Treatments For Stomach Ulcers

What Are The Best Stomach Ulcers Remedies?

Treatments for stomach ulcers will be the focus of this article. The goal here is provide the general public with introductory information on treatments for stomach ulcers. But you should always talk to a doctor about the best possible treatments for stomach ulcers for you before taking any action related to stomach ulcers or any other stomach problems. 

Treatments for stomach ulcers generally fall into three categories: lifestyle changes, medications for stomach ulcers, and stomach ulcer surgery. 

Medications for stomach ulcers Stomach ulcer medications are designed to cure the stomach ulcer or minimize its effect and the stomach pain ulcers can cause.

The most common stomach ulcers medications used in gastric ulcer or duodenal ulcer treatment are H2 blockers, proton pumps, "mucosal protective agents."

H2 blockers These stomach ulcers remedies reduce the amount of stomach acid being produced by the stomach. Taking H2 blockers before bed can usually cure a gastric ulcer in about two months and a duodenal ulcer in as little as one month. H2 blockers include Nizatidine or Axid®, Cimetidine or Tagamet®, Ranitidine or Zantac®, or Famotidine or Pepcid®.

Proton pump inhibitors Also used to reduce stomach acids are medications called Proton pump inhibitors. These types of medications include Omeprazole which is also known as Prilosec®, Esomeprazole or Nexium®, Lansoprazole or Prevacid®, and Pantoprazole or Pantoloc®.

Mucosal protective agents As the name implies, these are agents that protect the mucus, or lining of the stomach. These medications are available without a prescription. Examples are Rolaids or Tums, and medications such as sucralfate, which creates a protective layer at the site of the ulcer to give it a chance to heal.

If you also have an H pylori infection, which is a very common cause of stomach ulcers, doctors will also prescribe antibiotics.

Stomach ulcer surgery If these medications don't cure the ulcer or provide the desired relief, stomach ulcer surgery may be necessary. This is the last option in treatments for stomach ulcers, and there are approximately 40,000 stomach ulcer surgery procedures performed each year in the United States alone. Stomach ulcer surgery can, however, be lifesaving for those who have this stomach problem. Approximately 6,000 Americans die each year because of complications related to stomach ulcers.

Lifestyle changes It's believed that stress, smoking, poor diet, overuse of anti-inflammatory drugs, and obesity contribute to the development of stomach ulcers. Treatments for stomach ulcers, therefore, depend at least in part on changes in the lifestyle of the patient.

Advancing age can also be a factor.

Once again, it's always best to get your doctor's advice on treatments for stomach ulcers if age or any of these other factors are contribute to a stomach ulcer.

For more information, visit our pages on types of stomach ulcers, bleeding ulcers, duodenal ulcers, peptic ulcers and gastric ulcers.