For occasional heartburn relief, you can drink half a teaspoon of baking soda mixed in a glass of water once every two hours, with a hard limit on total daily intake. Adults under 60 should not exceed about 15.6 grams per day (roughly 3 teaspoons of the powder), and adults 60 and older should stay under half that amount, around 7.8 grams per day. Even within those limits, this is meant as a short-term fix, not a daily habit. Most medical guidance caps regular use at two weeks before you should stop and talk to a doctor about what’s causing your symptoms.
Recommended Dose and Timing
The standard dose is half a teaspoon of baking soda powder dissolved in a full glass of cold water. You can repeat this every two hours as needed. The Mayo Clinic lists this as the guideline for relieving heartburn or sour stomach in adults and teenagers.
Timing matters. Take it after meals, not on a completely empty stomach. Baking soda reacts with your stomach acid and produces carbon dioxide gas, which is why you may feel bloated or burp after drinking it. Taking it with a full glass of water helps dilute both the sodium and the gas production.
Daily and Age-Based Limits
Your age changes how much you can safely take in a 24-hour period. Adults under 60 can take 650 to 2,600 milligrams every four hours, up to a maximum of about 15.6 grams per day. If you’re 60 or older, the ceiling drops to 7.8 grams per day, taken in smaller doses of 650 to 1,300 milligrams every four hours. Older adults process sodium and bicarbonate less efficiently, and the risk of electrolyte problems rises with age.
These maximums assume you’re otherwise healthy and not taking medications that interact with baking soda. They also assume you’re using it for a few days at most, not weeks on end.
Why Two Weeks Is the Cutoff
Doctors generally advise against using baking soda as an antacid for more than two weeks straight. Beyond that window, you’re loading your body with sodium day after day and risking a shift in your blood’s acid-base balance. A single teaspoon of baking soda contains about 1,260 milligrams of sodium, which is already more than half the 2,300-milligram daily limit recommended for most adults. If you’re taking multiple doses a day, you can blow past your entire sodium budget from baking soda alone, before eating anything.
If heartburn keeps coming back often enough that you feel you need baking soda most days, that’s a signal the underlying problem needs attention. Persistent acid reflux can damage your esophagus over time, and a doctor can identify whether you’re dealing with something like GERD that responds better to other treatments.
What Happens if You Overdo It
Baking soda overdose is a real medical concern, not a theoretical one. The most common result of excessive use is metabolic alkalosis, a condition where your blood becomes too alkaline. This throws off your body’s electrolyte balance, particularly potassium and chloride levels, and can cascade into serious problems.
Early warning signs of too much baking soda include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle weakness, and a persistent feeling of fullness. As things worsen, you may experience muscle spasms, irritability, frequent urination, or convulsions. In severe cases reported in medical literature, patients developed acute kidney injury, liver damage, confusion, loss of consciousness, and seizures. One published case involved a patient who used baking soda as a home remedy for gout and ended up with dangerously high blood pH, critically low potassium, and organ damage requiring hospitalization.
If vomiting and diarrhea from overuse aren’t controlled quickly, dehydration sets in and can trigger heart rhythm disturbances. This is a medical emergency.
Who Should Avoid It Entirely
Baking soda and water is not safe for everyone, even in small amounts. Pregnant women should not use it. The high sodium content can worsen fluid retention and blood pressure issues that are already common during pregnancy, and there isn’t enough safety data to justify the risk when safer antacid options exist.
People with chronic kidney disease face particular danger. The kidneys are responsible for clearing excess sodium and bicarbonate from your blood. When kidney function is already compromised, baking soda can cause fluid retention, spike blood pressure, and accelerate kidney problems. It should only be used by kidney patients under direct physician supervision, and even then, it’s a carefully dosed medical treatment rather than a kitchen remedy.
Anyone with high blood pressure or heart failure should also avoid it. The sodium load can worsen both conditions. Children should not drink baking soda solutions for heartburn either.
Medication Interactions to Watch For
Baking soda changes the pH of your stomach, which can interfere with how your body absorbs certain medications. It can reduce the effectiveness of some drugs by preventing them from being absorbed properly. This is especially relevant for osteoporosis medications and certain psychiatric medications, among others. If you take any prescription drugs on a regular schedule, check with a pharmacist before using baking soda, even occasionally. The safest approach is to separate baking soda from any medication by at least two hours.
A Practical Summary of Safe Use
- Single dose: half a teaspoon in a full glass of cold water
- Minimum gap between doses: two hours
- Daily max under age 60: roughly 15.6 grams (about 3 teaspoons of powder)
- Daily max age 60 and older: roughly 7.8 grams (about 1.5 teaspoons of powder)
- Maximum duration: no more than two weeks without medical guidance
- Best timing: after meals, not on an empty stomach
Baking soda works fast for occasional heartburn because it directly neutralizes stomach acid. But “fast” and “safe for regular use” are two different things. Treat it as an occasional tool, not a routine one, and pay attention to how much sodium you’re actually consuming each time you reach for the box.