Pain Medication Advice For Heartburn and GERD

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Heartburn and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) are two conditions that are closely linked. Heartburn is when you feel pain and an acid taste at the back of your mouth. A heartburn is also known as gastroesophageal reflux (GER), and to differentiate this from GERD, a GER happens once in a while, while a GERD is chronic.

Most doctors will prescribe pain medication for GER or GERD, and there are many kinds of pain medication, so it would be a good idea to understand a little bit about the spectrum of pain medication, so you avoid any complications.

Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are pain relievers that you can get without a doctor’s prescription. They only relieve minor pain and aches like toothache, headache, cramps, fever, flu, and arthritis.

OTC drugs are either non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) or acetaminophen. Aspirin is a common form of NSAID with ibuprofen and naproxen as alternate generic pain relievers. Their main objective is to block a specific enzyme from developing a chemical that causes pain. Acetaminophen is your regular pain reliever for the common cold and cough, and is found in over 500 OTC pan medications.

Prescription medication will need a doctor’s approval to prevent abuse of the drug. There are two kinds of prescription pain drugs: the non-opioid and the opioids. From the name itself, you can tell that these drug comes from opium which makes it a very powerful addictive medication. Basically, opioids are known to affect the manner a person feels pain.

Some of these opioid drugs we have heard of like morphine, codeine, oxycodone, and hydrocodone. Non-opioid drugs are diclofenac and ibuprofen.

Most prescription pain relievers can cause drowsiness, which means that you cannot drive or use any kind of machinery while taking this drug. It is also highly toxic in that it is powerful enough to cause an overdose if not monitored properly.

Use of any kind of pain reliever for your GERD is part of the normal treatment, but it cannot be done without the help of a doctor. Self-medication will not work, except on a temporary basis, and even that can fail if the proper dosage is not done.

Thus, you cannot share your pain relievers with anyone, nor should you change your medication without consulting your doctor first. Double the dose will not mean faster relief, and can even cause liver or kidney damage, even with OTC drugs. Finally, never mix drugs with alcohol. We all know the potential risk in this, and should veer away from this combination always.