 |
Lifestyle
changes (such as avoiding certain foods and not eating before
bedtime) can reduce the incidence of heartburn, but may not be
sufficient to control even mild cases of GERD. For mild yet
uncontrollable cases and for moderate to severe cases, GERD is
treated first with drugs and, if this is unsuccessful, with
surgery.
Two types of drugs
are generally used for treatment. H2-blockers such as
Tagamet, Pepcid, Axid, and Zantac help cut the stomach's
production of acid and work best for people with mild GERD. For
moderate or severe GERD, proton pump inhibitors can be used, which
are six to 10 times stronger than H2-blockers. These
include drugs such as Prilosec, Prevacid, Aciphex, Nexxium, and
Protonix, which turn off the acid pumps that stimulate the
production of acid from the stomach.
|
