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Guide for
Acid Reflux Symptom
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Acid Reflux Diet
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Home > Search > Acid Reflux Medications for Acid Refluxn FDA Warning for Famotidine (Pepcid AC). Famotidine is excreted primarily by the kidney. This can pose a danger to people with kidney problems. Physicians are now being advised by the US Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada to reduce the dose and increase the time between doses in patients with kidney failure. Use of the drug in those with impaired kidney function can affect the central nervous system and may result in anxiety, depression, insomnia or drowsiness, and mental disturbances. Drug Combinations:
Long Term Complications. In most
cases, these agents have good safety
profiles and few side effects. H2 blockers
can interact with other drugs, although some
less so than other. In all cases, however,
the physician should be made aware of any
other drugs a patient is taking. More
research is needed. Anyone with kidney
problems should use famotidine only under
the direction of a physician.
These agents provide no protection against
Barrett's esophagus. In fact, of concern are
reports that long-term acid suppression with
these drugs may cause cancerous changes in
the stomach in patients who are infected
with H. pylori. Research on this question is
still on-going. In addition to relieving most common symptoms, including heartburn, proton-pump inhibitors also have the following advantages:
Patients with impaired esophageal muscular
action are still likely to experience acid
breakthrough and reflux at night.
Proton-pump inhibitors also may have little
or no effect on regurgitation or asthmatic
symptoms. Some experts believe, however,
that they should be the first drugs of
choice even for patients with milder
symptoms. At this time,
These agents have no affect against non-acid
reflux, such as bile back-up.
There is some evidence that acid reflux may contribute to the higher risk of cancer in BE, but it is not known yet if acid-blockers have any protective effects against cancer in these patients. In fact, the long-term use of proton-pump inhibitors by people with H. pylori may, in theory at least, reduce acid secretion enough to cause atrophic gastritis (chronic inflammation of the stomach). This condition, in turn, is a risk factor for stomach cancer. To compound concerns, long-term use of PPIs may mask symptoms of stomach cancer and so delay a diagnosis. To date, however, there have been no reports of an increased risk of stomach cancer with long-term use of these drugs. p Agents that Protect the Mucus Lining (Sucralfate). Sucralfate (Carafate) protects the mucus lining in the gastrointestinal tract. It seems to work by sticking to an ulcer crater and protecting it from damage due to stomach acid and pepsin. It may be helpful for maintenance therapy in people with mild to moderate GERD. Other than constipation, which occurs in 2.2% of patients, the drug has few side effects. Sucralfate interacts with a wide variety of drugs, however, including warfarin, phenytoin, and tetracycline. q Anti-Spasm Drugs to Prevent Acid and Non-Acid Reflux. Most drugs used for GERD have no effect on non-acid reflux, such as back-up of bile. Baclofen, known as a gamma-amino butyric acid agonist, is commonly used to reduce muscle spasms. Investigators are now showing that is can reduce both acid and non-acid reflux episodes (as much as 70% in one study) and to increase LES pressure, an important factor for preventing back up. |
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