Medications that can cause heartburn

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Medications that can cause heartburn

Many prescription and nonprescription medications can cause heartburn.

Prescription medications

• Antianxiety medications, such as diazepam (for example, Valium) or lorazepam (for example, Ativan)
• Antibiotics, such as tetracycline
• Anticholinergics, such as dicyclomine hydrochloride (for example, Antispas) or glycopyrrolate (Robinul)
• Heart medications, such as propranolol (for example, Inderal), atenolol (Tenormin), diltiazem (for example, Cardizem), digoxin (for example, Lanoxin), or nifedipine (for example, Procardia)
• Bisphosphonates, such as alendronate (Fosamax)
• Medications and other treatments used to treat cancer (chemotherapy and radiation therapy)
• Narcotics, such as Demerol
• Nitrates, such as isosorbide dinitrate (for example, Sorbitrate) or nitroglycerin
• Potassium
• Steroids, such as prednisone
• Theophylline

Nonprescription medications

• Antihistamines, such as Benadryl or Chlor-Trimeton
• Iron supplements
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen
• Vitamin C

If you think that your heartburn may be caused by a medication:

• Call the doctor who prescribed the medication before you take the next dose to find out if you should stop taking the medication or take a different one. There also may be certain ways or times of the day to take your other medications that will decrease the chance of getting heartburn. An appointment may not be needed.
• If you are taking a medication that was not prescribed by a doctor, stop taking it. Call your doctor if you feel that you need to continue taking the medication or need help controlling your symptoms.

Credits

Last updated:	September 30, 2005
Author:	Sydney Youngerman-Cole, RN, BSN, RNC
Reviewed By:	William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine, H. Michael O'Connor, MD - Emergency Medicine
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Tracy Landauer