So you have just discovered that the chronic heartburn and discomfort you have become a prey of is GERD, which if left untreated can be fatal.
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease is a disorder of the esophagus where the muscular ring called the lower esophageal sphincter is weakened and hence allows stomach acids to pass into the esophagus, resulting in heartburn.
GERD, unfortunately cannot be cured at present but it can be contained with the use of medications. Chiefly the medicines prescribed for GERD fall into two categories $%: antacids such as magnesium hydroxide, aluminium hydroxide, calcium carbonate and the combination magnesium-aluminium hydroxide for mild symptoms and medicines that decrease or inhibit the production of stomach acid such as cimetidine, ranitidine and famotidine which are histamine H2 antagonists and proton pump inhibitors such as omeprazole ,lansoprazole, pantoprazole and rabeprazole.
Proton pump inhibitors (PPI$%:s) are the most commonly prescribed medicines for the treatment of acid-related disorders. They work by blocking the center of acid production in the parietal cell of the stomach. But, fortunately, because there are millions of parietal cells that keep reproducing, the total inhibition of stomach acid is almost impossible, which may one of the reasons these medications are extremely safe.
In the market there are five PPI$%:s which have been effective in healing esophagitis in 90-94% of patients. In the order that they were produced, the brand names are Prilosec, Prevacid, Protonix, Aciphex and Nexium. PPI$%:s greatly reduce but do not completely purge the production of stomach acid, which is the cause of the symptoms. These five PPI$%:s have comparable effectiveness and very few side effects. They work best if ingested before a meal. There are four H2 receptor blockers which decrease stomach acid production to a modest extent and are inexpensive.
At the end of the day, GERD can be limited by adopting lifestyle changes coupled with these prescription medications.
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