Avoiding heart burn:
- You should eat your evening meal well before going to bed so that it has time to digest.
- You should raise the head of the bed six to eight inches on blocks: this will help keep the acid down in the stomach where it belongs.
- Avoid being overweight; try to lose weight if you are.
- Avoid excessive caffeine, fats and alcohol.
- Avoid tight belts or clothing.
Hypothesis:
I predict that the more expensive the ingredients of a tablet or medicine, the higher the price. The reason for my prediction is because some ingredients are more costly than others. Also the dosage or concentration of a tablet will make it more expensive. The reason for this is because the more strong the ingredients making the tablet, the faster the tablet will work and the more costly it will be. I also predict that the shelf life of a tablet will affect the cost. This is because the earlier the expiry date of a tablet the less the cost will be; and the late the expiry date the costly the tablet will be. Also the demand and the season the of tablet will affect the price. The final thing is the number of tablets in a pack and also the size of the pack.
Research on indigestions tablets:
Setlers antacid
Setlers antacid tablets neutralise excess acid and give express relief from indigestion and heartburn. Their natural peppermint flavour and smooth texture make them pleasant to take - information and sales from My Pharmacy UK
Andrews antacid
Andrews antacid gives fast effective relief from acid indigestion and heartburn - information and sales from My Pharmacy UK
What are they for?
Andrew antacid chewable tablets neutralise excess acid and provide fast, effective relief from acid indigestion, heartburn and trapped wind.
How to take:
Adults: Chew or suck 1-2 tablets as required. Do not exceed 12 tablets per day.
Not recommended for children under 12 years of age.
If symptoms persist consult your doctor
If you find that the tablets cause you any unusual effects, please see your doctor or pharmacist.
Ingredients:
Calcium carbonate Ph Eur 600 mg, heavy magnesium carbonate Ph Eur 125 mg.
Also contains: Malic acid, sugar, magnesium stearate, talc, saccharin sodium, sodium bicarbonate, orange flavour.
Each tablet contains 22 mg sodium.
Keep safely away from children
Store below 25ºC in a dry place.
Do not use after date given on side of carton.
Andrews is a registered trademark.
Product licence holder: SmithKline Beecham Consumer Healthcare, Brentford, TW8 9BD, U.K.
Manufactured by: SmithKline Beecham Laboratories Pharmaceutiques, 53101 Mayenne Cedex, France.
Bisodol indigestion relief tablets
Bisodol indigestion relief tablets treat the pain and discomfort of acid indigestion, trapped wind and heartburn, original peppermint flavour - information and sales from My Pharmacy UK
What's in this medicine?
Each chewable Bisodol indigestion relief tablets contains sodium bicarbonate Ph Eur 64mg, calcium carbonate Ph Eur 522mg and light magnesium carbonate Ph Eur 68mg. In addition Bisodol indigestion relief tablets contain saccharin, maize starch, sucrose, calcium stearate and peppermint oil flavouring.
Bisodol indigestion relief tablets - a triple action formula containing three active ingredients: sodium bicarbonate, calcium carbonate and light magnesium carbonate, belonging to the group of medicines called antacids which work by neutralising excess acid in the stomach. Bisodol indigestion relief tablets treat the pain and discomfort of acid indigestion, trapped wind and heartburn.
Product Licence holder
Whitehall Laboratories Limited, Huntercombe Lane South, Taplow, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 0PH.
Bisodol indigestion relief tablets are manufactured for:
Whitehall Laboratories Ltd by Wyeth Lederle S.p.A, Via Nettunense 90, Aprillia, Italy.
What does the medicine do?
Bisodol indigestion relief tablets provide relief from the symptoms of acid indigestion, trapped wind and heartburn by neutralising excess acid in the stomach.
Before you take this medicine
Do not take Bisodol indigestion relief tablets if:
You are allergic to any of the ingredients listed above.
You have been told the level of phosphate in your blood is low (hypophosphataemia).
You have heart or kidney problems.
You are in the first 3 months of pregnancy.
Speak to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Bisodol indigestion relief tablets if you are taking tetracycline antibiotics or iron tablets.
How to take your medicine
Adults, the elderly and children over 12 years: Suck or chew one or two tablets, as required.
Children under 12 years: Not recommended.
If symptoms persist, consult your doctor.
Overdose
If you take too many Bisodol indigestion relief tablets, it is unlikely that they will cause you any harm. However, you may experience constipation, diarrhoea or feel bloated. Consult your doctor if these symptoms do not go away.
Side effects
Bisodol indigestion relief tablets may not suit everybody. Some patients may have side effects, such as constipation or diarrhoea. If an unwanted side effect is severe or lasts for more than a few days, you should tell your doctor.
If you take Bisodol indigestion relief tablets over a long period of time you may suffer a temporary worsening of symptoms when you stop taking the product. This symptom is called rebound hyperacidity. Consult your doctor if this symptom does not go away.
Storing your medicine
Store Bisodol Indigestion Relief Tablets below 25ºC.
Do not use after the expiry date on the pack.
Keep out of the reach of children.
Rennie Peppermint
Rennie with a smooth fresh peppermint taste gives fast effective relief from acid indigestion and heartburn - information and sales from My Pharmacy UK
Rennie Peppermint
Rennie Peppermint fast effective relief from
indigestion
heartburn
Rennie Peppermint is an antacid tablet which quickly relieves indigestion, heartburn, acid indigestion, dyspepsia, hyperacidity, nervous indigestion, gastritis, flatulence, upset stomach, indigestion during pregnancy and biliousness.
Consult your doctor or pharmacist before use if you are taking If taking antibiotics, tetracyclines, vitamins or iron supplements or have any kidney problems.
Side effects are unlikely at the stated doses.
Any unusual effects should be reported to your doctor or pharmacist.
If symptoms persist consult your doctor.
Dosage:
Adults: 2 tablets to be sucked or chewed as required, up to 16 tablets a day.
Children 6-12 years: 1 tablet as required up to 8 tablets a day.
Children under 6: Not recommended.
Keep out of the reach of children.
Each tablet contains: Calcium carbonate Ph Eur 680mg and heavy magnesium carbonate Ph. Eur 80mg.
Each tablet also contains: Sucrose, glucose (250mg), peppermint flavour, talc, providone, saccharin sodium, magnesium stearate.
Each adult dose (2 tablets) contains 500mg of glucose.
Store below 25°C.
Tums Antacid
Tums assorted fruit antacid tablets give fast effective relief from indigestion, heartburn and trapped wind. Neutralises excess stomach acid - information and sales from My Pharmacy UK
I will draw three tables which will help me compare the tablets.
Table .1
Composition of each tablet and its cost.
Table .2
This table is to show the restrictions of each tablet
Table .3
This table has a list of the active ingredients in each tablet, the cost, the number of tablets in a pack and the dosage. This will help me to compare a tablet with another according to its composition.
The total weight of each pack
Setlers antacid = 250.235g
Andrews antacid = 747g
Bisodol indigestion relief tablets = 654g
Rennie Peppermint = 1010g
Tums Antacid = 500mg
The cost of all the tablets
Setlers antacid = £1.69
Andrews antacid = £1.30
Bisodol indigestion relief tablets = £1.95
Rennie Peppermint = £2.75
Tums Antacid = £1.69
The total mass of active ingredients
250.235g x 2= 500.47g
747g x 2 =1494g
654g x 2 =1308g
1010g x 2 = 2020g
500mg x 2 = 1000g
The cost of the amount of active ingredient in one tablet
£1.69/250.235g = 6.75 x 2= 13.5
£1.30 /747g = 1.74 x 2 = 3.48
£1.95/654g = 2.98 x 2 = 5.96
£2.75 /1010g = 2.72 x 2 = 5.44
£1.69/500mg = 3.38 x 2 = 6.76
The amount of hydrochloric acid neutralised by one dose
The amount of hydrochloric acid in Setlers antacid = 0.7mmol
The amount of hydrochloric acid in Andrews antacid =0.004mmol
The amount of hydrochloric acid in Bisodol tablet = 0.003mmol
The amount of hydrochloric acid in Rennie peppermint =0.0024mmol
The amount of hydrochloric acid in Tums Antacid =0.12mmol
I will compare the 5 indigestion tablets
I have done research on five different indigestion tablets. The tablets are Setlers antacid, Andrews antacid, Bisodol indigestion relief tablets, Rennie Peppermint and Tums Antacid. The tablets are made of different ingredients but have the same active ingredient which is calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate has extra oxygen which makes you go to the toilet releasing salt which helps get rid of the heart burn. The calcium carbonate is in different amounts in all tablets and thus affecting the price of the tablet. First I will compare Setlers antacid with Andrews antacid.
Setlers antacid has calcium carbonate ph Eur 500mg. 3 rolls with 30 tablets of Setlers antacid costs £1.69 and the recommended dosage is 1 tablet per day. This price is higher compared with Andrews antacid which contains 400 mg ph Eur calcium carbonate and 4 rolls with 40 tablets costs £1.30 and the recommended dosage is 1-2 tablets per day. The Setlers antacid cost more because its active ingredient calcium carbonate is 100mg higher than Andrews antacid and thus making the tablet very strong and work faster even when taken less. 4 rolls with 40 tablets of Andrews antacid costs less than 3 rolls with 30 tablets of Setlers antacid. The reason for this is because Setlers antacid is much stronger than Andrews antacid. For the Andrews antacid, a person has to take many tablets for them to work together. Andrews antacid has side effects which may affect its demand and thus affect its price.
Secondly I will compare Bisodol indigestion relief tablets with Rennie pepper mint. These two tablets have calcium carbonate as their active ingredient. Bisodol indigestion relief tablet has 522mg calcium carbonate and Rennie pepper mint has 680mg calcium carbonate. There is a small difference of amount of the active ingredient of both tablets. This is the main fact that make the prices to be different because the more the active ingredient the stronger the tablet and the faster the reaction will take place. This also affects the dosage of the tablet differing to the age of the person taking it. 24 tablets of Rennie pepper mint costs £2.75 and the recommended dosage is 2 tablets a day for adults and 1 tablet for small children. 30 tablets of Bisodol indigestion relief tablets costs £1.95 and the recommended dosage is 3 tablets a day for adults and 1 tablet for small children. The price set for Rennie pepper mint is more than the one set for Bisodol indigestion relief tablets. 24 tablets of Rennie pepper mint cost more than 30 tablets of Bisodol indigestion relief tablets. This is because the active ingredient in Rennie pepper mint is more and thus makes the tablet work faster and thus costing more. Rennie pepper mint is a very strong tablet and thus the dosage recommended is less.
Experiment:
I will do an experiment to see the working rate of the 5 tablets. The acid in the stomach is called Hydrochloric acid. I will test the tablets with hydrochloric acid and with water. This test will help me see how quick each tablet reacts with the acid and the water in the stomach.
Equipments:
- Eight beakers
- Hydrochloric acid (Hcl)
- Setlers antacid
- Andrews antacid
- Bisodol indigestion relief tablets
- Rennie pepper mint
- Clock - for timing the minutes each tablet took to dissolve.
- Water
Method:
I will take 8 beakers and put hydrochloric acid in 4 of them and water in the other 4. Then take a pack of Setlers antacid, Andrews antacid, Rennie pepper mint, Bisodol indigestion relief tablets and take out one tablet from each pack and drop it at one beaker each. I will time the minutes that each tablet will take to dissolve and observe the reaction taking place. I will note down which type of tablet produced many bubbles while reacting and how many minutes each tablet took to dissolve. I will then take another two tablets from each pack and drop them into the two separate beakers with water. I will observe the reaction taking place and note it down. I will also time the reaction for each tablet.
Results:
The results in the table below are for the amount of time each tablet took to dissolve. I will draw a bar graph to present the results.
Setlers antacid produced more bubbles than Andrews antacid and reacted faster and took less time to dissolve in both water and hydrochloric acid. Rennie pepper mint also reacted faster in both water and hydrochloric acid than Bisodol indigestion relief tablets. This shows how faster the tablets works in the stomach. Some of the tablets are swallowed using water. This is done to help the tablet reach the stomach and also for the water to dilute the acid in the stomach and thus making the tablet to work faster. Other tablets are sucked or chewed. When they are chewed, they mix with the saliva and make a concentrated solution which is then swallowed. When this gets to the stomach, it reacts quickly with the acid and gives a relief.
Conclusion:
My experiment was successful and also the research I have done have supported it. As I predicted the more expensive the ingredients of a tablet the higher the price. The research has proved this because Setlers antacid and Rennie pepper mint costs more due to their composition and their working rate. Also my experiment has proved this because the two tablets dissolved faster and produced more bubbles than the others in both water and hydrochloric acid.
Evaluation:
Although my experiment was successful, I feel there are several ways in which it could be improved. I used a random amount of hydrochloric acid and water and I did not measure them. If I were to do this experiment again I will measure the amount of hydrochloric acid I’m using and the amount of water I’m using and use a ph scale to test it. I would also use a litmus paper to test the power of hydrogen (PH) of the solution formed. Although I have achieved some results, I feel that they are too few. If I was to do this experiment again, I would compare many tablets and achieve more results.