Acid Reflux Medications - Do They Work? What Are The Side Effects?

Acid reflux medication is used to either keep the stomach from being too full or suppressing the production of stomach acids in the stomach. Acid reflux is a condition whereby food and acids been acted on by acids in the stomach move back into the esophagus instead of moving into the small intestine for further digestion and absorption.

There are certain things or lifestyles choices that can accelerate or encourage the occurrence of this, like smoking, greasy food, alcohol, caffeine, and eating chocolate. Pregnancy and obesity do play a role as well as people whose systems empty the stomach too slowly. If you suffer from constipation it leads to acid reflux as the food cannot move down into the small intestine.

It is a serious condition that leads to a lot of discomfort and will affect the person's work and school work as well as diet. It is serious also because it can cause ulcers on the stomach lining and worse can even lead to infection of the said ulcer. It can also lead to vomiting, nausea and dizziness. Other serious conditions connected to acid reflux include infection of lungs leading to pneumonia and asthma, damage of the vocal cords enamel decay.

Lifestyles changes will normally correct mild cases. It would be as simple as eating smaller meals, avoiding too much alcohol, citrus and tomato products, losing weight and not lying down before three hours after a meal.

Prescription drug treatment is offered if these changes do not correct the condition. One of the most well known is the use of antacids which in milder forms can be bought over the counter; Prilosec and Nexium are antacid drugs. Antacids work by reducing the level of acid and are taken after a meal and before bedtime.

H2 (or histamine 2) blocker agents are used limit gastric acid secretion and include such drugs as Zantac, Pepcid and Tagamet. They reduce the amount of acid secreted and also treat and prevent ulcers in the esophagus. Other drugs that are employed are proton pump inhibitors and work by blocking the proton pump in gastric cells that produce acid.

Now that we know how these drugs work let's see what the other side of the coin offers. Are there any bad side-effects from these drugs?

All prescription drugs have side- effects but a times the side-effects surpass the benefits. When acid reflux drugs block the production of stomach acid it leads to digestion problems because this acid is necessary for the proper digestion food; another very important point is that the presence of stomach acid is important in keeping a balance of the bacteria in the stomach.

t is easy to imagine what happens when this balance is disturbed and these bacteria increase. Another big problem with these acid blocking drugs is that they have to be taken all the time if they are ever stopped acid production will be higher than before leading to problems. Other side-effects are diarrhea, and abdominal pain, headache and even other symptoms similar to acid reflux; like esophageal ulceration, Barrett's esophagus and pharynx disorder

The truth is that only the symptoms are treated and the condition is never really dealt with. Acid reflux can be treated in a very short time; through simpler less costly means, like eating smaller meals, that are easy to digest. Fruits like bananas, melon and apples during the day. Snack on walnuts and almonds. It is important to eat slowly and chew food completely and thoroughly. Certain foods should be avoided during this recovery time like coffee, alcohol, and carbonated drinks as well as fried, spicy, or too crunchy food.

Besides there are many natural herbs and health store products that are useful against acid reflux; Aloe Vera juice, slippery elm, twig tea, orange peel extract and licorice products can be of great value as well as many others. It is important to avoid any stress. Relaxation, which can be achieved through meditation and Yoga, helps to expedite the healing process.

Privacy Policy Contact Us