Gastritis, or acid stomach, is inflammation in the stomach. It is caused by factors which enable the acidic environment of the stomach to damage and inflame the stomach wall. Causes include infections, alcohol and medications, traumatic injuries, immune system disorders and digestive disorders. Symptoms may include abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. Treatments are aimed at both the symptoms and the underlying disease process.
Proton Pump Inhibitors
The stomach's parietal cells have small protein pumps that excrete acid into the stomach. Proton pump inhibitors, or PPIs, inhibit these pumps and prevent acid from being excreted into the stomach. These drugs are used to treat many types of gastritis and are given alongside antibiotics when gastritis is the result of an infection with the organism Helicobacter pylori. Generic drugs in this class include lansoprazole, esomeprazole, dexlansoprazole, omeprazole, rabeprazole and pantoprazole.
Alkalinizing Agents
Alkalinizing agents, or antacids, oppose the acid formed by the stomach. These medicines contain bases, the chemical opposite of an acid. Typically, when the base and acid mix they make water. "Tums" is an example of an over-the-counter medication in the class. Examples of antacid compounds include aluminum hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide, calcium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate.
Antihistamines
Histamine is a chemical that communicates with certain cells in the body by binding to them to tell them what to do. In the stomach histamine is responsible for telling cells to make acid by communicating with histamine receptor H2 cells. Antihistamine drugs such as cimetidine, nizatidine, ranitidine andr famotidine bind to H2 receptors and block them, decreasing the amount of acid produced in the stomach.
References
- "Physiology," 4th ed.; Linda Costanzo; 2009
- Consumer Reports: The Proton Pump Inhibitors
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: Antacid
- Mayo Clinic: Gastritis--Treatment and Drugs
