Most burping comes from swallowed air or gas produced during digestion, and the right remedy depends on which one is causing yours. Over-the-counter options like simethicone, digestive enzymes, and peppermint oil can all help, but simple changes to how you eat often make the biggest difference.
Start With How You Eat
The most common cause of frequent burping is swallowing too much air, a condition called aerophagia. Before reaching for any supplement, it’s worth checking whether your habits are the real culprit. Eating too fast, talking while eating, chewing gum, and sucking on hard candy all force extra air into your stomach. That air has to go somewhere, and it comes back up as burps.
Slowing down at meals and keeping your mouth closed while chewing can cut burping significantly with zero cost. Drinking through a straw and sipping carbonated beverages are other major air sources. If you notice burping gets worse during stressful periods, you may be unconsciously gulping air as a response to anxiety. A behavioral health specialist can teach breathing awareness techniques that help you catch and stop this pattern.
If you use a CPAP machine for sleep apnea, the pressurized air can also cause excessive burping. Switching to an automatic pressure device or a bilevel pressure machine, which adjusts airflow to match your breathing, often reduces this side effect.
Simethicone for Trapped Gas
Simethicone is the most widely available over-the-counter gas remedy, sold under brands like Gas-X and Mylanta Gas. It works by merging small gas bubbles in your gut into larger ones, making it easier for trapped air to move through and pass out of your body. You can take it after meals or whenever you feel bloated and gassy.
One honest caveat: the NHS notes that while simethicone is commonly used for gas, bloating, and flatulence, the evidence that it reliably works for these symptoms isn’t definitive. Many people find it helpful, but it’s not a guaranteed fix. It’s very safe with minimal side effects, so it’s a reasonable first thing to try.
Digestive Enzymes for Food-Related Burping
If your burping tends to flare after specific foods, a targeted enzyme supplement may help more than a general gas remedy.
Beans, vegetables, and high-fiber foods: Products containing alpha-galactosidase (sold as Beano) break down the non-absorbable fibers in beans, root vegetables, and some dairy products that your body can’t digest on its own. When these fibers reach your gut undigested, bacteria ferment them and produce gas. Take a tablet right before eating or with your first bite for best results.
Dairy products: If milk, cheese, or ice cream trigger your burping and bloating, you likely have trouble producing enough of the enzyme that breaks down lactose. Lactase supplement tablets fill in that gap. Take them with the first bite of dairy food. If you forget, taking one during the meal still helps.
Peppermint Oil
Enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules relax the smooth muscle in your digestive tract, which can help gas move through rather than building up and causing burps. Peppermint oil has shown effectiveness for symptoms like abdominal discomfort and flatulence in adults with irritable bowel syndrome, and it’s registered as an over-the-counter treatment for gas and abdominal pain in some European countries. The enteric coating is important because it prevents the capsule from dissolving in your stomach, where peppermint oil can actually worsen heartburn. Instead, it releases in the intestines where it does the most good.
Bismuth Subsalicylate for Sulfur Burps
If your burps smell like rotten eggs, the problem is hydrogen sulfide gas rather than plain swallowed air. Bismuth subsalicylate (the active ingredient in Pepto-Bismol) is uniquely effective here. It works through two pathways: it chemically binds to sulfide compounds, reducing fecal hydrogen sulfide release by over 95% in short courses, and it inhibits the growth of sulfate-reducing bacteria in your gut that produce the gas in the first place.
Sulfur burps have become a particularly common complaint among people taking GLP-1 medications like semaglutide and tirzepatide for weight loss or diabetes, since these drugs slow stomach emptying and can increase gas retention and fermentation. Bismuth subsalicylate offers a targeted option when dietary changes alone aren’t enough.
Probiotics
If your burping is part of a broader pattern of bloating, gas, and digestive discomfort, a probiotic may help over time by shifting the balance of bacteria in your gut. The strain Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (sold as Culturelle) has shown a significant reduction in symptom severity for bloating, gas, and overall abdominal discomfort. Unlike the options above, probiotics aren’t an immediate fix. They typically need days to weeks of consistent use before you notice a difference, and results vary from person to person.
What Your Burping Might Be Telling You
Occasional burping is completely normal. Most people burp up to 30 times a day. But persistent, excessive burping that doesn’t respond to any of these approaches can signal something deeper, like acid reflux, a stomach infection, or gastroparesis (slow stomach emptying). Pay attention if burping comes with fever, abdominal pain, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, vomiting, or diarrhea. These combinations point to conditions that need proper diagnosis rather than over-the-counter management.