If you suffer frequent bouts of heartburn then there is a good chance that you are taking some form of drug based heartburn medication to get relief from the pain and distress that this condition causes.
For those with a serious problem, then the most effective form of chronic heartburn medication is a group of drugs known as Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs).
While these drugs are certainly effective in bringing relief, like all types of drug based medication, there is always a question mark over the adverse, potentially harmful side effects that they are known to produce.
These drugs are widely prescribed for combating the symptoms of chronic heartburn and to heal the damage done to the esophagus lining from regular acid reflux.
They are powerful and most of them can only be obtained on prescription.
Consequently, in most cases, it is recommended that the drug is taken for a limited period only and once the symptoms are under control, the treatment should cease.
It is a fact, however, that many sufferers are taking these drugs, long term and one of the main reasons for this is the problem of "rebound" symptoms.
This occurs when the treatment stops and the stomach reacts by increasing its production of stomach acid with the result that heartburn quickly returns.
A research program was recently carried out in Europe to find out if these PPIs can actually cause this increase in acid-related symptoms and the results were very interesting.
Briefly, a group of healthy volunteers were given an eight week course of one particular PPI, esomeprazole.
At the end of this period it was found that over 40% of these volunteers suffered at least one acid related symptom when they stopped taking the drug.
As none of the participants were suffering from heartburn or related digestion problems prior to the study, the fact that they then experienced these "rebound" symptoms could only have resulted from the treatment itself and not from an existing condition.
In other words, healthy volunteers actually developed heartburn when they stopped taking the drug.
The implication from all this is that if these treatments cause an increase in stomach acid production then, once stopped, it could possibly lead people to become dependent on them.
Now at this stage, it has to be said that these are the results of a single trial and further work is required where chronic heartburn sufferers are tested.
However, it does support the case of those who advocate that drug based medication will always carry the risk of dependence on the drug.
So what should you do? Well obviously if you are at all concerned you should consult your doctor and raise your questions regarding heartburn medication.
Alternatively you could investigate what totally natural remedies and treatments are readily available, which have proven to be as effective as conventional drug based medication, without producing those side effects that concern so many people.
You may be very surprised by what you find.
For those with a serious problem, then the most effective form of chronic heartburn medication is a group of drugs known as Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs).
While these drugs are certainly effective in bringing relief, like all types of drug based medication, there is always a question mark over the adverse, potentially harmful side effects that they are known to produce.
These drugs are widely prescribed for combating the symptoms of chronic heartburn and to heal the damage done to the esophagus lining from regular acid reflux.
They are powerful and most of them can only be obtained on prescription.
Consequently, in most cases, it is recommended that the drug is taken for a limited period only and once the symptoms are under control, the treatment should cease.
It is a fact, however, that many sufferers are taking these drugs, long term and one of the main reasons for this is the problem of "rebound" symptoms.
This occurs when the treatment stops and the stomach reacts by increasing its production of stomach acid with the result that heartburn quickly returns.
A research program was recently carried out in Europe to find out if these PPIs can actually cause this increase in acid-related symptoms and the results were very interesting.
Briefly, a group of healthy volunteers were given an eight week course of one particular PPI, esomeprazole.
At the end of this period it was found that over 40% of these volunteers suffered at least one acid related symptom when they stopped taking the drug.
As none of the participants were suffering from heartburn or related digestion problems prior to the study, the fact that they then experienced these "rebound" symptoms could only have resulted from the treatment itself and not from an existing condition.
In other words, healthy volunteers actually developed heartburn when they stopped taking the drug.
The implication from all this is that if these treatments cause an increase in stomach acid production then, once stopped, it could possibly lead people to become dependent on them.
Now at this stage, it has to be said that these are the results of a single trial and further work is required where chronic heartburn sufferers are tested.
However, it does support the case of those who advocate that drug based medication will always carry the risk of dependence on the drug.
So what should you do? Well obviously if you are at all concerned you should consult your doctor and raise your questions regarding heartburn medication.
Alternatively you could investigate what totally natural remedies and treatments are readily available, which have proven to be as effective as conventional drug based medication, without producing those side effects that concern so many people.
You may be very surprised by what you find.
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