GERD is a digestive disorder that causes discomfort for thousands of Americans. In normal digestion there is a “gate” called the lower esophageal sphincter, which opens to allow food into the stomach and closes when food isn’t passing through. For those with GERD, this “gate” is broken and it allows acid to travel from the stomach up to the throat, causing irritation.
Treatment for GERD
According to WebMD, doctors typically recommend lifestyle and dietary changes to prevent GERD from flaring up. Foods like chocolate, peppermint, fatty foods, coffee, alcoholic beverages, citrus fruits and juices, tomato products, and pepper are known to irritate the situation and should be avoided.
There are certain medications that can treat GERD, they are known as proton pump inhibitors. Medications like Prilosec and Nexium are often prescribed by doctors to treat chronic cases.
In rare cases, surgery is needed to fix the problem; however, some reports shows surgery and medications offer the same benefits.
“There was no real difference between the prescription drugs and surgical approaches in terms of their overall ability to ease GERD,” said researcher Dr. Jean-Paul Galmiche, a professor of gastroenterology in the College of Medicine at Nantes University in France. “These results were not expected.”
About Nexium
One of the most commonly prescribed medications to treat GERD is Nexium. This medication, which is available through Edrugstore.com, comes as a delayed-release capsule that is taken once or twice a day, depeding on a doctor’s instructions. It’s typically taken about an hour before a meal to not only prevent the flow of acid from the stomach, but to limit the amount of acid the stomach makes to begin with.
Side effects of Nexium:
- Headache
- Nausea
- Gas
- Constipation
- Dry mouth
- Rash
- Itching
- Difficulty breathing
- Irregular heartbeat
