Find relief from heartburn and acid reflux in Atlanta with medications for GERD.
Anti-reflux medications are successfully used to reduce the severity and frequency of acid reflux symptoms for people with GERD. Medications are often recommended as a second-line of defense against chronic reflux and heartburn, alongside changes to diet and lifestyle, which may include weight loss and smoking cessation.
While some anti-reflux medications are available over-the-counter, it is not recommended that any heartburn medications are used for a prolonged period of time, especially without the supervision of your reflux doctor.
It is important to realize that reflux medications mask symptoms they do not resolve the cause of heartburn. For this reason it is still possible for reflux to be causing damage to your upper gastrointestinal tract even though you are not experiencing severe symptoms. Long-term use of some reflux medications is associated with other health problems particularly loss of bone density and interactions with other medications. Medications for GERD are usually prescribed for life as serious GERD will not resolve without surgery.
The goal of heartburn medications is to reduce the frequency and severity at which digestive juices from the stomach, such as acid, backwash into the esophagus and cause irritation. Medications are able to alleviate some reflux by managing the production of acid in the stomach.
Heartburn medications are used to reduce the symptoms of acid reflux, but are not a cure for GERD. For some people, a combination of medication and lifestyle changes is enough to alleviate the pain of acid reflux. If acid reflux symptoms do not subside after the introduction of medications, surgical intervention may be necessary.