How do you fix too much stomach acid?

Pantoprazole: Your solution to excess stomach acid. Dosage and lifestyle tips for improved digestive comfort.

What is Stomach Acid

Almost all of us are familiar with the term stomach acid or gastric acid. Everyone has a little knowledge of how to bring it under control. However, almost no one has any idea what stomach acid actually is. Stomach acid, or gastric acid, is a watery, colorless liquid produced from the stomach lining. This acidic liquid helps break down food, making it easier to digest. It also helps the human body absorb nutrients easily. To break down every type of food including meat, fish, and fibrous plants, stomach acid needs to be highly acidic.

The human body can handle moderate levels of stomach acid. If it is at the proper level, then it does not cause any illness or complications in your health. However, our systems cannot always work according to our wishes. Excessive levels of Gastric juice may lead to various health problems.

How you can reduce stomach Acid?

There are several medicines available to reduce stomach acid and Pantoprazol tablet is one of them. Taking Pantoprazole reduces the amount of acid your stomach makes. This medicine is designed to prevent heartburn, acid reflux, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GORD). It also helps prevent stomach ulcers with long-term use.

How strong is stomach acid?

Stomach acid is very responsible for keeping the body healthy. It helps in the easy digestion of food by breaking down the food into particles. The medicine also acts as the first line of defense against microbes and pathogens entering the body. These pathogens and germs create many bodily complications and can make him sick. It requires a liquid that is quite acidic to set off its actions. It means the stomach acid is powerful. 

How acidic this acid is?

But to understand how powerful stomach acid works, you first need to know how this acid is measured. The pH scale is used to measure acidity, which ranges from 0 to 14. The rule of thumb is that the lower the pH level, the stronger the acidic level of stomach acid.

Normally, stomach acid has a pH level between 1 and 2, so the acidity level is also correct. But the higher its level, the more it starts working abnormally.

What does stomach acid do?

Stomach acid is a dangerous health condition that can cause sloshing around inside the body. So as it is essential for the health of the body, excess can cause many problems in the body.

Stomach acid is not only found in humans; it occurs in all animals, such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Stomach acid plays the most important role in breaking down food before it enters the gut. 

When stomach acid repeatedly backs up into the tube connecting the mouth and stomach (esophagus), it puts you in discomfort and painful condition. This problem is called GERD or gastroesophageal reflux disease. This acid reflux irritates the lining of the esophagus. But not all acid reflux is GERD. Many people experience acid reflux occasionally. But in those whose acid reflux occurs frequently over time, then it can be called GERD.

Most people can manage the discomfort and irritation of GERD with lifestyle changes and medications. Pantoprazole 40 is considered the most effective medicine to treat acid reflux. 

About Pantoprazole:

Pantoprazole Belongs to the group of medicines known as PPI, Pantoprazole can reduce the amount of acid your stomach creates. It is prescribed to treat heartburn, acid reflux, and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD). You can also take it to treat stomach ulcers.

Sometimes, this PPI medicine is also prescribed to treat some rare condition caused by a pancreatic or gut tumor known as Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. Research says it effectively treats this problem. It is available in tablet forms. Some people try to buy the medicine as OTC. But it is a prescription drug. Whether you want to purchase it online or offline, you need a valid prescription. 

Benefit of Pantoprazole

• Pantoprazole is prescribed to treat peptic ulcer disease, reflux esophagitis, or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). 
• The medicine can prevent the acidity associated with excessive use of painkillers. 
• It is also used to treat a disease associated with excessive acid production in the stomach called ZES or Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. The tablet can work by reducing the amount of stomach acid, and you get relief from the symptoms.

Some key facts about Pantoprazole

• You need to take the PPI once a day in the morning.
• The most common side effects that come from the medicine are headaches and diarrhea. These are very mild and are removed after stopping taking the dose.
• You may feel better within 2 to 3 days of taking the medicine. You are suggested not to stop the medicine. You need to take up to 4 weeks to control the symptoms completely. 
• If your symptoms do not improve after taking the medicine for 2 weeks, inform the healthcare provider immediately.
• The doctor suggests not taking the medicine during pregnancy.

How Pantoprazole works

Pantoprazole belongs to the group of medicines known as proton pump inhibitors (PPI). It prevents the symptoms by reducing the amount of acid in the stomach. The tablet relieves acid-related indigestion and heartburn.

Dosage and strength

The tablet comes in 20mg or 40mg of doses.

The usual dose of the medicine

• For heartburn and acid reflux, you have to take 20mg a day.
• To treat gastro-oesophageal reflux, you can take 20mg to 40mg tablets a day.
• To prevent stomach ulcers, you have to take 20mg to 40mg a day.
• To treat the Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, you need to take 40mg to 80mg a day – sometimes, the physician increases the dose to 160mg a day depending on how your body responds to the medicine. 
• People with liver problems need to take a lower dose. 

Common side effects of Pantoprazole

The medicine has some side effects which do not need immediate medical attention. It may disappear from the body after completing the dose. These side effects are

• Diarrhea, 
• Flatulence, 
• Headache, 
• Nausea, 
• Vomiting, 
• Dizziness, 
• Abdominal pain, 
• Joint pain, 
• Injection site reaction

How and when to take Pantoprazole

The normal dose of Pantoprazole is once a day. The doctor usually recommended taking it in the morning. If you need to take the medicine twice a day, then try to 1 dose in the morning and 1 dose in the evening.

Who can and cannot take Pantoprazole

The medicine is prescribed for Adults and children aged 12 years and above. However, the medicine is not safe for people with some health problems. This list is mentioned below

• If you have an allergic reaction to Pantoprazole or any other medicine or other substance
• If you have liver problems
• in case you are pregnant, deciding to be pregnant, or a breastfeeding mother
• If you have an endoscopy for any reason

If you’re going to do an endoscopy, you should ask your doctor. He suggests you stop taking the medicine a few weeks before the procedure. This is done because this medicine can hide some of your problems, and this test is very important to see those problem. Moreover, the medicine is effective for most of the users. They need to take it as per the doctor’s prescription.