Five Basic Acid Reflux Medicine
Suffering from
Gastroesophageal Regurgitation Disease (GERD) is very annoying and restricting. It is considered as a chronic illness that is precipitated by high fat content foods, alcoholic and sodas beverages and eating large full meals. A person, who is diagnosed with GERD or otherwise known as acid reflux, will have symptoms like heartburn and regurgitation due to the influx of acid to the esophagus which causes damage. There are people who become reliable to acid reflux medicine to avoid these symptoms.
For those who are going through this condition, a diet modification and lifestyle changes can actually help keep the symptoms away temporarily. They can avoid foods that trigger the symptoms, stop smoking, or lose some weight. But for those who constantly go through the pain and the burning sensation severely, your doctor can recommend either of the following medications.
Antacids
These are over-the-counter drugs with popular brand names of Tums, Maalox and Mylanta. Its action is to provide fast acting relief by neutralizing the acid in the stomach. There are antacids that come in liquid form to reduce the amount of acid in the stomach. Most people took this for short relief after intake of foods that trigger the symptoms. Users should be aware that overuse of this drug can lead to adverse effects like constipation and diarrhea. Worst cases would lead to dehydration and electrolyte imbalance.
Oral suspensions
These are usually short acting medications that act to coat the lining of the esophagus to treat heartburn, nausea, diarrhea, and ulcers. The most popular brand is Carafate.
Anti- flatulence
These drugs can relieve pressure, bloating, and gas that accumulate in the digestive tract due to heartburn. This is also an over-the-counter drug which is on a tablet form. Familiar brands are Gas-X and Phazyme.
H-2-blocker
At sometime, these medications require prescription, but now Pepcid and Zantac can be bought over –the-counter. They are used for mild reflux and can relieve the symptoms by preventing acid production in the stomach. They act late compared to the prior medicines discussed but the effect is prolonged. This should be taken thirty minutes before meal, to reach its optimum effect.
Proton pump inhibitor
Medications such as Prevaid and Nexium basically stop acid production and at the same time provide healing to the damaged esophageal tissues. This is commonly taken by people suffering from severe symptoms. This is by far the safest and most effective treatment for GERD and other digestive problems.
People should take note of their condition especially the occurrence of symptoms. The worst case of GERD is when the esophagus narrows, and there will be difficulty of swallowing or on the long run can cause cancer.
Acid Reflux medicine should be taken according to the doctor’s advice. This is to assure effectiveness and prevention of symptoms recurrence.
