Heartburn & Stomach Acid

Causes
Heartburn can be caused by eating too much, especially fatty foods or chocolate. Alcohol, mint, and caffeine can also cause it in some people, and there may be a genetic predisposition to the condition. Smoking, pregnancy, and drugs such as sedatives and calcium channel blockers can also cause it, as can eating on the run, stress, excess weight, and eating right before bed.

Managing heartburn. Treatment is mostly common sense, aimed at keeping the stomach contents in the stomach where they belong and avoiding an increase in pressure on the abdomen. Experts recommend these guidelines:

Don't eat right before going to bed.
Try more frequent, smaller meals.
Don't drink liquids before or after meals, to avoid distending the stomach.
Lose weight if you need to.
Avoid foods that cause the sphincter muscle to relax, including alcohol, coffee, chocolate, fat, peppermint, and spearmint.
Don't bend over or lie down right after eating.
Avoid tight-fitting clothes.
Elevate the head of your bed four to six inches.
Take antacids or acid-reducing drugs if prescribed by your doctor.
Stop smoking.
If the problem continues or gets worse, you should also avoid foods and beverages that can irritate a damaged esophageal lining, such as citrus and tomato products, and pepper.

Severe and recurrent heartburn. Most doctors recommend treating recurrent heartburn aggressively, since it can worsen and lead to other problems such as hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, and weight loss. Untreated GERD can also lead to Barrett's esophagus, a condition in which the type of cells lining the esophagus changes, and which is a precursor to cancer in some people.

The most common treatments for heartburn are antacids, which work to neutralize the stomach acid; H2 blockers, which reduce the stomach's ability to secrete acid; and proton inhibitors, which suppress even more stomach acid. The H2 blockers, available in both over-the-counter and prescription strengths, include such familiar names as Axid, Pepcid, Tagamet, and Zantac. The more powerful proton pump inhibitors, available only by prescription, include AcipHex, Prevacid, Prilosec, and Protonix. Your doctor may also prescribe the drug Reglan to stimulate esophageal contractions and strengthen the sphincter muscle.

Surgery for heartburn. Fewer than 10 percent of people with severe heartburn are candidates for surgery. Operations may be helpful to tighten the lower esophageal sphincter and correct the hiatal hernia that often accompanies severe heartburn, but surgery is only appropriate for people with severe symptoms that do not respond to any other therapy.

The much-maligned hiatal (or hiatus) hernia routinely gets the blame for acid backflow and heartburn. In reality, most hiatal hernias never cause a problem, though a few may be accompanied by heartburn. The most common type, a sliding hiatus hernia (shown here), is characterized by an upward displacement of both the stomach and the esophagus, allowing a portion of the stomach to protrude above the diaphragm that separates the stomach from the lungs. In the rarer paraesophageal type of hiatus hernia, a segment of the stomach pushes up beside the esophagus. This condition invites strangulation of the protruding tissue and is considered a cause for surgery.

Treating Ulcers
Several types of drugs may be used in combination to treat ulcers, including the acid-reducing H2 blockers and proton pump inhibitors, and protective coating agents such as Carafate. If H. pylori is at fault, these drugs are used in combination with antibiotics. A bland diet or avoiding certain foods is no longer considered necessary or effective.

Although we now have a sure cure for most ulcers, there's no guarantee that it will be offered to you. Many doctors continue to use the traditional treatments, perhaps because antibiotic therapy is fairly rigorous. The recommended therapy may require up to 3 different medications, 4 times each day, for 2 weeks; and some unpleasant, short-term side effects are common. Prepackaged triple-drug treatments are available under the brand names Helidac Therapy and Prevpac. Less effective but simpler to administer is a dual therapy combining an antibiotic with an acid reducer in a 1- or 2-week treatment.

Many doctors fear that such complicated and unpleasant regimens simply won't be followed by their patients. However, the alternatives continued pain or the risk of surgery provide a powerful incentive to eliminate the problem once and for all.

Ulcers usually heal quickly with proper medical treatment, and eradicating H. pylori keeps most of them from coming back. Today, surgery should be needed only if the ulcer does not respond to treatment or complications arise.

Some very common medicines, both prescription and over-the-counter, can play havoc with the digestive system. Taken as directed, they should not cause serious side effects, but long-term use or misuse can lead to problems. Always read the labels, and check with your doctor before adding any new medicine to those you are already taking. The older we get, the more susceptible we seem to be to drug interactions that cause side effects.

Here is a list of common Heartburn & Stomach Acid drugs to buy at 24/7 Pharmacy online drugstore:

Heartburn & Stomach Acid: Esomeprazole magnesium 40mg Famotidine 40mg, Pepsid generic Losec 20mg, Omeprazole Nexium 40mg, Esomeprazole Omeprazole Pantecta 40mg, Pantoprazole Pariet - AcipHex 20mg, Rabeprazole sodium Prilosec 20mg, Omeprazole Primperan 10mg Metoclopramide Oral Zantac, Ranitidine