Why does water give me heartburn?.....

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Replies

  • blutxcowboy
    blutxcowboy Posts: 2
    Im glad to know Im not the only out here w/ this. I have recently given up caffine and sugar substitues. That leaves options for drinks outside water pretty limited! Ive tried lemon in it..even tried cool-aid. I have switched to Rootbeer. Frosties brand is the best. No caffine and its made w/ pure cane sugar rather than processed....and no reflux! :)
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    I have the same problem if I drink ice water. I HATE that feeling!! ugh.

    I don't have any trouble with this if I drink water that is refrigerated, though. Or room temp.

    Generally I keep reusable cups with lids at work and at home, in the fridge, and drink them. I order water no ice in restaurants. Sometimes I forget and usually get at least a vague heartburn feeling, yuck. Hope this helps.

    ETA: Ice water is the only thing that ever gives me heartburn, ever.
  • srcardinal10
    srcardinal10 Posts: 387 Member
    I just got so happy to see that I'm not the only one that this happens to!!! It's been going on for the last couple of months and I've just realized that it happens whenever I'm drinking more appropriate amounts of water. I don't have any problems when I drink soda (RARE), alcohol, coffee, tea, or juice...but when I drink around 2-3 cups of water, my body is NOT having it. I'll start with trying to drink room temperature water throughout the day to see if that alleviates the problem.

    Thank you!
  • Binkie1955
    Binkie1955 Posts: 329 Member
    sounds like Gastro Esophagal Reflux Disorder to me.
    see http://www.amazon.com/Dropping-Acid-Reflux-Diet-Cookbook/dp/0982708319

    you'd better have it checked out. the fluid hits the stomach and the valve connecting your esophagus to your stomach doesn't close properly. the extra water in your stomach gives the acid a medium to back up into the esophagus and begin corrosion of the esophageal lining. Ulcers and cancer can result from this condition if you don't get on top of it. the book referenced above is nice but you probably need to have a doctor conduct a sigmoidoscopy and send a small camera into the esophagus and stomach and figure out what condition you're in. get the colonoscopy done too as long as you're knocked out and then get the prognosis.
  • Warchortle
    Warchortle Posts: 2,197 Member
    because it can push acid back up depending on how much liquid you're drinking.
  • ClintonnGottaDoItAgain
    ClintonnGottaDoItAgain Posts: 17 Member
    This happens to me as well. I cannot explain it. I drink ozarka water from a cooler and after the 2nd glass I can barely tolerate swallowing anymore of it. I just fight through it because without proper hydration the body will not cooperate.
  • khicks125
    khicks125 Posts: 22
    I've had this at times, and once read somewhere that water can cause heartburn if consumed on an empty stomach. Maybe eat a couple of crackers first? I have also heard that milk and bananas are natural heartburn cures for many people.

    The BEST advice I have is for bedtime. If you have heartburn, or the beginnings of it, sleep on your left side. In this position, your esophogus is higher than your stomach, so stomach contents do not spill over into it. This sounds crazy, but has been the BEST trick ever.
  • emmycaitlin0304
    emmycaitlin0304 Posts: 147 Member
    I have a hiatial hernia so that impacts it to a degree. But I also notice that it is tied to my weight. The more weight I am carrying in my stomach, the more instances of heartburn I have in general. When I am not carrying that weight, water won't do this to me. Might not be the case for everyone, but that's my big indicator.
  • BuffiD
    BuffiD Posts: 1
    I have this often. It has become considerably worse over the last few years. I started noticing a correlation between the heartburn and water that has been fortified with minerals. Most all bottled water has been altered for cleanliness and taste. So I started to drink spring water and noticed that it doesn't happen with the spring water. It took a while to get used to the taste of the spring water, but now it's the only kind I can drink. Hope this helps.
  • shawn5090
    shawn5090 Posts: 2 Member
    I dont know if someone else has said this. But I used to get heart burn when drinking water also. I found out that I was drinking too much too quick. What was happening was the belly was filling with water and what I ate before was just floating to the top and causing heart burn. The reason room temp water helps in because room temp water coats more and doesnt just shoot straight down and make the food rise. I was drinking 2 litres in less then 8 hours and sometimes the first litre was in one hour. Not saying this is for sure the cause but I changed to monitoring my water intake times and doing some room temp water as well.
  • Mzfoster0517
    Mzfoster0517 Posts: 83 Member
    So happy to know I'm not the only one. I was like really WATER
  • acsm69
    acsm69 Posts: 1
    I have the same problem with water causing heartburn. I am trying to get away from diet Dr. Pepper and switch to just water only. I have also been trying to drink a lot of it. I may be drinking it too fast or to much at one time. All I know is I have the worst heartburn ever. I never had it drinking dr pepper. Makes me want to go back. lol Glad to see you all have posted cause I thought I was crazy.
  • pennypage75
    pennypage75 Posts: 1
    Check out this link:
    http://www.livestrong.com/article/502028-why-does-water-give-you-heartburn/
  • sandisimpson
    sandisimpson Posts: 2
    I use to get horrible heartburn from water. I could guzzle a glass of tea or anything else for that matter but an ounce of water was killing me! Last year I went on a purely caloric diet. I started getting muscle cramps, which actually turned out to be from an old injury. However in my search for answers I started taking a super B-complex. Other than the diet itself, which was fairly healthy, the B-complex was the only change in my diet. I do not get heartburn anymore. The lemon, vinegar etc did not seem to help and the thought of antacids and such to me was silly. I don't believe in masking problems. Since I know how uncomfortable it can be and I now enjoy water whenever I can, I'm hoping others will find this to be an answer for them!!
  • itskristinalynn
    itskristinalynn Posts: 3
    PLEASE READ THIS (PERSONAL STORY)

    So I'm sure many of you have heard about not drinking tap water because of flouride or whatever reason. So some months ago we started drinking only SPRING water. OZARKA SPRING WATER to be exact. As time went on I started to experience some Gastric issues. Mostly Indigestion/Heartburn on a regular basis. As most of you know my diet is super duper clean 95% at least! I was just at a loss. I went to the doctor, she prescribed Nexium, which I could not afford, so I turned to Prilosec (lifesaver). All the while still drinking that good natural spring water. I was about to have to set an appointment to see a Gastro doc and who knows what they would do to me, Endoscopy, Drugs, SURGERY! The other day I went out to eat TWICE in one day. Not my normal routine. I only drink WATER, thats it maybe some Almond Milk here and there but Water is it ALL of the time! I had a realization the other day when I had water at these restaurants that I had no discomfort and not a single symptom of reflux. I was baffled. Then I thought, ITS THE WATER!!!!!!!! My beloved husband suggested we test the PH of the water. So.... Here is what we found.... The SPRING WATER is off the charts. We can't even get a reading. I've been slowly killing myself for the last few months drinking acid. The water was at least 6.0 or lower. Now it obviously doesn't affect everyone the same but this is so SCARY! I would take flouride over acid any day! Now to begin healing. I still have some residual side effects but hopefully they will subside soon! If you know anyone that is drinking this tell them to stop! I'm not sure about all the spring water sources, but this is enough to make me never drink this stuff again!
  • misskris78
    misskris78 Posts: 136 Member
    Most city tap water is pretty basic. a pH of 7.5 to 8.5 is typical. pH of 9-9.5 is not unheard of. We really don't eat a lot of basic foods, so it's entirely possible that anything with a pH that high irritates sensitive systems. I guess it's possible that maybe your stomach chemistry is creating some mild exothermic reaction from adding the base to the acid. Interesting. Water with a pH of 7 is actually pretty corrosive in the water world unless it's high in Alkalinity and Hardness, but in the grand scheme of things, our diets are pretty low in pH.

    If you're drinking tap water, try taking the aerator off your faucet or let it sit overnight. You can also try adding a small amount of baking soda to increase the alkalinity. It's kind of like adding Tums to your tap water.

    Water that goes through RO tends to be low in pH (<7). Carbon (most fridge filters and Brita) does a good job reducing chlorine, organics and disinfection byproducts but doesn't do much on dissolved metals.
  • felipebbc
    felipebbc Posts: 1
    I have the same problem. Everyone I tell this says I'm crazy and that it's something in my diet. I, the owner of the esophagus, am certain it is not the diet and it is all about the water. I can drink a gallon of coke zero and have no reflux. Just a few sips of water can cause reflux. I tested this several times, eating the same bland foods everyday. Each time I try water, no matter what time, I get acid reflux. If I go for coke zero, I feel fine.

    This post has some great ideas. I will be testing adding additives to the water to see if it is a matter of altering the pH.
  • metalhhead1990
    metalhhead1990 Posts: 1
    Thanks itskristinaly. I think you might be on to something. My symptoms all started gradually about a year ago. I rememver about that time I started drinking water, but still/spring water from my work out of those water machines. I even signed into a 12 month contract and drink at least 2 litres of that per day. I think I just came to this realization 1 week ago when my mom told me to lay off the water. The thing is, I don't drink that much water, but I drink it in large quantaties. Like I will have almost a litre in the morning. An half an hour later have breakfast, have another 500ml after that, have nothing till lunch and then after lunch I have say another 500ml and then boom, I feel like my food is sitting in my sternum and the water in my throat. I think this might be the problem. No space for my food as the water is utilizing all the space in my tummy! Will have feedback next week :)
  • ksketcher
    ksketcher Posts: 9 Member
    I am struggling with this as well. I can drink Diet Coke no problems. But drinking water cold or room temperature will give me horrible stomach ache. Also occasionally it will come up into my throat at times. Drinking while riding my bike today has done this. I can't seem to win. I try to drink more water but then it makes me sick. Been like this since I was a teen even. I have no ideas why but would love to know how to prevent it without having to take more RX's.
  • NoMoreBlameGame
    NoMoreBlameGame Posts: 236 Member
    I feel for y'all. I don't have that problem, and I'm not sure what I would do if I did. When I have heartburn I don't take an antacid, I drink water and it goes away...so basically it's the opposite.
  • bonniekrose
    bonniekrose Posts: 3 Member
    I have the same problem. I can drink anything but water and it does not cause heartburn. If I add a squirt of MIO to the water it does not cause heartburn. I am glad to know I am not alone.
  • 33666
    33666 Posts: 2
    I found an answer at: http://hubpages.com/hub/water-heartburn The suggestions there make sense. The clothes around my waist when it happens are too tight and I am usually putting too much pressure on my stomach. That coupled with water and perhaps recent eating might be why I get it. There are other reasons too.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Wow, I was really not expecting so many people to say they had this problem too! I've never heard of it.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    Shua456 wrote: »
    I'm not kidding, when I drink water I get the worst heartburn. I've always had this issue which is why I don't drink water like I should.

    I'm trying to make better choices which includes giving up diet soda and other drinks but I don't know if I can handle drinking the water and suffering the results.

    Tell me this happens to other people and more importantly tell me there is something I can do about it!

    I expect you have another condition that may need medical attention.

  • kramrn77
    kramrn77 Posts: 375 Member
    That used to happen to me all the time. Then I was diagnosed with celiac disease and GERD. Once I started to remove gluten from my diet, the GERD came under control. Long story short- talk to your doc, there may be an underlying condition.
  • sbarnes011
    sbarnes011 Posts: 1 Member
    It's happened for as long as I can remember but only when I'm not doing something active. Ie working, excersing, etc. If I just grab water and drink a tiny amount or a lot... Heartburn. I've done some research and even though I drink juice, soda, tea, etc. Nothing else does it but I found that I sips everything else typically . Like if I have a bottle of Pepsi, I leave it in the refrigerator and will sip on it all day, or a glass of cran mango juice. I leave it in the refrigerator because I know both will get hot because I drink so slowly. However my natural instinct for water is to gulp and get it over with. I didn't drink it as a kid and only started really consuming it when I started biking, climing and running at which time I gulp a bunch at once. I think I am treating it the same way at rest where my instinct is gulp it. I've found that doing that will cause it. I don't know but I am going to try to be conscious when at rest, to drink water like other fluids to see if that helps. We'll see.
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