If antacids and alginates do not improve your symptoms, your GP may prescribe a medicine to reduce the amount of acid in your stomach. 2 that are widely used in pregnancy and not known to be harmful to an unborn baby are:
- ranitidine a tablet you take twice a day
- omeprazole a tablet you take once a day
Dont Use Tums If You Have Parathyroid Glad Disorder
The parathyroid glands are located behind the thyroid glands. If you have problems with these glands, you have a history of problems, or you are predisposed to having problems then you can run the risk of suffering from a severe imbalance of the calcium levels in your body.
Tums has a lot of calcium and taking this medicine while having problems with the parathyroid gland can irreparably worsen your health and that of your unborn baby.
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Can You Take Tums While Pregnant How Many Is Safe
Pregnancy and heartburn are quite the iconic pairing. For this reason, Tums can be an expecting mothers best friend, helping to settle the stomach and stop reflux symptoms.
When dosed according to the manufacturers instructions, Tums are both safe and effective when pregnant. Tums are an effective way to take control over pregnancy-related heartburn and reflux.
As a medication, Tums can interact with certain nutrients in the body. Read on to learn how Tums can affect nutrient absorption, how to get around this, and even what to do if you are still feeling heartburn have maxed out on Tums for the day.
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Heartburn Symptoms And Pre
If your heartburn symptoms donât go away with medicine, itâs important to see your doctor as it may be a sign of something more serious, such as pre-eclampsia. A pregnant woman with pre-eclampsia usually has high blood pressure and problems with her kidneys. Pre-eclampsia could also seriously affect a womanâs liver, blood and brain. Any pregnant woman can experience pre-eclampsia â almost 1 in 20 Australian women will develop it.
Because pre-eclampsia is dangerous for both you and your baby, you should let your doctor know if your heartburn medicine is not working. This is especially important if youâre also feeling very unwell or you have:
- sudden swelling of your hands, feet or face
- a headache that doesnât go away with simple painkillers
- problems with your eyesight such as blurring or seeing flashing lights or dots
- a strong pain below your ribs
Find out more about how pre-eclampsia is treated here.
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Dosage And Frequency Of Tums While Pregnancy
Dosage and frequency of tums during pregnancy should be prescribed by a doctor, just like any other prescription or over-the-counter medical treatment. However, while using Tums for heartburn during pregnancy, there are some general rules to follow.
According to Kimberly Langdon, MD, OB/GYN, Tums function best when taken often on the order of every 4 hours, because it neutralizes the acid rather than preventing it from being released. Langdon also says that pregnant women can take a maximum of two tablets every 46 hours as required for heartburn. She adds, In general, most women will do fine at this dosage it may only be problematic in women with a history of calcium oxalate kidney stones.
Tums are available in a range of strengths, but most pregnancy recommendations relate to the normal strength, which has the lowest dose of 500 mg. According to the makers of Tums tablets, pregnant women should not take more than 10 normal strength tablets in a 24-hours period or for more than two weeks unless under the supervision of a doctor.
Why Exactly Does Pregnancy Cause Heartburn
Heartburn during pregnancy will plague most moms-to-be at some point because progesterone, the hormone that relaxes muscles in pregnancy, also relaxes the stomach valve that keeps acid out of the esophagus. In addition, the growing uterus crowds the stomach, forcing acid into the esophagus.
But there are safe, effective ways to stop it. âPregnant women really donât need to suffer with heartburn anymore,â says Adrienne Einarson, RN, assistant director of clinical services at Motherisk, a Toronto-based program that investigates the effects of prenatal exposures on maternal and fetal health. Here, experts recommend 12 different ways to soothe heartburn during pregnancy.
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How Does Tums Help You During Pregnancy
Image: Shutterstock
The doctor might allow you to take the medicine for quick relief from heartburn caused by acidity. Usually, antacids that contain calcium and magnesium are used as the first-line treatment for treating heartburn during pregnancy . Since Tums is a good source of calcium, taking them for heartburn will also increase your calcium intake and help you get the ideal amount of the nutrient during pregnancy.
The right amount of calcium in your diet prevents lead absorption in bones and may also lower the risk of hypertensivedisorders and preeclampsia .
Over usage of the medicine, however, could have adverse effects on you. Next, we address some commonly asked questions about Tums during pregnancy.
Do Antacids Cause Side Effects
The extra calcium from calcium carbonate antacids can cause gas, bloating, or constipation in some people. Antacids can also affect how well you absorb other medications, like iron supplements. Ask your pharmacist to check for interactions and space calcium carbonate antacids 1 to 2 hours apart from other medications when needed.
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Is Tums One Of The Safe And Most Effective Antacids For Pregnant Women
Many reputable sources have indicated that Tums is a recommended drug that can be used for heartburn during pregnancy. Based on studies from our end here at Caratello, it even passes as one of the best for heartburn while pregnant.
The ingredients contained in this medicine are safe and will not jeopardize the health of the expectant woman and her baby. For example, the addition of magnesium is a reason a lot of common antacids are not safe during pregnancy. The amount of this element is too outrageous for pregnant women and the wrong compound is even used.
Well, this is not how it is with Tums. The right magnesium compound is used and it is even within safe limits. Studies from our end have indicated that no more than 5 mg of magnesium is involved in the formula.
Besides the safety of its ingredients, Tums antacids are effective at alleviating the pain associated with pregnancy-induced heartburn. The quality of its ingredient formula is also to thank for this. For example, the right kind and the right amount of calcium are involved in its ingredients formula.
Ideal Dosage Of Tums During Pregnancy
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You may take two to four tablets of Tums every two hours to get the needed relief from heartburn . However, it is advisable to consult your doctor before taking any antacid. Also, always maintain a gap of at least two hours between taking an antacid and iron supplements to derive maximum benefits from both the medicines.
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