THE CONSUMER Five popular heartburn drugs work in essentially the same way, but only one of them, Prilosec, is sold without a prescription. Does that mean it is not as effective as the others? No, doctors say, Prilosec works just as well as the prescription drugs for most people - but only if they can get their hands on it. The pills are in such short supply that many drugstores are asking customers to wait two weeks or more for fresh stocks. Some patients have tracked down the medicine by calling around to other stores or shopping on eBay. Others...
