Hi does anyone take this? I just bought the solgar brand and only just looked up side effects now as it just got delivered. I’m just a bit weary about taking it. There doesn’t seem to be an awful lot of information on it and whether it actually works. So does anyone else take these on a regular basis and if so did you get side effects?
TIA
Hi Cade83, I take this digestive aid as a capsule. I find it helps and haven’t noticed any undesirable side effects.
Thanks for the reply. What brand do you take cause they all seem to have different mgs? Do you take them with every meal?
Yes, I am a very big fan of betaine & pepsin. I take mine mainly with meals containing proteins & fats as these are the hardest to digest. I also take digestive enzymes.
Unfortunately the only way to dose is to keep taking another capsule until you feel a warm sensation in your gut & then reduce by one the next time. But only start off with one and add another during the next meal, and then another the next meal.
When I first started I built it up to five capsules but now only ever need one or two. Also, they are not compatible with stomach ulcers or PPI’s.
I have taken them and they are really good if you feel you cannot manage to break meat protein down easily... especially useful if you have low Iron, Zinc or B12. At the moment I find I can manage without.. Betaine HCl is quite a useful stopgap to getting better mineral and vitamin absorption which, in turn, will lead to success with thyroid and adrenal hormones.
For 2 years or so, Ive taken BioCare HCl pepsin (3 caps/dy) without side effects. My difficulty is deciding when to stop but Ive decided thats probably when fully recovered.
userotc
Yes, I wondered that too as it is supposed to encourage our own gastric acid, and it has in the sense that my requirements are now less.
But if I stop using it for heavy meals, the food lays in stomach for ages so I guess for some it might be long term.
You may try taking a pinch of Celtic Sea Salt with lemon juice / soluble ascorbic acid before a meal. Diluted in acid, salt is ionized into (metal and) chloride ions and the vitamin C is a source of hydrogen ions... so there is your HCl right there... recommended by many functional doctors.
An alternative is to have something bitter tasting before a meal - supposed to stimulate acid production... It was a popular trick a century ago.
Fantastic info! Thank you soooo much.
I will now add salt to my salad appetizers (with apple cyder vinegar, if no lemon) xx
I tried to take it recently but because I had previously had gastritis it made my symptoms worse. I was also taking the Solgar brand which is a low dose but it still caused me pain. If you get on with it, I have two bottles of betaine and one of Solgar Digestive Enzymes which I would I willing to pass on for the cost of postage, if you are interested.
Ann
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Interaction with other meds
Thyroxine 
