5 Reasons Why Your Heartburn Medicine Isn't Working - Article Health

If you have horrible, persistent heartburn, relief can be as simple as popping a pill once or twice a day. Proton pump inhibitors, or PPIs, put the kibosh on the stomachs acid production, keeping gastric juice from backing up into the esophagus and causing pain. (PPIs include brand names such as Nexium, Prevacid, Prilosec, and Protonix.)

5 ways to help your heartburn
Fortunately, there are things acid reflux patients can do to help prevent and minimize breakthrough symptoms.

Take your medication as prescribed. If you dont know how and when to take it, call your doctor for specific instructions.

Dont hit the sack on a full belly. Lying down within three to four hours of consuming a large meal, particularly a late-evening feast, could spell trouble. "My big push is to keep the patients away from late eating, large meals and recumbency," Dr. Johnson says. Such a triple threat may pose too large of an insult on the body, one that even PPIs—the gold standard in GERD treatment—cant handle. For nighttime symptoms (especially regurgitation of fluid back into the esophagus or mouth), Dr. Johnson suggests elevating the head of the bed with some blocks or using a bed wedge to elevate the upper torso.

Shed a few pounds. A 2006 study in the New England Journal of Medicine found a strong link between GERD symptoms and body mass index, even in women of normal weight. Using data from a survey of more than 10,500 participants in the Nurses Health Study, researchers from Boston University and Harvard Medical School found that overweight and obese women were two to three times as likely as thinner women to have frequent reflux symptoms. Moderate weight gain, even in normal-weight people, may exacerbate reflux symptoms, according to the study. "A reduction of even 2.5 pounds may be enough for some patients to decrease or eliminate their reflux symptoms," Dr. Johnson points out.

Try an over-the-counter drug. Drugs like Tagamet HB, Pepcid AC, Axid AR, and Zantac 75 are very effective in knocking out acid, Dr. Richter says. The paradox is theyre not very effective when taken daily, because people develop a tolerance to the drug, he adds. "What I suggest to my patients is that they take an over-the-counter H2 blocker when they have their breakthrough symptoms," he says. "That seems to give them better control."

Recognize the foods that trigger your breakthrough symptoms. If jalapeños or onions always get the better of you, consider skipping those items. If youre going out for a spicy Mexican meal, taking an H2 blocker an hour or so before may help ward off your symptoms before they start.

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