I have bad reflux and ate a big bag of s

I'll take this in order — first what's already in the box and the family's own record, then the relevant care card.

You're not in danger from what you've described, and acid that reaches the throat and nose at night is the part of reflux that's most annoying to live with — but it is worth settling with routine rather than by adding anything new. Here's tonight, what's better than lying flat, and the point where home care stops.

One thing up front: I can't tell from a message what's causing this, and none of this is a diagnosis or a treatment plan — it's symptom care only. A doctor or pharmacist has to decide anything about medicines. Nothing here changes any medicine. If a prescribed acid medicine is already part of this person's day, it stays exactly as prescribed — don't add doses, don't add antacids on top, and don't start anything new from the cupboard or online. If the current prescription isn't controlling it, that's a conversation for the prescriber or pharmacist, not a night-time experiment.

1. What you tried vs. what works better

Lying flat after eating — the single most reliable trigger, and the one you already hit. MedlinePlus's GERD page (checked 2026-10-08) names smaller meals and waiting 2–3 hours before lying down as the core lifestyle change, and raising the head of the bed as a second one. Your extra pillows are the right idea, but a stack under the head only raises the neck; acid follows gravity down the oesophagus when the whole upper body slopes. If you can, wedge under the head end of the mattress, or improvise with the back of the sofa, so the torso is genuinely inclined.

What to do tonight, in order — 10 minutes, nothing to cook:

1. Sit up and stay sitting. Don't go back to flat until the burning and the throat irritation have eased — allow 30–60 minutes.
2. Small sips of cool water, taken slowly. Water clears the acid film off the throat; it does not neutralise the stomach, so don't expect it to "fix" the reflux.
3. Ventilate the room, loosen anything tight around the waist, and prop the head end up before lying down.
4. If there is a prescribed medicine already due, take it as the label or prescriber says. Nothing else.
5. Tomorrow: the last meal of the day a few hours before bed, smaller than usual, and no lying down straight after.

Through the next few evenings, the levers that actually pay off are all mechanical: smaller meals, the long gap before lying down, the inclined bed, left-side sleeping, and cutting the spicy/fatty triggers in the evening rather than trying to outrun them. Loose clothing, no smoking around the house, and less alcohol or caffeine in the evening are on the same list.

About the nose: reflux reaching the back of the nose can leave a blocked, runny, or "postnasal" feeling. Rinsing with plain water or saline, and a humidifier if you have one, is comfortable and harmless. Do not use decongestant sprays or add a cough-and-cold medicine for this — those are not treatments for reflux, and the itch-drip effect often gets worse, not better.

2. What to avoid

• No lying flat for 2–3 hours after eating — this is the one that costs you most.
• No spicy, fatty, or very rich food late at night, and no "just a few" trigger foods after dark.
• No new medicines, powders, supplements, or anything bought online for this, and no doubling up an antacid on top of a prescribed acid medicine.
• Don't loosen your belt or wear anything tight around the stomach after dinner.
• Don't use antacid relief to decide whether chest discomfort is indigestion — relief after belching or an antacid proves nothing about the heart, and that's a well-documented trap.
• Don't use decongestant sprays or new cough preparations for the nose/throat irritation.

3. Decision tree — stop home care and get help

Call your local emergency number now if any of these are present:

• Pressure, tightness, heaviness or aching in the middle of the chest — especially with sweating, nausea, breathlessness, faintness, or pain spreading to the jaw, neck, back or arm. This can arrive disguised as "indigestion" or "wind", and it does not have to feel severe.
• Vomiting blood or anything like coffee grounds; black, tarry stools.
• Severe belly pain, a belly that is rigid, swollen or too sore to touch; fainting.
• Sudden one-sided weakness or numbness, slurred speech, or vision loss.
• Severe chest pain right after hard retching or vomiting.

See a clinician within days, don't wait it out, if any of these are true — these are the reflux features that mean something else deserves a look:

• Food sticking, or trouble swallowing.
• Repeated vomiting.
• Heartburn waking you most nights, or symptoms happening 2+ times a week for a while.
• Weight loss you didn't intend.
• Feeling full after a few bites.
• A sore throat or hoarseness that keeps coming back.

Settle it at home if it's the picture you described: burning and acid taste that started after a big late meal, no chest pressure, no swallowing problem, no bleeding, no weight loss, and you otherwise feel well.

What success looks like in 24 hours

Not a cure — a direction. Any one of these is a good sign: you can lie down and stay down without the burning restarting; the throat and nose are quieter in the morning than they were tonight; you can eat a normal evening meal without needing to stay upright afterwards; and you can state clearly what happened and when. If instead you're still upright at 2am, or the same thing happens three nights running, book the appointment rather than repeating the night routine.

For that appointment, write down the three things worth having ready: the day and time the flare started, what you ate and when you finished, and every medicine you take — prescribed or otherwise. Two honest days of notes help more than remembering.

Scripts you can screenshot

To a housemate or the sibling nearby, tonight:
> "I've had a reflux flare from the chips. Nothing dangerous — I'm managing it. Could you take the late run so I can stay sitting up for an hour, and I'll tell you if anything changes."

If you need the same-day GP or a pharmacist about the prescription:
> "I've had reflux for a while and this is the second flare this week after late, spicy food. The medicine I'm already on isn't fully controlling it. I haven't changed anything on my own — I'd like your advice on what's next."

Deciding out loud whether it's an emergency:
> "Pressure or heaviness in the chest, sweating, or pain going to the jaw or arm — that's emergency services now. Burning and acid taste with no chest pressure — that's home care tonight."

One practical note for a busy school week: the highest-value thing you can change isn't what you eat, it's the gap between the last bite and lying down. Even an hour of upright time the night before a bad day is what usually buys you a normal morning.

Coverage note: no attachments were shared for this, so I could not see any of your own notes, and I have not looked at any past record — treat this as general guidance until a clinician sees you in person.

Sources: MedlinePlus, "Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)", checked 2026-10-08 (lifestyle measures, night symptoms, when to see a doctor).