If prevention isn't enough, over-the-counter medications such as Tums, Zantac or Pepcid are the next step.

FORBES: Be Cool About Heartburn

Four of its big drugs are going off patent this year, such as Pepcid, a stomach ailment remedy.

FORBES: Growth at a Price

After a call to the APCC, Shakespear got a daily dose for a week of human-heartburn medicine Pepcid to prevent stomach irritation from the overdose.

WSJ: When Pills and Medicines Get Into the Wrong Paws

The AGA report says that 70% of the 61 million people in the U.S. who suffer from heartburn can get relief from readily available antacids (Tums, Rolaids), which neutralize stomach acids, and the so-called H2 receptor antagonists (Pepcid AC, Tagamet HB and Zantac 75), which reduce production of stomach acids.

FORBES: Magazine Article