Mild heartburn and other symptoms are experienced as infrequently as once or twice each month. Over-the-counter medications are effective enough to control symptoms. Heartburn and other symptoms of GERD occur more frequently such as once every week. Prescription medications are required. A surgical procedure may be required to effectively treat the symptoms.
Stage 4: Reflux-induced precancerous lesions or esophageal cancer. Stage 4 is the result of untreated severe GERD. Medical intervention and management of symptoms by an experienced healthcare provider are often required at this late stage of GERD.
Depending on the severity of your heartburn symptoms, medications and levels of treatment vary. Over-the-counter treatment for heartburn includes:. Avoid taking antacids if you have any symptoms of appendicitis or inflammatory bowel disease IBD. Some antacids are contraindicated when a person has these conditions. Common prescription medications for heartburn include proton-pump inhibitors PPIs , such as omeprazole Prilosec and lansoprazole Prevacid.
The safety of PPIs has been linked with the dosage and duration of administration. Some experts report that PPIs are usually considered safe if taking the lowest dosage possible for a short period.
Lifestyle habits often play an integral role in the development as well as the severity of heartburn. Factors that can contribute to conditions known to be linked with heartburn such as hiatal hernia or GERD include:. Heartburn can happen to anyone and is generally not cause for concern. If you find yourself experiencing prolonged heartburn, speak with your healthcare provider to determine the underlying cause so you can work toward getting some relief. Get nutrition tips and advice to make healthy eating easier.
Cleveland Clinic. Updated January 22, Harvard Health. What does heartburn feel like? If you have indigestion, you may experience only one or several of these symptoms. Indigestion can also be a symptom of different digestive diseases.
Currently have indigestion? Chat Now. Frequently Asked Questions What causes of indigestion are non-digestive? There are many possible causes of indigestion, some of which are non-digestive. Examples of non-digestive causes of indigestion include anxiety and depression, thyroid disease, Helicobacter pylori H. How common is indigestion? Indigestion is very common. In the United States, approximately one in four people experiences indigestion every year.
Can indigestion be fatal if not treated? In most cases, indigestion does not have complications, though it can disrupt your quality of life.
If left untreated, some forms of indigestion can contribute to long-term health problems within the digestive tract. This information does not constitute and should not be relied on for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment.
Zina Semenovskaya, MD Dr. Never stop taking a prescribed medication unless you are told to do so by your GP or another qualified healthcare professional who is responsible for your care. If you are very overweight, you are more likely to experience indigestion because of increased pressure inside your stomach abdomen. The increased pressure, particularly after a large meal, may lead to acid reflux into the oesophagus.
If you regularly experience feelings of stress or anxiety, this can contribute to symptoms of indigestion. A hernia occurs when an internal part of the body, such as an organ, pushes through a weakness in the surrounding muscle or tissue wall. A hiatus hernia occurs when part of your stomach pushes up into your diaphragm the sheet of muscle under your lungs.
It may partially block refluxed stomach acid clearing from your oesophagus, leading to heartburn. Helicobacter infection is very common. It may lead to stomach ulcers or, rarely, stomach cancer. In most cases, however, it does not cause any symptoms at all. Some people may get bouts of indigestion from helicobacter infection and, in these cases, getting rid of the bug with antibiotics eradication will help. However, many cases of indigestion are not caused by helicobacter, and in these cases eradication will not get rid of symptoms.
Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease GORD is a common condition and one of the main causes of recurring indigestion. It's caused by acid reflux, which occurs when the oesophageal sphincter fails to prevent stomach acid from moving back up into your oesophagus.
A little bit of acid reflux is normal and rarely cause any symptoms. It becomes GORD when large amounts of reflux occur, and the sensitive lining of your oesophagus may get inflamed by repeated irritation from stomach acid. This can lead to heartburn, the sensation of regurgitation or painful swallowing.
A stomach ulcer is an open sore that develops on the inside lining of your stomach a gastric ulcer or small intestine a duodenal ulcer. If you have a stomach ulcer, you may have indigestion as a symptom. Stomach ulcers form when stomach acid damages the lining in your stomach or duodenum wall.
In most cases, the lining is damaged as a result of an H pylori infection see above. In rare cases, recurring bouts of indigestion can be a symptom of stomach cancer. Cancer cells in your stomach break down the protective lining, allowing acid to come into contact with your stomach wall. For most people, indigestion dyspepsia is mild and infrequent, and does not require treatment from a healthcare professional. However, if you have indigestion regularly, or if it causes you severe pain or discomfort, see your pharmacist.
Depending on the type of indigestion symptoms you have, your pharmacist may recommend you see your GP to investigate your condition further. This is because indigestion can sometimes be a symptom of an underlying condition or health problem, such as a Helicobacter pylori H pylori bacterial infection. An endoscopy is a procedure used to examine the inside of your body using an endoscope — a thin, flexible tube, about the width of your little finger, with a light and a camera on one end.
The camera is used to relay images of the inside of your body to a TV monitor. An endoscopy is not often needed to diagnose indigestion, but your GP may suggest that you have one if:. Taking certain medicines for indigestion can hide some of the problems that could otherwise be spotted during an endoscopy. Therefore, for at least two weeks before your endoscopy, you will need to stop taking proton pump inhibitors PPIs and H2-receptor antagonists.
Read more about treatments for indigestion. Your GP may also recommend changing other medications that may be causing your indigestion. However, only stop taking medication if you are advised to do so by your GP or another healthcare professional responsible for your care. If your GP thinks that your symptoms may be due to an infection with H pylori bacteria, you may need to have a test for it, such as:. Antibiotics and PPIs can affect the results of a urea breath test or a stool antigen test.
Therefore, these tests may need to be delayed until two weeks after you last used a PPI, and four weeks after you last used an antibiotic. If your GP thinks that your indigestion symptoms may be caused by another underlying medical condition, you may need to have some further tests to rule this out. For example, abdominal pain and discomfort can also be caused by conditions affecting the bile ducts in your liver. Your bile ducts are a series of tubes that carry bile fluid used by the digestive system to break down fats from the liver to the gallbladder a pouch that holds bile and the bowel.
If your GP thinks that you may have such a condition, they may suggest you have a liver function test, which is a type of blood test used to assess how well your liver is working.
You may also need to have an abdominal ultrasound. An ultrasound scan uses high-frequency sound waves to create an image of the inside of your body. Treatment for indigestion dyspepsia will vary, depending on what is causing it and how severe your symptoms are.
If you have been diagnosed with an underlying health condition, you may want to read our information on:. If you only have indigestion occasionally, you may not need to see your pharmacist or GP for treatment. It may be possible to ease your symptoms by making a few simple changes to your diet and lifestyle, summarised below. Being overweight puts more pressure on your stomach, making it easier for stomach acid to be pushed back up into your gullet oesophagus.
This is known as acid reflux, and is one of the most common causes of indigestion. If you are overweight or obese, it is important to lose weight safely and steadily through regular exercise and by eating a healthy, balanced diet.
Read advice on losing weight. If you smoke, the chemicals you inhale in cigarette smoke may contribute to your indigestion. These chemicals can cause the ring of muscle that separates your oesophagus from your stomach to relax, causing acid reflux.
Read more about quitting smoking , or speak to your GP or pharmacist. You can also call the Quit Your Way Scotland service on 84 84 84 8. Make a note of any particular food or drink that seems to make your indigestion worse, and avoid these if possible. This may mean:. If you tend to experience indigestion symptoms at night, avoid eating for three to four hours before you go to bed. Going to bed with a full stomach means there is an increased risk that acid in your stomach will be forced up into your oesophagus while you are lying down.
When you go to bed, use a couple of pillows to prop your head and shoulders up or, ideally, raise the head of your bed by a few inches by putting something underneath the mattress. The slight slope that is created should help to prevent stomach acid moving up into your oesophagus while you are asleep. Read some relaxation tips to relieve stress.
Your pharmacist may recommend making changes to your current medication if they think it could be contributing to your indigestion. As long as it is safe to do so, you may need to stop taking certain medications, such as aspirin or ibuprofen. Where required, your pharmacist may advise you see your GP to prescribe an alternative medication that will not cause indigestion. However, never stop taking any medication without consulting your pharmacist or GP first.
If you have indigestion that requires immediate relief, your pharmacist can advise you about the best way to treat this. As well as lifestyle changes and reviewing your current medication, your GP may prescribe or recommend:. Antacids are a type of medicine that can provide immediate relief for mild to moderate symptoms of indigestion.
They work by neutralising the acid in your stomach making it less acidic , so that it no longer irritates the lining of your digestive system. Antacids are available in tablet and liquid form. You can buy them over the counter from most pharmacies without a prescription. The effect of an antacid only lasts for a few hours at a time, so you may need to take more than one dose. Always follow the instructions on the packet to ensure you do not take too much.
It is best to take antacids when you are expecting symptoms of indigestion, or when they start to occur, such as:.
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