Maalox moment, n. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

Maalox moment n.

[the proprietary antacid Maalox; the phr. was coined for an advertising campaign]

(orig. US campus) a time of stress.

1990		Eble Campus Sl. Apr.
2002		J. Arrieta ‘Pass the Prozac’ DemocraticUnderground.com 12 June 🌐 ‘I want freedom, but I don’t want to pay for it,’ whined Representative Watts (R-OK), giving alert budget-watchers a Maalox moment late last month.