Medication
Lifestyle and dietary changes may not be enough to manage your GERD symptoms. If this is the case for you, your doctor may recommend some drugs to help you treat GERD. These drugs may decrease your stomach acid or increase motility in your upper gastrointestinal tract.
Antacids are the most common medication for acid reflux. They work best for infrequent cases of acid reflux. [12] Overuse can worsen acid reflux because this drug leaves the stomach quickly. This causes your stomach to produce more acid after.
Histamine blockers (or H2 blockers) reduce acid secretion in the stomach and can heal esophageal damage caused by stomach acid in around half of GERD patients. [13]
Proton pump inhibitors also decrease acid production in the stomach, but they do so better than H2 blockers. They block the three main acid production pathways. [14] They are also more effective in treating erosive esophagitis, even in patients with severe damage.
Prokinetic agents increase gastrointestinal tract motility by affecting the smooth muscles. [15] They are not as effective as proton pump inhibitors and are often prescribes along with drugs that suppress acid production.