How Antacids Works

Antacids are heartburn relief products that have been widely used by heartburn sufferers. It has been developed and made available since at least a century ago but it only becomes available for purchase as over the counter drugs in the period of late 1970s to early 1980s. Although the primary use of antacids is to get rid of heartburn symptoms, there is in fact some differences between over the counter antacids and medically prescribed antacids. The differences lie in the way they work.

The over the counter version of antacids works by neutralizing the stomach acids that reflux into the esophagus while medically prescribed version on the other hand works by halting the production of stomach acids on the stomach itself. This however works in a way that does not affect the digestion process. Depending on the prescription dosage, the acid production halting process usually last for only 1 to 2 hours at most.

Some of the known side effects of taking these antacids are that they may cause problems such as kidney stones because they contain substances and minerals such as sodium, aluminum, magnesium and calcium. As such, antacids are generally not recommended for people with kidney problems.

In addition, researchers have also found that these antacids are not suitable for people with rheumatoid arthritis too as they may cause bleeding ulcers among rheumatoid arthritis sufferers to go undetected by masking the symptoms. So if you are looking for antacids to help relieve your heartburn, you need to choose the one that is right for you and your current condition. If in doubt, always check with your doctor for advice.