Take Heartburn medication Such As Antacid, H2 Blockers And PPIs
The number of sufferers of heartburn is many and it is believed that as many as sixty million plus Americans have had that misfortune to have experienced heartburn, which is why it is probably also the most lucrative medical problem from the point of view of the many heartburn medication manufacturing companies. When a person experiences a searing burning pain that can start from the breastbone and move upwards, the condition more than likely is nothing but heartburn. In such a condition, the stomach acid ends up moving the wrong way and leaves the stomach to enter a person's esophagus which is consequently inflamed as well as irritated.
Neutralizing Acids Present In The Stomach
Approaching the problem of heartburn can take three different routes in which the first method used would be to take antacids which provide temporary relief. Such medications consist of calcium carbonate, magnesium as well as aluminum which help in neutralizing the acid present in the stomach and they are also known to act in a quick manner. There are antacids such as Pepto-Bismol that prevent the acid from making contact with the esophagus and thus help prevent heartburn. Other heartburn medication such as Gaviscon help in making a foam barrier that lies between the stomach and the esophagus.
Another type of heartburn medication is H2 blockers of which certain drugs such as Cimetidine, Ranitidine, and Nizatidine as also Famstidine help in giving relief from heartburn as they suppress the production of acid in the stomach. This form of heartburn medication only take an hour or two to provide relief and this relief may last for at most twelve hours.
You might also want to try out proton pump inhibitors (PPI) which include Omeprazole and also Lansoprozole that help switch off the production of acid though in a manner that is not the same as that of H2 blockers. With this heartburn medication, the proton pump in the stomach's mucus lining is interfered with and thus effectively provides relief from heartburn within an hour while its effects are good for a whole day. It is also possible to use these heartburn medications in combination by taking antacid along with H2 blockers which will provide immediate relief as well as long term relief respectively.
Though the effectiveness of these heartburn medications is yet to be established most physicians would agree that they are good supporting medications. An alternative to these heartburn medications is taking OTC drugs, which are effective up to a point; though for a problem that lasts for a longer period, it may be necessary to get advice from your physician since the heartburn could be a warning of an even worse and more serious condition.
