Acid Reflux (GERD) Medications
...and the Side Effects They Cause
Acid reflux, also known as GERD, is that burning feeling that occurs in the chest especially after eating certain foods, eating late at night, or lying down after a meal. If you experience these episodes of reflux, then over time you'll no doubt get to know what specific foods can cause your flare-ups. However, it is well known that not only do certain foods tend to be the culprits for most people, but in general acid reflux can be triggered by the following:
- Alcohol & carbonated drinks
- Chocolate, peppermint
- Coffee and tea
- Eating a large meal (in particular, meals that are very fatty)
- Excess weight
- Lying down after a meal
- Milk
- Pregnancy
- Smoking
- Tomatoes
If you have acid reflux only occasionally then it will usually resolve by itself and you don't have too much to worry about. However, it if happens on a regular basis then you need to bite the bullet and make that trip to your doctor. Persistent acid reflux can cause inflammation and scarring of your esophagus a.k.a. your "food pipe", or gullet and this in turn can make it hard for you to swallow... yikes! Worse yet, chronic GERD can potentially eventually lead to a pre-cancerous condition called Barrett's Esophagus. So how can you avoid all this? Here are some things you can do on your own at home to help treat and prevent the symptoms of GERD/acid reflux: - Milk... is a big no-no: it's believed to be an age old remedy for "what ails you" but in this case, run don't walk away from milk to soothe your heartburn symptoms. It may feel good going down initially but in about half an hour your symptoms may come back... and they may be even worse than before! This is because milk stimulates more acid production in your stomach leading to... yes, you guessed it... more reflux.
- Loosen that belt: no, no... I don't mean it in the sense of you "spending more money", but rather in a more practical sense. If your belt (if you happen to be wearing one during a meal), or clothing for that matter is too tight, particularly if you have an especially large meal, your stomach gets squeezed which in turn pushes the acids upwards resulting in... you guessed it... more reflux. So loosen your belt after eating a big meal.
- Raise the head of your bed: lying down at an upward angle will keep stomach acids from flowing back into your esophagus. Do whatever you need to do to create an angle when lying down; you can try putting a wedge under your mattress or propping up your bed frame using books or blocks.
- Quit smoking: cut out all forms of nicotine. Smoking affects the mechanism that keeps stomach acid in your stomach which will either cause you to have reflux or make the reflux worse.
- Eat smaller meals and eat more frequently: overeating results in your stomach being squeezed which in turn pushes the acids in your stomach upwards. Eat about four to six small meals evenly spread throughout the day.
- Caffeine, caffeine... cut it out: caffeine can cause your stomach to produce more acid so you'll need to cut it out of your diet in every form - soda, coffee, tea and yes even chocolate...
- Say goodbye to fatty foods too!: fat slows down the rate at which your stomach empties itself after a meal; fatty foods can also irritate your esophagus... all not good.
- No more bubbly for you: in the same way that smoking affects the stomach's mechanism for keeping in acids, alcohol does the same thing so in order to avoid episodes of reflux you'll have to cut out alcohol.
- Lose the excess weight: being overweight can contribute to worsened episodes of reflux but losing and maintaining a weight that is appropriate for your height will help to alleviate that.
Drugs Used To Treat Acid Reflux (GERD)
Antacids: - Calcium carbonate (Tums, Titralac, Alka-2)
- Magnesium hydroxide, Aluminum hydroxide (in various combinations) (Alka-Seltzer, Maalox, Mylanta, Rolaids, Riopan, etc.)
- Sucralfate (Carafate)
Foaming Agents: Histamine (H-2) Blockers: - Cimetidine (Tagamet, Tagamet HB)
- Famotidine (Pepcid, Pepcid AC)
- Nizatidine (Axid, Axid AR)
- Ranitidine (Zantac, Zantac 75)
Proton Pump Inhibitors: Prokinetics: - Bethanechol (Urecholine)
- Cisapride (Propulsid)
- Metoclopramide (Reglan)
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July 7, 2009
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