Constant Heartburn is a symptom caused by the irritation of the stomach and continues over time. Sometimes the pain is not exactly located in the gut, but rather shifted to the left. If severe, stabbing pain will be felt up to the back.
Treatment for heartburn is divided into two, namely, without drugs and medication use.
First of all, treatment for heartburn must do without drug that is felt when it’s new and relatively mild, among others:
1. Avoid an empty stomach.
2. Adjust the schedule patterns of eating with smaller portions more frequently.
3. Eat soft foods / easy to digest.
4. Avoid foods / beverages that contain alcohol, carbon dioxide gas (soft drinks), coffee, chocolate.
5. Solve the problem quickly to avoid stress.
Treatment with new drugs carried out if the treatment without drug did not work. The main options for heartburn are antacids. Antacids work by neutralizing excess stomach acid, thus protecting the gastric mucous membrane from damage.
Antacids can be purchased at drug stores or pharmacies because it includes a free drug. Antacids on the market usually consist of a mixture of aluminum salts, magnesium salts and simethicone.
Aluminum and magnesium salts will bind gastric acid thereby reducing the acidity in the stomach, while Simethicone is useful to help the expenditure of excessive gas in the gastrointestinal tract.
But keep in mind that the antacid tablets must be chewed up and became soft before being swallowed because it can be digested by enzymes in our saliva. Usual dose is 1-2 tablets with a maximum of 4 times a day. Liquid antacids can be taken directly with a dose of 1-2 teaspoons a maximum of 4 times a day.
Antacids are best taken on an empty stomach (at bedtime, 2 hours after or before meals). As far as possible avoid the use of antacids in conjunction with other drugs because it can interfere with the absorption of other drugs.
It must be remembered that the use of antacids is not recommended more than 2 weeks because of long-term use of antacids can actually increase the production of stomach acid.
Heartburn symptoms may resemble a heart attack, to distinguish it can be seen by reading the posting about what does heartburn feel like compared with heart attack and it related with constant heartburn.
Good post, I especially liked your point about antacids, I wasn’t aware ’til now that they could have a negative effect if used for a long period of time.