Feeling heartburn? Reach out to antacids in your medicine box!!!

Indian lifestyle is no less than a rollercoaster ride filled with a variety of food in a single meal and a lack of exercise. Festivities are no different than this and we know you all agree.

But do you know what is more common these days for people of all ages? The feeling of heartburn more frequently than it ever was in the past. The only common solution to this is nothing but antacids. So this blog is all about antacids. Everything that you need to know especially if you are a chemist or a frequent buyer of it.

What is antacid?

In simpler words, an antacid is a medicine that is given to people to prevent or reduce too much acid formed in the stomach. This acid causes heartburn commonly known as acidity. Antacids are the over the counter medicines prescribed to reduce acidity.

They are slightly different from other acid reducers such as H2 receptor blockers and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). Those drugs work by reducing or preventing the secretion of stomach acid.

On the other hand, the antacids that we manufacture treat excess stomach acid, acid reflux, heartburn, indigestion, stomach ache, and a lot more symptoms caused due to excess acid.

Antacids and the Current Market

Antacids have been in the market for decades now and their consumption and demand is seen to be increasing over time. Initially, antacids were first prescribed by the doctors and the chemists only as of the first-hand cure against peptic ulcer disease.

But after a few years of research, they discovered proton pump inhibitors which revolutionized the treatment of peptic ulcer disease. This lead to relieving mild intermittent gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD) associated with heartburn.

Antacids do not require any kind of prescriptions and so are high in demand for their versatile relieving properties. However, there has been an evaluation of the effectiveness of acid-neutralizing property of traditional antacids commonly used in India.

A study conducted by Adeneye and others said that antacids formulated with calcium, magnesium type products work by neutralizing acid and coating the stomach wall with a chalky protective layer.

So when a comparison between commercial antacids and traditional remedies to cure acidity was made, it shows that commercial has increased antacid content. As far as effectiveness is concerned, undoubtedly commercial antacids have an upper hand.

However, taking into account the number of side effects that can affect a person on prolonged intake gives an impetus to the use of traditional remedies especially in the initial stages of mild acidity or indigestion.

So when consumed on daily basis can leave long term side effects.

The doctors thus do not recommend consuming antacids on an everyday basis. If you are someone who suffers from acidity regularly, a visit to your family doctor is a must.

Antacid drug interactions are well noted but can be avoided by rescheduling medication administration times. This can be inconvenient and discourage compliance with other medications. All antacids can produce drug interactions by changing gastric pH, thus altering drug dissolution of dosage forms, reduction of gastric acid hydrolysis of drugs, or altering drug elimination by changing urinary pH.

So it is always advisable that one must consult their family doctor if the heartburn is constant or use antacid regularly. Even if you are a chemist and know someone recommending them visit to a doctor is a good choice.

Final Notes

By now we probably hope that you know a lot about antacid, its uses and side effects when used regularly. Obviously, there are other alternatives that can be used, it is still a good choice to know your drugs better.

You can visit our page and know all about the medicines and their usage. Till then keep your antacid consumption low, and heartburn, acidity, and other temporary issues at bay. But always remember a healthy diet and some exercise is a must to have a happy life.