Allergic to Tums?

The first time I took Tums was about a year ago and I broke out in a really itchy rash all over my face and it was there all day. Im pregnant and Im starting to get heartburn. Can I be allergic to Tums?

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Thanks for writing to the forum!
I am providing you with a link that gives all the facts about TUMS, how to take it, its side effects etc. Do let your gynecologist know about this reaction to Tums. There are many calcium rich foods that can be taken instead of a tablet supplement. Refer: http://www.drugs.com/mtm/tums.html
It is difficult to comment beyond this at this stage. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!

[FurballsMom]

Just for additional information, those antacid tablets, such as Tums, really aren't good for people anyway.  They're made with mineral oil, which isn't actually as healthy as it sounds, because mineral oil is actually made from petroleum.  Then, in addition to that there are all the artificial ingredients, such as artificial flavorings and artificial food dyes for the tablets that have all the various colors.

I've never been pregnant, so I'm not going to talk about what you can or can't do whilst pregnant, because that will definitely need to be discussed with your doctor.  I can't say to try certain things or not to try certain things, because everything you take in affects the baby, too, and I simply don't know enough about what is safe and what isn't safe.  I know the obvious stuff, like avoiding certain medications while pregnant and nursing.  That's a given.  Most people know this much--even men know this much.

I can tell you from personal experience, though, that my GERD/IBS were actually caused by and aggravated by food sensitivities.  Perhaps you could ask your doctor about this possibility.  

I do know from what other women have told me, though, that they can tell if their baby likes or dislikes certain foods, and they can sometimes tell if a certain food disagrees with the baby's digestive system, too, because the mother will end up feeling the same symptoms that the baby feels.  Sometimes the mothers will say that they made some of the connections after they've given birth, because their negative symptoms will disappear, but the baby's symptoms remain the same for the baby.  No doubt this is information that you actually already know.  It's not like it's something you can ignore if the baby is affected, since it affects you, too.  I'm thinking that maybe something you're eating bothers the baby's system some how, even though it's a benign food that would be perfectly fine otherwise.  

I do know, though, that a lot of pregnant women suffer heartburn throughout much of the pregnancy, so it doesn't always have to do with what you're eating and drinking.  But, I'm sure that certain foods will cause the heartburn to be worse than other foods will.  This I'm sure of because of my personal experience with a long laundry list of food sensitivities.  

I was just thinking that these could be some things to keep in mind, that's all.