Can Antacids Help Cure an Ulcer?

QUESTION: Can antacids help cure an ulcer and is diet important?
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ANSWER: Antacids, the oldest of all ulcer medications, are still considered a
valid treatment option. Ulcer healing is directly related to the ability to
reduce acid secretion, and since antacids neutralize acid that has been
secreted into the stomach, they are certainly a safe and effective therapeutic
choice. A seven-times-per-day dosage is usually prescribed and should be
taken one and three hours after meals and at bedtime. However, recent studies
suggest that the final dosage be taken between six and eight p.m. rather than
at bedtime, so check with your doctor and see what he advises. There are a
variety of antacid medications, that come in both liquid and tablet form, some
combined with medication that reduces the gas in your GI system as well.
It's worth mentioning that it is not necessary to combine antacids with
H2-receptor antagonists which reduce the amount of gastric acid secreted into
the stomach. H2-receptor antagonists are a separate treatment option, though
on days when pain and discomfort are particularly severe, patients may wish to
supplement this therapy with a little antacid as well.
Unfortunately, with all the diet testing done on patients with ulcers, no
magic diet has ever been found. The best advice I can offer is to simply
caution patients against eating anything that causes discomfort. For patients
taking antacids, I also advise frequent food intake since the antacids'
ability to buffer acid secretion is not very effective on an empty stomach.