Asrael, it sounds like your issue may just be the hiatal hernia and not low stomach acid. Someone with low stomach acid would not have felt a reaction on the first dose of betaine hcl. The fact that you felt tons better with hiatal hernia massage and worse with betaine may mean a trip to the GI doc for an evaluation. Your regular GI docs seem to have a better handle on treating hh, whereas with issues of acid, they can be more apt to offer options that can often prove opposite of helpful. Hope this helps (?) Wishing you all the very best Asrael!

To be clear I had just started HCL supplementing (only a few days and were up to two three capsules) when stopped the supplementing for the GI Map test. And when I started again I thought I could start with 2 capsules because I had done the increase from one to two capsules recently.

Maybe you are allergic to fungi/ mold ?Often the pepsin in betaine HCL products is produced by a mold Aspergillus niger

Hello! It’s hard to say what might be going on – I think time and a healthy diet will be your go to remedies here:)

Me again- I took baking soda last night= 2 doses of 1/2 tsp and that really settled the heat down- Will continue with my soothing routine, but wondering if then its not inflammation that I am really dealing with but too much acid from the HCL..

Anyways just wanted to add an update.
Thank you

Thanks for all the info- I wish I found it before I took my first dose of HCL. I thought I would share my story and get some feedback from you. I have never had acid reflux/GERD or any symptoms until about 2 weeks ago. At that time I had a coughing fit when water went down the wrong pipe, it was a bad episode, where I almost choked and vomited, after that I developed a dry cough.. 2 days later the acid reflux started.. At first it was just regurg.. and then turned a little acidic. A week in, a friend said I must have had a hiatul hernia. She showed me how to do stomach adjustments/massage and it got 300% better overnight. I was still having a little regurg 3 hours after my lunchtime meal but other than that was fine. Wasn’t taking any ant acids.. and just dealing with a little regurg.. well someone at a local health food store recommended that I take HCL Betaine (no pepsin). They did not tell me about any side effects- and I did not ask or look it up (stupid me). The first day I took 1 tab with a meal and i felt a little warm, but nothing uncomfortable and it was 2 hours after the meal. Yesterday I took one with an egg/sandwich and followed with yogurt. 2 hours later the heat started.. I was on fire all last night- burning in the chest, throat and esophagus.. It has subsided a bit during the day- but is still painful over 24 hours later. Suprisingly there is no regurgitation.. Just heat and pain. I have been taking slippery elm, marshmallow and licorice, chamomile and aloe vera and taking some tums to help… I looked for DGL at the local store couldn’t find it. will get some in 2 days when I go to the bigger centre.

I am just hoping the inflammation will subside soon- baking soda does not seem to help.. thinking it is just inflammation and not acid-

Anyways- just wanted to share my story- and any feedback or thoughts (even just about how long this may last) will be much appreciated.

Thank you so much

ps. I am healthy, regular healthy bowel movements (even through this all), not overweight and active.

Ok, thats great! Thanks. Also today I took 3 capsules and I am so, so tired. Even more tired than yesterday, Is this normal in the beginning of supplementation? I can fall a sleep in seconds. A bit worried it won’t go away. I don’t want to stop HCL.

Hi Susan – great question. Here is what we’d suggest: Find your max dose while consuming at least 15-20 grams of animal (meat) protein. Once you find that number. you can cut it in half for non meat protein meals (like protein powder, etc). Essentially, you’ll have 2 different doses depending upon which type of protein you intake.

HI Georgia – definitely get checked out if you have any fears along those lines. HCL is great for GERD, but it takes a multifaceted approach to completely heal from it. This is why we suggest dietary changes along with the supplements. THe SCD diet is a great place to start to reduce inflammation and heal the gut: https://healthygut.com/scd-quick-start-guide/

You need to look into Lyme Diesease. I would bet good money that it is Lyme affecting you. Do more than just a western blot test. Go to a serious Lyme literate dr.

Thank you for suggestion. I just checked thyroid, blood test came back perfect, even no Hashimoto.
But… I think I figured out. My health slowly started to decline since the year, when I did root canal. Since that I’ve been feeling some weird pressure in that tooth from time to time. Also when they checked all my teeth couple years ago, my new dentist told me he might see some infection in that tooth on the x-ray and that he would need to redo it, if I decide to put crown there. I never took it seriously though, but now I think that must be the reason of some hidden inflammation/infection, which causes brain fog. Also I have a rotten wisdom tooth, which I wanted to address once it starts hurting. Time to make dentist appointment I guess.

Hi Scott – you’ll need your max dose when consuming meat, as it is a bit harder to break down than other protein based foods like peanut butter. If peanut butter is the main protein in a particular meal, you’ll likely need less HCL>

HI Tim – I’d recommend having your thyroid checked. As for the HCL – that is a tough one. If you have one major complaint and it makes things worse, it’s probably not the best idea. You could try apple cider vinegar for better digestion, too!

Hello – I can’t say we have but it’s great to notice things like that! Your’re on the right road to figuring out what works for you:)

HI Denis – hard to say the exact reason, but perhaps betaine HCl is not right for you at this time. You can try apple cider vinegar to help with digestion, too.

I took 1 betain capusle and after 40 mins i got muslce pain and fatigue and like alergys any reson way?

HI Sandy – we won’t be able to answer that for you, unfortunately. You’ll need to consult with your physician, as we can’t give medical advice.

HI Sharon – we never suggest eating corn as it is highly inflammatory. I wouldn’t suggest taking ACV and HCL at the same time – one will be fine.

Hi Sharon – the best thing you can do to have adequate stomach acid is change your diet and test out the betaine HCL!

Does kefir or almond milk good for low stomach acid?

HI Lori am again keep asking and asking questions.my question is does corn ok to eat if how have slow digestion? And how about if I take apple cider vinegar before meal should I take betaine HCL too?

Hi Sharon – this article will go over how to properly supplement with HCL – https://healthygut.com/how-to-supplement-with-betaine-hcl-for-low-stomach-acid/
Fish oil and coconut oil shouldn’t affect your stomach acid levels.

I took 1 capsule of betaine HCI 648 before dinner and didn’t feel anything should I stay in 1 capsule or wat? And I still feel little bit food food setting in my stomach.i just want to ask about fish oil,and coconut oil capsule are they. Good to take if you have low stomach acid? I took vit.c and vit.d

Hi Sharon, yes you can decease it by 1 capsule and see how you do.

HI Sharon – Coffee can be constipating, yes, and orange juice can feed the unhelathy bacteria in the gut (and cause both diarrhea and constipation). You can try some apple cider vinegar to increase stomach acid:)

I took 4 betaine HCI capsules before I eat lunch,then 2 digestive multi enzymes for my first bite of foods.and an hour or so I feel like a little slight burning sensation in my stomach.my question is should I decrease the amount of betaine that I take?if yes how many should I take

Does coffee,and orange juice bad for slow digestion?if yes wat are the foods,or drinks that help increase stomach acid?i just want to know

Hi Sharon – we’d suggest taking apple cider vinegar with a high protein meal to help digest the protein molecules. Then, pay attention to your digestion, stools, etc and see if they have improved at all. If you take ACV on an empty stomach it will most likely burn a little bit.

Hi SHaron! You can take HCl a few minutes before the meal and enzymes with the first bite of food.

I forgot to ask,can I take digestive multi enzyme after I take betaine HCI? I took some probiotic too

Hi Lori,I just want to ask how to test apple cider vinegar for low stomach acid? Coz in the morning on empty stomach I took 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar in 1/4 cup of warm water.then after I took it I feel warm in my stomach.should I continue to drink apple cider? By the way thanks for the reply I really appreciate it.

Hello sharon – it can….we need adequate stomach acid to break down and absorb nutrients. If we can’t do that, it’s hard to gain weight from the food we eat. Hope that helps!

Does low stomach acid make you lose weight?coz I’m losing couple pounds since I started to have a slow digestion!my stomach takes longer to digest the food every time I eat.

Hi Sharon – it sure could mean that. You can learn how to test it with this article here: https://healthygut.com/3-tests-for-low-stomach-acid/

How and what Betaine HCL to supplement with: https://healthygut.com/how-to-supplement-with-betaine-hcl-for-low-stomach-acid/

HI Dewi – it sounds like you are experiencing some GERD symtpoms. We’d suggest testing out the ACV along with all the dietary changes we’ve talked about. Getting rid of GERDD takes a multifaceted approach. IT’s also possible you could have a gut infection making things worse and you can read more here: https://healthygut.com/the-h-pylori-controversy/

Hi Lori.. Thank you for your response. I stop using betaine hcl for now. However after a meal today, I still got burning sensation, a lot of burping and random pain on my chest and upper back. Is it mean I have gastritis/ ulcer/ GERD? If yes , can I still take the ACV? I tried lemon juice before and it gave me bad reflux.. What should I do?

HI Dewi – you can try it again and just make sure you have at least 15-20 grams of protein w each meal. IF the HCl seems to be too much, you can try apple cider viinegar.

HI Dewi – make sure you’re consuming at least 15-20 grams of protein when you take the HCL. I’m guessing that might be the difference!

When I woke up after 1 pill yesterday, I felt so great. But, when I tried again 1 capsule dr best betaine pepsin with my protein meal for breakfast, an hour later I felt the warmness again on my stomach that radiating to my waist and my knee.. Is it normal? I really want to try betaine again since it gives me the best feeling when I woke up since a long time ( More energy, no joins pains )

Thank you

Sorry I forgot also to mention that my H pylori is active and is still being treated with probiotics. The dose of the betain HCL is 650mg. Before trying the HCL today, my concerns that are still there are bloating, belching , join/body aches. I am gluten free, min sugar/soy/dairy. My protein meal are chicken and zucchini. Should I wait to try HCL again until all my symptoms above disappearing? Or should I try HCl for at least 2 days and watch for the symptoms? Thanks

Today I just try 1 capsule Betaine Pepsine HCL with gentian bitters before my protein meal (chicken). 2 hours later I feel the burning sensation on my stomach and my waist. Should I stop using it and try it again in the next few days? Or should I continue at least until tomorrow? Thanks

HI Tegan – we wouldn’t recommend it! it is very acidic and will be uncomfortable:)