NATURE'S LIFE Betaine HCL with Pepsin - Digestive Health Formula with Digestive Enzymes for Gut Health Support - High Potency Hydrochloric Acid Supplement, 60-Day Guarantee, 250 Servings, 250 Capsules

Back in 2006 I started having bad allergies and food sensitivities - though I did not know food was a factor at the time. One doctor thought I had GERD so I started taking an antacid and felt better. However, I kept having to take stronger antacids as time progressed. In Oct 2007 I had an endoscopy and was diagnosed with gastritis and esophagitis. The GI doctor told me to take more antacids - hard to believe that was his solution! I continued to struggle with food sensitivities on and off since then. I eventually was taking 40 mg of Omeprazole two times a day!In 2009 my allergy doc thought I had leaky gut but did not know much about treating it. Since then I've tried various treatments with some up and down results.I finally started weaning off of the antacids in 2015. I still battled digestive issues on and off and had a lot of food sensitivities. Last July I had about 3 weeks of intense stress, some of it being emotional. In August I had a flare up with foods again and ended up going on Tagament because the doc said I had Gastritis. I was on Tagament for about 3 or 4 months. In this time I started paying attention more to my digestive symptoms and started reading more about digestive aids. Previously I have used apple cider vinegar some and had positive results with it.I noticed I was having regular trouble with oils and fats and I eat a high fat diet (Keto). I've had trouble with oils in times past as well. I asked my chiropractor about that and she said to take Bile Salts. I tried a product called LipoComplex which seemed to help at first but then I went back to have trouble with oils and fats after a week.I started testing various digestive aids and acid reflux aids such as: Licorice Root; Slippery Elm; OxBile; and Butyrate. I could not find any consistency. Then I read about low stomach acid and it all seemed to make sense. If I didn't have enough acid, I wouldn't be digesting as well. So many times I'd feel like food was still sitting in my stomach 3 or 4 hours after eating. I'd be bloated and feel like I ate too much. I read how when the food sits there then it can ferment and lead to symptoms like bloating and indigestion. In times past I would take antacids which helped the symptoms but made the problem worse because the food would enter my digestive tract not digested all of the way, and also make leaky gut worse and cause more food sensitivities!One day when I was having a lot of bloating I tested having about 1/2 tsp of apple cider vinegar with a little water. In about 10-15 minutes my stomach felt tons better! The evidence pointed to low stomach acid. I had read about HCL so I stopped at the natural foods store and picked up the Nature's Life brand. Since I started using it, I have been able to use oils regularly again, and had less reactions to my meals because of fats or oils.I read someone post about how they take these for indigestion like they take aspirin for a headache. This made me laugh but made complete sense to me. It took some trial and error to figure out when to take it and how many. For most meals, I take 3 of these right after the meal - mind you all of my meals consist of meat and veggies. For meals with less protein, less is needed. If I get bloating or fullness I'll take another and wait at least 30 minutes. If I'm still bloated I'll usually take another. If I ever get a burning sensation in my stomach, then I know it was too much and to take 1 less next time. I have found some meats I eat don't require as much, such as chicken. If I eat a little too much then I end up needing more HCL.I've only been taking these for probably 5 or 6 weeks but they have been an answer to my prayers in helping me to be able to eat with less symptoms!

I always thought I had a problem with excessive stomach acid but it turns out to be the opposite. I guess the symptoms are the same for both low stomach acid and high stomach acid. Who would have guessed?! What I find the most interesting is that there are so many varities of antacids on the shelves at the drug store but very few choices for HCl. This product is exactly what I needed to improve my digestion. I take a digestive enzyme about 15 minutes before a meal and then 3 of these pills at the end of the meal (everyone's dosing will vary). I have learned that HCl can interfere with the effectiveness of a digestive enzyme so hence the reason for the separation. It is nice that the dosage of these pills are higher so that I do not need to take as many of the pills as the lower dosage options. I am feeling so much better now that I am taking these with each meal, decreased bloating, gas, stomach discomfort and so forth. Great product!!!

My husband and I both take 2 to 3 of these about 10min before eating a meal and they work very well at keeping down acid reflux! Sometimes for a heavier meal of more protein and fat, I will take even more. A very inexpensive product with awesome return!! Well worth the buy!

very powerful but gave me terrible headache ,while other brands dont.

Product does what it says it will do, acidify the digestion process. I've learned that many people are taking antacids (which is a huge business) when in fact they have low levels of acidity causing the stomach valve to malfunction. It sounds illogical to take acid when you have acid indigestion/heartburn but this did work for me. The problem is that who wants to have to pop expensive pills whenever they eat. An alternative is going on a diet that includes things like lemon and Apple Cider Vinegar.

Been using this brand for years. It’s my absolute favorite and absolutely helps with digestion. I take one before or at the beginning of every meal. When I don’t take it I can immediately tell. Helps so much!

I was constipated my entire life until age 50 when a friend recommended Betaine HCL. HCL is a natural occurring digestive enzyme in the stomach that your body normally produces. Apparently, my stomach didn't produce enough of it to properly affect proper digestion, so I was always constipated. My doctors told me to take a laxative, but I didn't like doing that as it was always harsh on my system with unreliable timing. When I started using HCL, BINGO! all my problems were solved. I started with the lower dosage at first, but discovered the 648mg was better. I take one capsule with each meal, or 3x/day, and have normal, "regular" and easy results daily.

My husband took prescription medication for GERD for a year. I wondered if it was really necessary and so researched why older people tend to have the condition in the first place.In some, there is much less stomach acid manufactured. So, more is needed, not a remedy destroying the little that is available.After starting on Betaine HCL (taken with each meal, not before and not after, WITH) the symptoms lessened until they disappeared completely. We keep an extra bottle on hand in case we ever run short.He keeps a couple capsules in his pocket pill case for when we are out to eat.