Heartburn Relief Medications

Heartburn relief is sought by the millions of people worldwide who experience the pain and discomfort of acid reflux. For the occasional and mild cases of heartburn, over the counter antacids may be sufficient to bring rapid relief. In severe cases, these antacids may be insufficient. In any case, any form of heartburn relief is greatly appreciated by the sufferer and helps continue with their daily activities.

In the case of people who suffer from chronic or a severe form of heartburn, medical practitioners will be able to suggest a course of treatment to bring about heartburn relief. Apart from lifestyle changes, certain medications may be part of the treatment plan. We may be aware of some of these medications due to the numerous advertisements on television, health-related magazines and personal references from friends and family members. It is very useful to understand the nature of these medications that may be depended upon to bring about heartburn relief.

H2-Receptor Blockers

H2-Receptor Blockers is a class of heartburn relief medication that reduces the secretion of acids in the stomach largely by blocking the actions of histamines. This type of medication has been around from the 1960s and was developed to bring relief for various ailments like heartburn, stomach ulcers and dyspepsia.

A distinct advantage of using H2-receptor blockers is that it can be taken before a meal to suppress the buildup of stomach acids and brings about heartburn relief for a chronic sufferer. An additional advantage is that the palliative impact of the medication lasts for than 6 hours. The heartburn symptoms are avoided and the singed esophagus gets an opportunity to gradually heal; especially in the case of chronic heartburn patients. The most well know drugs in this class include Tagamet and Zantac. In fact by 1988, Zantac was the prescription drug with the highest sales.

Proton Pump Inhibitors

Currently, the most preferred medication; beating H2 receptor blockers, is another class of drugs called proton pump inhibitors. Proton pump inhibitors work in a similar way to bring about heartburn relief but only more effectively. These drugs halt the secretion of enzyme generation in the gastric cells, instead of merely inhibiting the catalysts that cause the generation.

The inert inhibitors only become active when they enter the stomach. They block the generation of the caustic stomach acids and help the sufferer begin his or her road to heartburn relief. The proton pump inhibitors continue to work for more than two days. A well know brand in this category of medications is Prilosec.

Before any drugs are taken for heartburn relief, it is important to seek medical help to confirm the symptoms and the right dosages. While several options are available, it would be useful to note that the use of proton pump inhibitors have largely over taken the use of h2-receptor blockers in the treatment of chronic heartburn.

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