Heartburn & GERD guide

Heartburn & acid reflux (GERD) treatment online in Virginia and West Virginia

This guide is for typical heartburn and acid reflux (GERD), treated with a PPI (omeprazole or pantoprazole) or an H2 blocker (famotidine) as an alternative or step-down. ANY chest pain or pressure — especially exertional, radiating, or with sweating or shortness of breath — is never assumed to be reflux and needs ER evaluation first.

Start online

Start a $59 online review for Heartburn & acid reflux (GERD).

If you have typical burning chest or upper-abdominal discomfort after meals or when lying down, online review can often start a PPI (omeprazole or pantoprazole) for 4-8 weeks, or famotidine as an alternative or step-down option, followed by a plan to taper to the lowest effective dose. Because chest pain can also be a sign of a heart problem, any chest pain or pressure — especially with exertion, radiating pain, sweating, or shortness of breath — is never assumed to be reflux and needs to be evaluated in the ER first, before any online treatment.

If treatment is appropriate, your physician can send a non-controlled prescription to your pharmacy and provide portal instructions for the next step.

Start this visit See response windows

Quick facts

You must be physically in Virginia and West Virginia at the time of request
Starts at $59
No insurance needed
No app download
Physician review around the clock
Non-controlled prescriptions can be sent to your pharmacy when appropriate
A work or school note can be included when medically appropriate
Response windows: 24/7, every day

Common symptoms

Burning discomfort in the chest or upper abdomen, often after meals or when lying down
A sour or acidic taste in the mouth
Regurgitation of food or acid
Symptoms that improve with antacids but keep coming back

May fit online care

Adults 18 and older
Typical heartburn/reflux symptoms without chest pain or pressure
No trouble swallowing, food sticking, unintentional weight loss, or signs of GI bleeding
No new heartburn starting at age 60 or older

Look for another care setting

ANY chest pain or pressure, especially exertional, radiating, or with sweating/shortness of breath (this needs the ER, not online reflux treatment)
Trouble or painful swallowing, food sticking, unintentional weight loss, vomiting blood or coffee-ground material, or black tarry stool
Persistent vomiting, iron-deficiency anemia, new onset at age 60 or older, or symptoms lasting beyond 8 weeks of treatment (these need in-person evaluation, possibly including endoscopy)

What to have ready

Whether you have any chest pain or pressure, especially with exertion, radiating pain, sweating, or shortness of breath
Any trouble swallowing, food sticking, or unintentional weight loss
Any vomiting blood, coffee-ground material, or black tarry stool
Whether this is new heartburn starting at age 60 or older, or if you have a family history of esophageal or stomach cancer

What happens next

Standard

$59

Within 6 hours

Priority

$99

Within 3 hours

Rush

$149

Within 1 hour

Start the request on the website, answer the fit questions, and choose the response window you want. If the concern still fits this service, a physician reviews it and sends a secure update after sign-in. When appropriate, non-controlled prescriptions can be sent to your pharmacy, and a basic work or school note can be included at physician discretion.

Your physician

Every visit is personally reviewed by Ankur Fadia, MD — board-certified, cardiology-fellowship-trained, and Alpha Omega Alpha. Recognized with the Act Fast Award for the fastest physician stroke-treatment times (2019–2022) and as the most efficient, highest-rated physician in the HCA LewisGale Alleghany emergency department (2018). Licensed in Virginia and West Virginia — your care is never handed off.

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Why does chest pain need the ER instead of online reflux treatment?

Chest pain and heartburn can feel similar, but chest pain — especially with exertion, radiating pain, sweating, or shortness of breath — can also be a sign of a heart problem such as a heart attack. Because of this, we never assume chest pain is reflux; it always needs to be evaluated in person, in the ER, before any online treatment for heartburn is considered.

Can I stop my medication once I feel better?

Please don't stop suddenly after taking it for a while — stopping abruptly can cause a temporary rebound in acid production that can feel worse than your original symptoms. Instead, the plan is to taper down to the lowest dose that keeps you symptom-free once your symptoms are controlled.

What if my symptoms don't go away after 8 weeks?

If your symptoms haven't improved, or they come back, after 8 weeks of treatment, you'll need an endoscopy to look more closely at your esophagus and stomach — please schedule an in-person evaluation at that point rather than continuing online treatment alone.