Heartburn can last for a few minutes to a few hours, depending on the cause.
Lying down or bending over can cause symptoms to return even after you’ve started to feel better.
Heartburn is commonly treated with over-the-counter medications such as antacids.
How Long Heartburn Lasts
How longheartburnlasts depends on the underlying cause.
It may go away in a few minutes or it may take a few hours.
This lets gravity pull the acid from your stomach.
This is why symptoms often awaken a person during the night, while sleeping.
But when heartburn is severe, it usually requires medical treatment.
Over-the-counter medications are effective enough to control symptoms.
When untreated, they interfere with a persons daily activities and cause inflammation of the esophagus.
Prescription medications are required.
A surgical procedure may be required to effectively treat the symptoms.
Stage 4: Reflux-induced precancerous lesions or esophageal cancer
Stage 4 is the result of untreated severe GERD.
Some antacids are contraindicated when a person has these conditions.
Most people who have GERD need to take PPIs because over-the-counter medications are ineffective.
Its important to understand that PPIs have may have some risks.
The safety of PPIs has been linked with the dosage and duration of administration.
Some experts report that PPIs are usually considered safe if taking the lowest dosage possible for a short period.
However, the potential risks of PPI therapy need to be weighed against the risks of untreated GERD.
Harvard Health.What does heartburn feel like?
Houston Heartburn and Reflux Center.4 stages of GERD.
