Heartburn is one of the most unpleasant sensations a person has ever experienced. It starts suddenly, and to stop the attack, you have to use medication for heartburn. The list of them today is quite large, the main thing is to choose the right one, both in terms of action and price.
Causes of Heartburn
Before moving on to what effective remedies for heartburn are, you need to pay attention to the causes of its occurrence.
The main factors that provoke the ailment include:
- Excess weight. Often people who are overweight consume much more food than others, and therefore the body can not always cope with such volumes.
- Pregnancy. Almost all future mothers, especially at later dates, constantly complain of heartburn, which is becoming stronger every day.
- Taking certain medications that can provoke such a violation of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Binge eating. This is especially true for fatty, spicy and salty foods, because it is much harder to digest.
In addition, if a person has problems with the gastrointestinal tract (a number of diseases), then heartburn can accompany him constantly. That is why there is an increasing need to take medicine for heartburn. The list of suitable drugs in this case should be compiled by the attending physician. We will consider several categories of medications that can improve the patient's condition.
Antacids
Doctors in most cases recommend taking antacids to their patients. These are special substances that help neutralize stomach acid, and then relieve the most unpleasant symptoms. True, not all and not always they are able to help.
Pros of Antacids
Separately, it must be said about what are the advantages of antacids. Although they are not many, but in fact it is to achieve these goals that consumers take drugs. The main advantages of antacids include general availability in pharmacy chains, that is, the drug can be purchased even without a prescription (which is not recommended), quick action (literally in a few minutes a person will feel relief) and effectiveness.
Cons of antacids
If we talk about the disadvantages of antacids, then they include:
- short-term positive effect, that is, they ease the patient’s condition for a short while, and then you need to take the drug again;
- side effects that occur in most cases;
- elimination of symptoms only, but not the cause.
It’s not so easy to find a cure for heartburn, and often you have to try several drugs to get one good.
Antacid list
As mentioned above, antacids are the best cure for heartburn. The list is below:
- Gaviscon. The drug is available in several forms, so everyone can choose the right one for themselves.
- "Rennie." This is one of the famous drugs that was popular several years ago. Its effectiveness has been proven, it perfectly relieves symptoms.
- Iberogast.
- "Maalox."
- Almagel.
Antisecretory drugs
Antisecretory drugs help lower acid production, not just neutralize it. Therefore, the following are the main advantages of this group:
- relative safety of drugs in comparison with other analogues;
- acts longer than antacids.
In addition, according to experts, if you take antisorcer drugs on a regular basis, you can avoid not only the manifestation of symptoms, but also completely prevent their onset.
The best drugs for heartburn: antisecretory drugs
Not all consumers know which drug will help in a particular case, and very often acquire not what was originally needed. If there is a problem with the gastrointestinal tract, doctors recommend taking antisecretory drugs. The best include Ranitidine and Orthanol.
Heartburn Remedies: A List of the Most Popular Remedies
Despite the fact that above we briefly focused on the categories of drugs that allow us to get rid of unpleasant symptoms and burning sensations in the esophagus, we will list below the most popular medicines, judging by the opinions of doctors and patients.
Effective remedies for heartburn:
- "Bellalgin" - not only has an antacid effect, but also relieves inflammation, helps gastric juice to be produced in smaller quantities.
- Gaviscon. This drug is approved for use by pregnant women, which many people use.
- Linex
- Mezim.
- "Rennie."
- "Maalox."
It is difficult to name any one effective cure for heartburn and bloating, because each organism is individual. Next, we will consider in more detail the most commonly used medications.
Bellalgin
This drug is used very widely among patients with gastrointestinal tract problems. He exerts several actions at once - it is analgesic, and antispasmodic, and antacid, and hypo-secret. That is, if a person has problems with a lack of enzymes, which are so necessary for normal digestion, then Bellalgin is able to help. The drug reduces the secretion and acidity of gastric juice, effectively eliminates pain in the epigastric region and slightly reduces intestinal motility.
A contraindication to the use of the drug is the presence of the following pathologies and conditions:
- hypersensitivity to certain components of the drug, due to which not only an allergic reaction may develop, but also problems with the stomach directly begin;
- glaucoma, in which any improperly taken medication can only aggravate the situation;
- prostate adenoma.
If we talk about side effects, then they include:
- dry mouth, which may not go away even after drinking a large amount of water;
- thirst (it’s very difficult for a person to get drunk, he does it all the time, drinks water literally in liters, but it does not become easier for him);
- constipation;
- drowsiness (a person constantly wants to sleep, but even if he has a lot of rest, this does not help him);
- dizziness;
- dilated pupils.
It is necessary to take the medicine strictly before meals and only in the amount prescribed by the doctor.
Gaviscon
Separately, attention should be paid to such a drug as Gaviscon. This is an effective cure for heartburn and bloating, which comes in several forms. Therefore, everyone can choose the right one for themselves. In addition, Gaviscon is allowed to be taken by pregnant women, and it is precisely them who suffer from heartburn most of all, especially in the last weeks, before childbirth.
To date, the drug is available in the form of a suspension and tablets. And faster, judging by the reviews, the suspension acts. Usually, immediately after the first sip, it becomes easier, and heartburn practically disappears, and all thanks to the fact that the medicine acts directly on the mucous membrane. As for the tablets, it is convenient to take them with you, but the interval from administration to the beginning of the positive effect is much longer than in the case of the suspension.
As for contraindications, they are practically nonexistent. Except that if a person has intolerance to certain components. In this case, taking the medication is prohibited.
Scientists have conducted studies regarding the effects of the drug on the body of a future mother and her baby. About 300 women took part in the experiment. As a result, it turned out that it does not have any negative effect on either the course of pregnancy or the health of the baby.
Russian analogues
We discussed what drugs for heartburn exist today. The list, which also contains Russian analogues, is quite large, but it is very difficult to list all the medicines. Therefore, we settled on the most famous and demanded, and this, as a rule, is the original medicines, most of which are products of foreign companies. But in fact, almost every such drug has an equally good domestic analogue, though not everyone knows about them, and therefore not everyone uses it. Let's look at a few examples.
One of the most famous drugs is Mezim. Its price is about 120 rubles. But its analogue "Pancreatin" costs about 40 rubles.
Another good drug is Zantak. It is prescribed both for heartburn and for the treatment of more serious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. The product of the GlaxoSmithKline pharmaceutical company costs about 300 rubles per package (20 pcs.). Its analogue, Ranitidin, manufactured by Ozone LLC (Russia), will cost the buyer about 135 rubles for 120 tablets, a product from Hemofarm (Serbia) - 65 rubles for 30 pieces.
Many people don’t even know what anti-heartburn medications are. The list (Russian analogues are even less common in it) with prices and an indication of the number of tablets or the volume of vials is not available everywhere, since most doctors - and this is far from a secret - are simply unprofitable for prescribing cheap drugs, since they have an agreement with pharmacies. The information presented in our article will help fill this gap in consumer knowledge.
Instead of an afterword
Today, most people prefer to buy cheap medicine for heartburn. Their list will consist mainly of domestic products. However, they are in no way inferior to expensive drugs, and often turn out to be even better. But before choosing any medication, in any case, you need to consult a specialist. Be healthy!