diff --git a/GNUmakefile b/GNUmakefile
index 54c14af9..d1842d41 100755
--- a/GNUmakefile
+++ b/GNUmakefile
@@ -1064,7 +1064,16 @@ ifneq ($(filter -DDEBUG -DDEBUG=1,$(CXXFLAGS)),)
       endif # CXXFLAGS
     endif # HAS_NEWLIB
   endif # USING_GLIBCXX
-endif # GNU Debug build
+
+  ifeq ($(XLC_COMPILER),1)
+   TPROG = TestPrograms/test_cxx.cxx
+   TOPT = -qheapdebug -qro
+   HAVE_OPT = $(shell $(CXX) $(TCXXFLAGS) $(ZOPT) $(TOPT) $(TPROG) -o $(TOUT) 2>&1 | tr ' ' '\n' | wc -l)
+   ifeq ($(strip $(HAVE_OPT)),0)
+    CXXFLAGS += -qheapdebug -qro
+   endif  # CXXFLAGS
+  endif # XLC_COMPILER
+endif  # Debug build
 
 # Dead code stripping. Issue 'make lean'.
 ifeq ($(findstring lean,$(MAKECMDGOALS)),lean)
diff --git a/stdcpp.h b/stdcpp.h
index 80da2fd7..838d1766 100644
--- a/stdcpp.h
+++ b/stdcpp.h
@@ -32,6 +32,14 @@ namespace std {
 }
 #endif
 
+// workaround needed for IBM XLC and debug heaps on AIX
+#if defined(_AIX) && (defined(__xlc__) || defined(__xlC__) || defined(__ibmxl__))
+namespace std {
+	using ::_debug_memset;
+	using ::_debug_memcpy;
+}
+#endif
+
 // make_unchecked_array_iterator
 #if _MSC_VER >= 1600
 #include <iterator>
@@ -81,4 +89,4 @@ namespace std {
 using std::log;
 #endif
 
-#endif
+#endif  // CRYPTOPP_STDCPP_H