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

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Shua456
Shua456 Posts: 211
in Food and Nutrition
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!
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Replies

  • Eyvette1
    Eyvette1 Posts: 76 Member
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    try drinking it at room temp and not cold. That helps me.
  • Flacachica
    Flacachica Posts: 328 Member
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    OMG... this totally happens to me. I thought I was the onlyl one! :) I don't know why either. If you find out, let me know! LOl
  • dracobaby82
    dracobaby82 Posts: 380 Member
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    I know sometimes it does that to my hubby as well, don't really know of anything that helps it :(
  • tlrichardson
    tlrichardson Posts: 8
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    Try just drinking little amounts and I do mean little. Maybe just a swallow or two every half hour. If you can make yourself belch after drinking water that would help as well. Hope this helps.
  • gapeach14
    gapeach14 Posts: 1
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    If you can find out, let me know. It happens to me too. My husband can drink water all day long and it just makes him feel better. If I drink even a few sips with my medicine it give me heartburn.
  • givprayz
    givprayz Posts: 328
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    It seems strange that you can drink sodas without heartburn, but water causes it. Is it a volume issue? Do you try to drink a full glass of water in the time you would usually sip only a couple of ounces of something else? Physiologically, fluids are more likely to reflux than foods, but carbonated fluids are more likely to reflux than water, so I'm stumped. I usually suggest taking fluids more slowly, eating crackers with them, staying up-right after drinking, but it is the fact that it isn't all fluids, just water, that throws out all my usual advice. I recommend a doctor evaluation to see how bad the erosions in your esophagus are if water causes you significant pain.
  • sharoniballoni
    sharoniballoni Posts: 163 Member
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    I don't personally have this problem, but looks like a lot of people do:
    http://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=45&m=324076

    A couple of theories I saw were:
    -water was too alkaline, so try putting some lemon juice in it (even though it seems counter-intuitive)
    -perhaps you were eating sugary or starchy foods and the water diluted your ability to digest properly; it's the food that gave you the heartburn, the water just made it easier for your body to react that way to the food

    Good luck!
  • serendipity74
    serendipity74 Posts: 4 Member
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    Are you using a plastic bottle? Maybe try a glass container and see if that might help.
  • adhillman01
    adhillman01 Posts: 206
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    I also get heart burn when I drink water. There are several over the counter medications that you can try. There's the good old standby - Tums. They work fast but not for very long though. You can pre-treat with something like Zantac that will last a little longer. You take it about an hour before eating and will last you through the day. There are also daily medications that you can take that will prevent heart burn. Prilosec OTC is one of these. You take them every day but they will take about three days to kick in. For the OTC version of Prilosec you can only take a two week course of them, but if you like them you can see your doctor and he/she can write you a prescription for them. ALWAYS CHECK WITH A DOCTOR OR PHARMACIST BEFORE STARTING ANY NEW MEDICATION REGIMEN, especially if you are currently taking any medications. I am in pharmacy school right now and even your local retail pharmacist can be a great information resource, I would check with them to see what they would recommend.
  • jmwolffyy
    jmwolffyy Posts: 212 Member
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    Yes I get it too! I posted it a while back and only got one answer, but I have found a couple of things that have helped me a lot. I was using Crystal Light packets, (one packet, in a 20 oz bottle, so that it was a little less flavored and I was trying to lower that amount even.) Then I realized that it has aspartame in it and I am *trying* to lessen my use of artificial stuff. So I bought a little bottle of real lemon juice to flavor my water. I have also heard frozen berries kind of like ice cubes. The flavor makes it much more palatable for me.
    That said, after 8 weeks of gradually increasing my water intake, and adding exercise, I grabbed a bottle of room temperature water during my Zumba class the other day, and it went down so easily! I was shocked! That afternoon I also drank another bottle of cold plain water, and had no problem with it either. I don't know if changing to so much better food has made the difference, doing more exercise, or just getting used to it.
    Hope that helps you!
  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
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    I get awfull heartburn from the 'city water' here. If I filter it through a charcoal filter and let it sit in the fridge over night its ok. Evian bottled water gives me heartburn too. I try to get a few gallons from the well at my place in the county when I can.

    How much you drink at one time, and what activities you have during or just after drinking a lot of water can affect you too.

    I agree with the earlier poster that you should test your water, and treat it as you see fit.
  • glittersoul
    glittersoul Posts: 671
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    The only time this happens to me is if I have it with greasy food and in that case drinking hot tea helps and is one way to get your water
  • Leigh_b
    Leigh_b Posts: 558 Member
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    It happens to me too... it was especially bad when I was pregnant. I started drinking peppermint tea (herbal so no caffiene) and it really helped. (helped my baby girl's colic when I was nursing too!). In the summer I make it iced tea :)
  • ethel64
    ethel64 Posts: 91
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    it sounds like some of you might have GERD... water can cause reflux, if its very intense or you suffer daily you should check with your doctors to have it evaluated..
  • Shua456
    Shua456 Posts: 211
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    In answer to some of your questions. I don't drink a lot at one time, I sip it throughout the day at my desk at work.

    I've been eating pretty healthy, no sugars or starches - lots of protein.

    When I drink the water with food I have no issues, it's only when it's just the water.

    I'm putting some Tums in my desk drawer today so I'll have that to help out at least. Maybe it's a matter of dropping a little more weight and getting used to it.

    I'm just happy to know I'm not alone in this!
  • CateDS
    CateDS Posts: 1
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    Does it for me too... as soon as I have had about 3 cups of water, I start to get pain. But I can drink 8 cups of coffee a day with no problem, but as soon as I have had 3 cups of water ... ouch. Today I was drinking it with lemon juice, just a squeeze... slow paced, not gulping it down.

    It is cold. I don't like room temp water. But maybe it won't affect me so badly. :S

    Cordial is usually fine, same for any other drinks.

    Weird.
  • pjsatticPhoebeWaleskaGA
    pjsatticPhoebeWaleskaGA Posts: 1,701 Member
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    In answer to some of your questions. I don't drink a lot at one time, I sip it throughout the day at my desk at work.

    I've been eating pretty healthy, no sugars or starches - lots of protein.

    When I drink the water with food I have no issues, it's only when it's just the water.

    I'm putting some Tums in my desk drawer today so I'll have that to help out at least. Maybe it's a matter of dropping a little more weight and getting used to it.

    I'm just happy to know I'm not alone in this!



    I have that problem, and I strongly recommend you, and the others with it get a check up. In my case the damage is done, and I have Barrett's Esophaugus. You may need to take a medication for acid reflux. Hernia may also be an issue. If you dont have heartburn at any other time, you may not need meds on a permanent basis. They do a better job of healing inflammation than tums alone. Good luck
  • sandisimpson
    sandisimpson Posts: 2
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    I had that problem for the longest time. I could guzzle a mug of tea with no problem but a few sips of water would make me so uncomfortable! A few months ago I started dieting (just counting calories) and to be honest, because I'm trying not to eat so much, sometime my choices are not always good, ie lunch meat, junk food. But I did start taking a B-complex. I have not had the heartburn for quite some time now. That's the ONLY positive change I can think of that I've made. I did try the lemon juice to no avail. Propel in a 20oz bottle I could drink but not straight water.
  • AndrewAH13
    AndrewAH13 Posts: 1
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    Heartburn is caused by acid leaking back into the esophagus because of partial relaxation of the valve between it and the stomach. Generally it is caused by fatty or spicy food, both of which cause the valve to relax.

    If a person drank a great deal of water and then compressed the stomach, or if the valve was relaxed otherwise, the acid/water mixture could rise through the valve and definitely cause a burning sensation. If this happens often, it would be a good idea to speak to a doctor about it. Acid reflux can cause serious long-term problems.
  • kimeh19
    kimeh19 Posts: 1 Member
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    Try 1tbsp of apple cider vinigar in 4oz of water (1/2 cup)

    Heartburn and acid reflux can also be caused by low levels of acid, and drinking water could cause this by diluting your stomach acid. If this is the case for you things like pepto, tums and zantec which reduce acid may help a bit at first but can make the problem worse. I have the same problem and this helps me, but checking with a dr. is always a good idea

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