Fight Acid Reflux With Prilosec
February 25th, 2010
Acid reflux disease is known in the medical scene as GERD or Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. This is a preventable disorder and can be really painful when it happens. GERD occurs when there is just about too much acid production in the stomach and the acid rolls back up to the esophagus, thereby irritating it.
Acid reflux symptoms include heartburn, dysphagia or difficulty in swallowing and regurgitation (throwing up of swallowed food). Sometimes, these symptoms may be present with GERD: chest pain, nausea, pain in swallowing, and excessive salivation.
Acid reflux can be prevented by taking in a drug called Prilosec, which is a proton-pump inhibitor, whose generic name is Omeprazole. Prilosec fights acid reflux by inhibiting too much acid to be produced by the stomach. With the term proton-pump inhibitor, it simply means that the drug stops the pump that produces the acid (chemically symbolized by H+ or hydrogen ion, or termed as “proton”) to work. Therefore, Prilosec works on the source of the problem, and thus reflux is prevented and the pain associated with GERD is diminished or eliminated.
BENEFITS OF TAKING PRILOSEC:
- Fights the acid reflux problem
- Stops the pain in heartburns
- Stops the acid production at the source
- Once a day pill only
- No need for prescription
- Available over-the-counter
POINTS TO REMEMBER:
- Always read the medication label before taking in the drug
- Prilosec has a 14-day treatment plan and can be repeated every 4 months
- Take the pill after waking up in the morning before meals
- If forgotten to take the pill, it should be taken the next day
- Do not take for more than 14 days in a row
- Do not take coffee or alcohol, especially at bedtime, since both coffee and alcohol increases acid production and if taken during bedtime, can cause an evening reflux
- Avoid highly fatty foods as well as smoking as these increase acid production in the stomach
- Avoid eating 2-3 hours before bedtime to prevent evening reflux
- If the chest pain presents as something different from the usual heartburn as it might include pain in the arm, neck, shoulder and jaw, please call immediately your nearest health care provider.
- Discuss further with your physician the effects of omeprazole as well as the presence of heartburn or GERD for a more detailed and comprehensive assessment of the condition
Prilosec is available in the market as an OTC (over-the-counter) drug wherein there is no need for a physician’s prescription. It is available as tablets or capsules and as powders for injections. Dosages of tablets or capsules come in strengths of 20mg, 40mg, and sometimes 80mg. These oral Prilosec forms come with enteric coating which means that they do not easily get degraded in the acidic environment of the stomach. Instead, they will degrade in the less acidic environment, usually in the small intestine, where they will be released and spread out up to the stomach to coat its lining.