Treat Acid Reflux

How Acid Reflux Medications Work
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Defined Tag: Acid Reflux Medication.

Heartburn, or acid reflux, can be a serious condition and as such it should be checked out by a doctor if symptoms persist for more than 3-4 days. Your family doctor will more than likely refer you to a gastroenterologist if he/she deems it appropriate and this specialised doctor will be able to help with acid reflux medications and diet advice so that the condition can be effectively controlled.

If the condition is persistent and acid reflux medications are found to have little or no effect then surgery may be required but this only happens in the most severe of cases. Often a few lifestyle changes are enough to combat the painful symptoms of acid reflux.

Before being prescribed acid reflux medications the gastroenterologist will suggest a number a ways in which the condition can be controlled naturally. For example eating small meals regularly can reduce the amount of acid produced by the stomach. In addition, the diet may need to be monitored so that foods which stimulate the secretion of acid in the stomach are kept to a minimum. The doctor may also suggest you lose weight if you are above the recommended target for your age and size.

Smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages will need to be cut out completely as both nicotine and alcohol stimulate the stomach to produce the harmful acid that causes the painful symptoms associated with acid reflux.

If after a set period of time these preventative measures don’t help then the doctor will prescribe acid reflux medication. There are a number of acid reflux medication and the one that is prescribed will depend on the severity of the symptoms and any other illness you may also suffer from.

The most common type of acid reflux medications are the antacids i.e. Alka-Seltzer, Pepto-Bismol etc. As the name suggests these work by reducing the acidity of the stomach contents. Often this type of medication contain one or a combination of the salts of magnesium, calcium and aluminium and some form of bicarbonate. The salts act to neutralize the acid and stop the painful acid reflux. Unfortunately the effects are relatively short lived and so antacids are best used for infrequent bouts of acid reflux.

Gaviscon works in a different way. This foams up in the stomach and prevents the harmful acid from attacking the stomach walls and travelling up the oesophagus. Both antacids and foaming remedies can be bought over the counter.

There are two main types of acid reflux medications however that are not available without consulting a doctor first. Proton pump inhibitors such as Prilosec, Protonix and Nexium slow down the rate at which acid is secreted in the stomach by shutting down the pumping mechanism in the walls of the stomach cell walls. This type of acid
reflux medication is used to treat even the most severe cases with very good results.

H2 blockers such as Zantac, also slow down the production of acid from by the stomach however the effect is not as strong as that of proton pump inhibitors and so H2 blockers are used to treat slightly milder cases.

Acid Reflux can be very painful but it is definitely treatable. For more information and resources on acid reflux treatment, please visit this site at http://www.treat-acid-reflux.com.