Do tums constipate you?

If you’ve ever experienced heartburn, you know it can be the absolute worst. It feels like your chest is on fire and all you want to do is grab a bucket of water and douse yourself with it. But fear not, my friend! There’s a remedy that people have been using for years – Tums!

Tums are chewable tablets that contain calcium carbonate as their active ingredient. They’re mainly used to treat indigestion and heartburn by neutralizing stomach acid. But some might wonder: “do tums constipate me?” Let’s find out.

What Causes Constipation?

Before we dive into whether Tums cause constipation or not, let’s define what constipation is first.

Constipation occurs when stools become infrequent or hard to pass through the bowels; this causes discomfort during bowel movements because they require excessive straining/cramping.

The primary culprits causing constipation include:

  • A sudden change in diet
  • Not enough fiber intake
  • Dehydration
  • Medications such as opioids/pharmaceuticals
  • Inactivity

Keep these reasons in mind while we continue our journey towards finding out whether tums lead to unwanted instances of constipation.

How Do Antacids Like Tuns Help Digestive Distress?

A few reasons why antacids like Tum help digestion-related problems:

1) Neutralizing Stomach Acid: When there’s too much acidity in your stomach, chewing an antacid tablet (like Tum) helps balance things out by reducing acid levels quickly .

2) Coating the Lining of Your Stomach: Taking an antacid creates a coat over your stomach lining which protects from ulcers created due-to high acidity levels .

So far so good but let’s get back to business – does taking tums result in an undesirable increase in the infrequency or uncomfortableness of bowel movements?

Do Tums Constipate You? The Ultimate Test!

Here’s a simple answer to that complicated question: it depends. Some sources suggest that taking antacids like Tums may result in constipation if they’re taken excessively.

If you’re chewing multiple tums tablets every day (without any medical advice), then this indeedmay lead to constipation symptoms such as:

  • Hard stools
  • Infrequent bowel motions
  • Abdominal discomfort

But, using these chalky tablets judiciously will not cause any harm; rather, it would provide relief from heartburn/indigestion symptoms without inducing constipation. So moderation is key here.

The Science Behind It

It all comes down to calcium carbonate – the active ingredient packed in each chewable tuts tablet! Calcium Carbonate works by decreasing acidity levels which can help solve issues with reflux and indigestion but let’s dive in deeper.

As calcium carbonate moves through your body’s digestive system, the stomach acid reacts with it forming carbon dioxide gas bubble(s) that expand your gastric tract – this expands the walls of your intestines making it easier for stools to pass out naturally when done regularly .

However, when people consume large doses of Tum daily long-term and often do not keep themselves hydrated enough , there is an increased risk for having hard/stuffed stools due-to lack-of passage space created-by gaseous expansion mentioned above ! Yikes..

To summarize briefly: Overdosing on meds or poor hydration while taking too many antacid products (even regular multivitamins containing CaCO3 as supplement etc.) can increase constipation risks eventually leading-to their frequencies/intensity.

So best practice here is taking care regarding dosage based on doctor/pharmacist consultation and drinking water/substitutes before consuming aid pills containing substantial amounts of calcium carbonate!

Conclusion

In conclusion, Tums themselves don’t cause constipation. Taking them excessively may result in a range of digestive problems such as having more solid stools infrequently but if taken judiciously after consulting healthcare professional(s), they can be extremely useful for reducing heartburn/indigestion acid levels leading to better gut-feeling sans coziness issues.

So don’t let the fear of being constipated stop you from enjoying some sweet relief from that pesky heartburn. Just make sure you use Tums wisely and keep drinking plenty of water!

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