Acid & Peptic Disease
PPIs, H2 blockers and antacids, peptic ulcers and reflux, and eradicating H. pylori.
Proton Pump Inhibitors: The Most Powerful Acid Blockers
Omeprazole and its relatives are among the most prescribed drugs on earth, because they do one thing better than anything else: switch off stomach acid at its source. They heal ulcers, calm reflux, and protect the stomach — but their sheer effectiveness and popularity bring their own issues when they're taken forever. Here's how they work and when they're right.
H2 Blockers, Antacids & Alginates: The Gentler Acid Drugs
Not every bout of heartburn needs the full power of a PPI. Around it sit gentler, faster, or simpler options — a milder acid blocker, an instant neutraliser, and a clever raft that floats on the stomach to stop acid splashing up. Knowing where each fits is everyday practical pharmacology.
Peptic Ulcers & Reflux: Attack, Defence, and the Two Real Culprits
A peptic ulcer isn't just 'too much acid' — it's the balance between acid attacking the lining and mucus defending it, tipped the wrong way. And for most ulcers there are just two real causes to blame. Understanding attack-versus-defence tells you why we both suppress acid AND, in some cases, boost the stomach's own protection.
H. pylori: Curing an Ulcer by Killing a Bacterium
One of the great medical surprises of the last century was that many stomach ulcers are caused by an infection — and can be cured, permanently, with a short course of antibiotics. Treating H. pylori is where the acid and antimicrobial worlds meet: a clever combination of an acid blocker plus antibiotics that eradicates the bug and cures the ulcer for good.
