Well I am back on my 10mg of acid reflux medication and guess what? I am again suffering heartburn. I am having to take antacids to supplement my normal acid reflux medication.
The trouble with antacids is that the effects only last a short time and you have to take more. This is fine if you only have minor heartburn symptoms on an infrequent basis. But keep in mind that antacids will not cure your heartburn and once you stop taking them the heartburn will usually return.
When you have acid reflux disease you are constantly producing acid and you would be taking antacids about once an hour to keep the symptoms at bay, but taking antacids on a regular basis has side effects.
Antacids are still the mainstay for fighting acid reflux despite the development of more potent medications. The thing with antacids is that they can be bought over the counter, and in some ways this is a good thing but in others it may be a problem in that you miss getting a proper diagnosis from your doctor.
Antacids are usually aluminium, magnesium or calcium based which can have different side effects. Because they neutralize the acid for a while but when the effects wear off the stomach tries to produce more acid called acid rebound which results in the overproduction of acid.
Aluminium based antacids tend to cause constipation, while magnesium based ones tent to cause diarrhea.
Another problem is that antacids may interfere with the absorption of other medication from the digestive system into the blood, so there should be a gap of about two hours between taking antacids and other medication. It may also impede the proper digestion and assimilation of food.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
More on acid reflux medication
Well my acid reflux seems to be in check at the moment. The reason is that I have been taking double the dose of my Omeprazole medication, 20 mg instead of 10 for the last three days. It makes an incredible difference to me, so I really do not know why my doctor changed me from 20 mg to 10. On the 10 mg of acid reflux medication it is always touch and go whether I will get heartburn or not. While on the 20 mg dose it seems to completely stop the acid. I am going to have to find out why I should be on only the 10 mg dose?
The problem with taking medication as opposed to a more natural way of relieving the acid reflux is that they may have side effects, and when you read what the people who advocate the more holistic approach have to say about the medication they seem to think it is pretty dangerous. Another problem with the medication according to the holistic believers is that medication impedes the proper digestion of your food and also only treats the symptoms of heartburn but does not actually treat the cause. Therefore if you are on acid reflux medicine it is more than likely you will be on it for life. Not a pleasant thought I might add, but at least it is better than suffering heartburn everyday.
I think my next job will be to find out what the side effects of taking the medication are.
The problem with taking medication as opposed to a more natural way of relieving the acid reflux is that they may have side effects, and when you read what the people who advocate the more holistic approach have to say about the medication they seem to think it is pretty dangerous. Another problem with the medication according to the holistic believers is that medication impedes the proper digestion of your food and also only treats the symptoms of heartburn but does not actually treat the cause. Therefore if you are on acid reflux medicine it is more than likely you will be on it for life. Not a pleasant thought I might add, but at least it is better than suffering heartburn everyday.
I think my next job will be to find out what the side effects of taking the medication are.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Acid reflux medicine
Today I will be watching my football team playing down the pub so I have to get my acid reflux medication right. I have taken double the doze of my usual morning tablets Omeprazole, and I am really watching the kind of food I eat which sets off my heartburn. I should be eating what I call acid reflux diet food all the time but have fell by the wayside on that front over the last 5 years or so. As I know there is no proper cure for acid reflux disease, unless I have an operation I try to keep it in check with the medication without making massive changes to my diet. I know this is wrong but taking the tablets is the easy way out rather than changing my entire lifestyle. In the future I may have to rethink this strategy as I know that changing my diet and cutting down on alcohol is probably better in the long term.
There are three main types of acid reflux medication that I know of and I keep a supply of all of them at hand.
Antacids are the usual types of acid reflux medication most people take for heartburn but the effects usually only last for an hour or two. I keep these at hand all the time and use them when I require a quick fix.
The next type of medication which where developed purely to combat acid reflux are called histamine antagonists or H2 antagonists. They work by inhibiting the production of histamine which stimulates the acid producing cells to secrete acid. They are brilliant leap forward from just taking antacids and the effects last for about 12 hours. They are usually taken at least 30 minutes before a meal so that they become active after eating when the production of stomach acid is at it,s highest.
The third and best, also the newest for of acid reflux medication specifically made for the job are called proton pump inhibitors or PPI,s. they shut off the acid more completely and one tablet will last for up to 24 hours. I take mine first thing in the morning and usually it will last until the next day.
There are three main types of acid reflux medication that I know of and I keep a supply of all of them at hand.
Antacids are the usual types of acid reflux medication most people take for heartburn but the effects usually only last for an hour or two. I keep these at hand all the time and use them when I require a quick fix.
The next type of medication which where developed purely to combat acid reflux are called histamine antagonists or H2 antagonists. They work by inhibiting the production of histamine which stimulates the acid producing cells to secrete acid. They are brilliant leap forward from just taking antacids and the effects last for about 12 hours. They are usually taken at least 30 minutes before a meal so that they become active after eating when the production of stomach acid is at it,s highest.
The third and best, also the newest for of acid reflux medication specifically made for the job are called proton pump inhibitors or PPI,s. they shut off the acid more completely and one tablet will last for up to 24 hours. I take mine first thing in the morning and usually it will last until the next day.
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