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The Five Kinds of Drugs for Acid Reflux

31st October, 2010 - Posted by health news - No Comments

It’s time you start educating yourself concerning the various medications that could ease your pain when you’re experiencing an attack of acid reflux. Even though the problem commonly isn’t critical, it is still quite painful and can go on for a few moments. What you should know is which medications will provide you with immediate relief from the discomfort and if they’ll likewise effectively assuage the conditions within your body that gave you the problem to begin with. With so many over-the-counter medications on the market, how can you determine what is going to work fastest and most effectively for you.

To begin with, you have to evaluate the different categories of acid reflux medications in order to find something that you think will work for you. These different groups are:

1. Antacids

2. Oral suspension medicines

3. Anti-gas, anti-flatulance medications

4. H-2 Receptor Blockers

5. Proton pump inhibitors

Antacids are medications like Rolaids, Tums, and Mylanta. If a person suffers from mild acid reflux attacks or ones that simply occur once in a great while, these are fast-acting solutions to your condition that will help you get rid of heartburn related symptoms. They function through neutralizing gastric acid, and their benefits are present only until they pass from your system.

Oral suspension medications are advised for individuals who experience acid reflux less than two times each week. Some of the well-known oral suspensions are Pepto Bismal and Carafate. They are momentary solutions to the problem, simply because they line the stomach and esophagus in order to safeguard them from irritation, plus they wear off rapidly. They could also be used to treat diarrhea and nausea.

Anti-gas medicines help relieve the gas that often comes with acid reflux. Over-the-counter brands consist of Gas-X and Beano. They are created to break up gas bubbles and relieve bloating.

H-2 receptor blockers are medications which include Pepcid-AC and Zantac, medications for acid reflux that used to be prescription medications yet are now sold over-the-counter. If you simply experience acid reflux symptoms once or twice monthly, these might be for you. They are economical and function through shutting off the production of gastric acid. Even though H-2 receptor blockers are longer-lasting than other medications for mild acid reflux, they take as long as half an hour to kick in once you take them.

In case your symptoms happen more frequently and are more severe, you may want to try proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). These must be used under a doctor’s care because they are being utilized for more critical problems. Some of the medications that fall under this group are Nexium, Prevacid, and Prilosec. They hinder acid production and help to treat the damaged esophageal tissues.