There are many ways to treat acid reflux syndrome, and one of the things you might hear about the most are proton pump inhibitors (PPI’s). These are the most commonly advertised types of medications, and they come in both OTC (over-the-counter) and prescription strength. These are really great for those who have a lot of problems with their reflux recurring day in and day out. However, they might not be needed for everyone all of the time. You should talk to your doctor about how often you have pain, and what they think would be the best for you.

Proton pump inhibitors do more than just help soothe pain. They do something to reduce the pain and keep the levels of acid down in the stomach. These medications will actually stop many of the acid pumps in the stomach from producing acid.

The idea is if you have less acid production in your stomach, you won’t have the problem of the acid backing up into the esophagus. When this happens, the damage from acid reflux has time to heal. PPI’s can also be used for people who have ulcers in their stomachs.

Those who have had damage to the esophagus might have to take a prescription proton pump inhibitor to give the tissues time to heal. These are prescribed by a doctor, and they will need to be taken anywhere from two weeks to two months.

Because the amounts of acid are reduced, you will feel relief from your bouts of heartburn, and all tissues have breathing room to heal as they should. After the prescription has run out, you can probably take the OTC version of proton pump inhibitor. They aren’t as strong, but if the tissues have healed, you don’t need the prescription strength any longer.

There are some side effects with proton pump inhibitors that you do have to watch out for. If something is giving you problems, you may have to try a different medication. The goods news about this is that there are many different PPI type medications that you can try until you find something that does not bother you.

Some of the most common side effects are diarrhea, gas, and upset stomach. Occassionally people report experiencing dry mouth and headache. These are pretty rare though, and most won’t have problems with them.

Make sure you talk about all of your symptoms with your doctor so they can recommend the best medication for your acid reflux syndrome. If you are taking any other type of medication, either OTC or prescriptions, ask about drug interactions to be sure you will be safe.

You should be sure to let them know if you are pregnant, nursing, or have kidney problems. They may want to give you something else any of those are true for you. Also ask if there is anything else you can do to help your acid reflux syndrome. They might give you a food list, or recommend stress reduction to help with healing and to offer more relief.

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