How To Know When It Is Time For Acid Reflux Medication
If you are one of the many people who have been diagnosed with acid
reflux disease, you may be considering whether or not you need acid
reflux medication. If you are working with a doctor to control your
illness, you may have found that doctors will take other courses of
treatment before trying prescription medications, because often
different types of treatment will be effective. However, if you are not
getting relief from other remedies, or you have already suffered from
damage as a result of ongoing symptoms, you may be at the point of
looking into whether acid reflux medication is the right course for you.
What Comes Before Acid Reflux Medication?
Once you are diagnosed with GERD, your doctor will try many paths to get
your symptoms under control. Since GERD is caused by a faulty sphincter
in the esophagus that allows acid to come back from the stomach into the
throat and mouth, controlling the acid is often first on the agenda.
This can be attempted through lifestyle changes, such as avoiding foods
that trigger symptoms, as well as cutting back on alcohol, coffee and
smoking. Keeping weight in check and staying away from large meals can
also help patients have fewer episodes of acid reflux.
When Acid Reflux Medication Becomes Necessary
When lifestyle modifications are not enough, your doctor may recommend
over the counter acid reflux medications first, such as antacids. Many
times antacids are suggested before running tests to determine if acid
reflux disease is indeed present. The thought is that if these over the
counter remedies work well, there is no need to probe further into the
cause. If a patient continues to have problem with painful heartburn,
there becomes a risk of damage to the esophagus and larynx as well as
the constant discomfort that the symptoms bring.
At this point a doctor may prescribe acid reflux medication that will
need to be taken regularly and indefinitely to keep the acid backup in
check. These medications may include histamine-2 blockers such as Pepcid
or Zantac, or proton-pump inhibitors like Prevacid or Prilosec. Often
these medications will be prescribed before running tests since the
tests to confirm a diagnosis of acid reflux can be invasive and costly.
The good news for GERD sufferers is that treatments are available and
there are many options to try. If a doctor recommends an acid reflux
medication, it is generally because lifestyle modifications were not
enough to control symptoms. With proper medications, many patients can
be free of the discomfort of persistent heartburn, and can prevent the
damage that can possibly come with it.
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