Over-the-counter
Acid Reflux Medicines, Antacids and H2 Blocker
The most popular over-the-counter acid reflux
medicines are antacids and H2 blocker.
Antacid as acid reflux
medicine
Antacids work by decreasing the acidity of the reflux
liquid that is irritating the esophagus. It does so by reducing the
overall acidity level in the stomach. Less acid means less acid reflux.
Some people use antacids acid reflux medicine with a
foaming agent. When these two are combined, they form a foam barrier in
the stomach, which floats over the content of the stomach. This
formation prevents acid from back up into the esophagus.
The side effects of long term use of antacids acid
reflux medicine include:
- Increased risk of kidney stones
- Diarrhea from some antacids such as Milk of Magnesia
and constipation from others such as Amphogel and Alternagel.
- Antacids such as Tums, Titralac and Alka-2 may lead
to excessive calcium in the blood, resulting in kidney failure.
H2 blocker as acid reflux
medicine
H2 blocker, also known as H2 receptor antagonists,
helps to relief the symptom of acid reflux by inhibiting acid secretion
in the stomach. Same as antacids, when the stomach acid reduces, acid
reflux also reduces.
Not all H2 blockers are available over-the-counter.
Some H2 blockers actually require doctor's prescription. The
over-the-counter H2 blocker does not relief acid reflux symptom as
quickly as antacids, but the effect last longer.
The common over-the-counter H2 blocker includes
Tagamet, Zantac, Axid and Pepcid.
The side effects of using H2 blockers include
headache, diarrhea, dizziness and rashes. Some reports also suggest that
long term use of such acid reflux medicine may cause cancerous changes
in the stomach.
Both acid reflux medicine, antacids and H2 blocker,
have been proven to an effective acid reflux medicine for most people.
However, you should note that these acid reflux medicines do not heal
acid reflux disease. Neither do they prevent acid reflux from happening
again. It is merely an effective acid reflux medicine to relief acid
reflux symptom.
You may want to note that the acid that is secreted
from the stomach is actually used for proper digestion. By neutralizing
it with antacids or preventing the secretion with H2 blocker, you are
causing disruption in your digestive system. As a result, long term
usage of antacids may lead to other complicated side effects.
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