In regard to the antacids, I can only say that my FIL has taken these for years because his blood pressure medicine gave him gastric problems. I would not be surprised if there is a link there somewhere.

Yes, I tend to look at medications first when there are problems of any type. My husband had pain for years and we only discovered by chance it was related to Lipitor. He is pain-free for the first time in years. He was prescribed drugs to ease his pain, but the source of his pain did not seem of interest to his doctor. Sometimes you take one medication and then have to take another to counteract the effects of the first and then you have to take something else to treat the problems created with the second medication. You can become a real mess.

Jane