I'm by no means an expert on Betaine HCl, but I would just be careful. I am no longer taking it, but I did previously. At first I had no reaction/almost no reaction to it and I think it may have actually helped me feel better. Due to having no 'burning' sensation in my stomach, I increased my dose and it caused severe Body Odor (much worse than I normally have). I then reduced my dose, but still had a few bad reactions after that. It was a while ago, so I can't remember all of the details, but there were a few instances where I had horrible reactions. I do remember one experience where I only took 1 or 2 pills (much less than I was previously taking without any issues) and it caused severe stomach cramps and excessive sweating. I'm guessing something must have changed with how my body reacted to it or maybe I didn't eat enough food with it. Luckily, I don't think there were any long-term consequences from it, but I just wanted to share my experience in case it helped in any way. Good luck figuring out what works best for you!