My dr. had me on a 40mg prescription of zegerid... when it went OTC my insurance company said it would no longer cover my prescription and recommended alternatives. I began taking 2 20mg zegerid daily instead... Is there any health risk to the additional sodium bicarbonate? or other concern? ## You really just have to keep in mind that pretty much every drug poses some sort of risk in the form of side effects. In my opinion the additional sodium bicarbonate shouldn't be much of an issue or any issue at all if the dose is small. Some side effects that you might expect after having too much sodium bicarbonate are: • increased thirst • stomach cramps • gas • severe headache • nausea â€&...