Are you frustrated because no matter what you take, you just can’t seem to find relief from heartburn symptoms? Ready to try something else new, in the hopes that it will work where the other medications have failed you?
Stop right there — The problem might not be your medication, but how you take it.
That’s according to a new study, “Consumer Use of Over-the-Counter Proton Pump Inhibitors in Patients With Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease,” published in the June 2014 issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
Whether you buy your medication over the counter or get a prescription from your health care provider, timing is apparently everything.
Here’s what you need to know:
The Different Kinds of Heart Burn Medications Available
There are different types of heart burn medications. Some are simply antacids. WebMD’s Heartburn/GERD Health Center explains that antacids work by helping neutralize the acid that’s in your stomach. When heartburn flares, swallowing an antacid can help calm down the symptoms. Some antacids are products such as Alka Seltzer, Maalox, and the pink stuff, Pepto Bismol. These over-the-counter medicines work in a pretty straightforward way. When heart burn happens, the medicine helps relieve it.
Prescription heart burn medications are a bit different. Some of these are called H2 blockers. These medications include Pepcid, Tagamet, and a few others. These medications help reduce the amount of acid that your stomach produces.
Another kind of prescription heart burn relief medication is a proton pump inhibitor or PPI. These medicines are a step up from antacids and H2 blockers, and include Nexium, Prilosec, and others. PPIs take longer to start working than antacids and H2 blockers. However, they are better for long-term management of chronic heart burn symptoms, according to WebMD.
What New Research Has Revealed
Researchers, Imran Sheikh, Abhijeet Waghray, Nisheet Waghray, Chunrong Dong and M Michael Wolfe, said in their study that timing and planning PPI heart burn relief medication around meals is critical to its performance. The problem is, since some of these medications became available for over the counter purchase, the incidence of these medications being ineffective or less effective than they should be has increased.
The problem seems to be that many of the people who take these medications don’t take them according to the package instructions.
That’s not to say that people who receive a prescription always take their heart burn relief meds at the right time. Many of them don’t, either, and usually have the same results — low or no effectiveness.
This study included 1,959 patients. About 31 percent of those participants used heart burn relief medications for the treatment of GERD, which is Gastroesophageal reflux disease or acid reflux.
Thirty-one percent of the participants received a prescription from their gastroenterologist (GI), and 37 percent from their primary care physician or provider. Thirty-two percent used over-the-counter medications.
Among the participants who received their medication from a GI, the study showed 71 percent used their medication the right way. Forty-seven percent of patients who received a prescription from their primary care physician or provider used their medication the right way, and only about 39 percent of those using OTC medications took theirs for optimum benefit.
That’s a big difference. And it might explain why your heart burn relief medication just doesn’t seem to be working.
Kathleen Doheney, who is a HealthDay Reporter, explains the timing issue in a recent article, “You’re Taking Heartburn Meds at the Wrong Time.” She says people who use medications such as Nexium, Prevacid, and Prilosec are wasting money and not seeing the full benefit that they would by timing medication appropriately.
Dr. M. Michael Wolfe is the senior author of the study. He explains that these medications become active once they are in the body. And to make the medications active, food is required. Taking these medications on an empty stomach is not a whole lot different from swallowing a sugar pill. It won’t work if it’s not activated.
Part of the problem, according to Dr. Wolfe, is that patients are accustomed to taking an antacid after heartburn flares up. But PPIs don’t work the same was as antacids. PPIs work before heartburn has a chance to begin. They don’t neutralize heartburn once it’s started.
Breakfast is important, but so is what you eat. You should have a meal that prompts your stomach to produce some acid. Dr. Wofle suggests proteins such as eggs, cheese, or yogurt. If nothing else, even just a glass of milk or cup of coffee will help activate the medication.
What You Can Do to Optimize Your Success with PPIs
The makers of Nexium offer some tips at their website that can help you get better results than some of those who participated in the study.
If you’re a smoker, you should quit. And if you need to lose weight, you should do so. Both smoking and being overweight contribute to symptoms of heart burn.
Stress is also a problem. If you experience a lot of stress, it’s time to look into ways to help lower it. Talk with your doctor if you’re not sure how to go about it.
As with just about everything, there’s a right way and a wrong way to manage heart burn. This is especially true if you take a PPI such as Nexium. Be sure to follow the prescription’s dosage instructions to the letter. If you do, you’ll have a much better chance of settling down heart burn for the long term.
eDrugstore.com sells the PPI, Nexium, which can help reduce heart burn when taken the right way — with food. We offer privacy and convenience of online shopping, and your discreetly-packed shipment arrives right at your door. If you’re ready to try something that works, see what eDrugstore.com has to offer.
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