1. Changing Your Habits
After receiving a diagnosis of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), you'll want to start comparing the various treatment options open to you. To start, most patients try to incorporate lifestyle changes before seeking out medical intervention to stop the GERD symptoms. Symptoms may include heartburn, regurgitation and nausea. Your symptoms may worsen after a meal or when lying down in bed at night. To help alleviate GERD, you can make changes to your diet and sleep patterns. Since stomach acid more easily makes it into your esophagus when you're lying down, you should try to sleep on an angle. You can use a sleep wedge or pillow to keep you slightly upright at night. After eating a meal, you'll notice your reflux worsens as well. Avoid foods that prove problematic, like chocolate, alcohol, citrus fruits and spicy foods. Decide how well these lifestyle changes work for you, before comparing other GERD treatments.
2. Over-the-Counter Versus Prescription Medications
When you have GERD, you'll likely need medications to control your symptoms. Some patients do well taking over-the-counter medications. Others prefer prescription medications to treat their acid reflux. To neutralize stomach acid, patients rely on over-the-counter antacids, like Tums and Rolaids. You pop one of the chewable tablets before or after meals to help treat the GERD. For longer-lasting acid control, patients take a dose of histamine antagonists. Although stronger dosages are available through prescription, you can find Zantac and Pepcid over the counter as well. For acid control at the source, your doctor may recommend proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). PPIs block acid from secreting in the stomach. You need a prescription for a PPI, like Nexium or Prevacid. Newer prescription treatments for GERD include the use of foam barriers to reduce acid and block it from getting into the esophagus. The only currently marketed foam barrier is Gaviscon.
3. Surgery Alternatives
In severe cases of GERD, changing your habits and medication don't successfully treat your GERD. In this case, your doctor may decide to evaluate you for surgery. He'll first ask you to try and compare different medications to make sure they're not effective. The main surgical procedure used to reverse GERD is fundoplication. During the procedure, your hiatal hernia sac will be stitched to your diaphragm. Your esophageal opening will also be tightened. When compared to other treatments, fundoplication has more than an 80 percent success rate of relieving a patient's symptoms.
