I take pepcid and I do not like taking meds, but my heartburn was so bad that it was making me ill and nauseous. It has worked miracles and the Dr. says it safe.
You can try maalox too, it doesn't taste that bad, it was the only thing that helped me with it when I was preg with ny first, and it was terrible, but that was the best thing I tried, also you can take Pepcid daily, its fibe during pregnancy and its to prevent heartburn
Tums didn't work for me either. My doctor prescribed me Rantidine. The over the counter name I think is called Zantac.
Try drinking really cold water and swallow it slowly so you feel it go all the way down! Helps me