Can
GERD Medications Cure Acid
Reflux?
There
are many people who suffer from GERD, or
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, in which
acid from the stomach travels back up the
esophagus to afflict the person with pain
from the acid.
There are many different reasons for GERD
depending on the patient, ranging from dietary
issues to problems with the nerves and muscles
of the esophagus or the stomach itself.
There are also different diseases and illnesses
that can create GERD in some patients, such as
cancer, diabetes, Chron's disease, and
asthma. Since there are so many different
causes of GERD, it is important that
individuals consult their doctors to find out
what the root cause of the disease is so that
it can be treated through diet and GERD
medications.
Types of
Medication
There are different types of medications for
GERD that are prescribed by doctors.
There are some medications that are called
Proton Pump Inhibitors or
PPI. These GERD medications
are typically taken about an hour before
breakfast in the morning. These
medications typically help to reduce the acid
in patients that use them and can usually even
be taken by children. There are side
effects to the medication that are sometimes
experienced by users such as headaches,
diarrhea and nausea. However, these
medications can be very effective for many
people who are afflicted by GERD.
These medications are usually only used if
dietary changes and other ant-acids are not
effective for the patient. Dietary
changes usually require the patient to
eliminate acidic foods from the diet and also
fatty foods. The combination of acidic
and fatty foods together is a potent mixture
for those with GERD and must be eliminated from
the diet. Once those changes have been
made and the patient is still experiencing
GERD, then the prescribed GERD medications such
as Proton Pump Inhibitors are usually
prescribed as the second stage before moving to
a surgical option if the PPI's don't work.
Some of the common PPI's on the market today
are Prilosec, Protonix, AcipHex,
Nexium, and Prevacid. Don't
be afraid to talk to your doctor about generic
gerd medication. These will usually be
prescribed in low doses at first, raising the
dose to the level that works for that
particular individual. There are some
people who have to take the medicine twice per
day at the beginning to get the acid reflux
under control and then move to once per day
after a few days have gone by with improved
GERD relief and no observed side effects from
the GERD medications.
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