Antacids are medicines that neutralize stomach acid to relieve acid indigestion, heartburn, and other digestive issues. They work by raising the pH of the stomach through ingredients like aluminum hydroxide, calcium carbonate, and magnesium hydroxide. Antacids differ in how quickly they work and how long they provide relief, with some taking effect in minutes and others lasting up to 30 minutes. Potential side effects include diarrhea, constipation, and in rare cases, more serious issues like bleeding.
Copyright:
Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
Antacids are medicines that neutralize stomach acid to relieve acid indigestion, heartburn, and other digestive issues. They work by raising the pH of the stomach through ingredients like aluminum hydroxide, calcium carbonate, and magnesium hydroxide. Antacids differ in how quickly they work and how long they provide relief, with some taking effect in minutes and others lasting up to 30 minutes. Potential side effects include diarrhea, constipation, and in rare cases, more serious issues like bleeding.
Antacids are medicines that neutralize stomach acid to relieve acid indigestion, heartburn, and other digestive issues. They work by raising the pH of the stomach through ingredients like aluminum hydroxide, calcium carbonate, and magnesium hydroxide. Antacids differ in how quickly they work and how long they provide relief, with some taking effect in minutes and others lasting up to 30 minutes. Potential side effects include diarrhea, constipation, and in rare cases, more serious issues like bleeding.
Copyright:
Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
Antacids are medicines that neutralize stomach acid to relieve acid indigestion, heartburn, and other digestive issues. They work by raising the pH of the stomach through ingredients like aluminum hydroxide, calcium carbonate, and magnesium hydroxide. Antacids differ in how quickly they work and how long they provide relief, with some taking effect in minutes and others lasting up to 30 minutes. Potential side effects include diarrhea, constipation, and in rare cases, more serious issues like bleeding.
Copyright:
Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
Download as docx, pdf, or txt
You are on page 1/ 6
ANTACIDS
Antacids are medicines that neutralize stomach acid. They are
used to relieve acid indigestion, upset stomach, sour stomach, and heartburn. Antacids are taken by mouth and work by neutralizing excess stomach acid. They contain ingredients such as aluminum hydroxide, calcium carbonate, magnesium hydroxide, and sodium bicarbonate, alone or in various combinations. Antacid products may also contain other ingredients such as simethicone, which relieves gas. Antacids differ in how quickly they work and how long they provide relief. Those that dissolve rapidly in the stomach, such as magnesium hydroxide and sodium bicarbonate, bring the fastest relief. Antacids that contain calcium carbonate or aluminum dissolve more slowly and can take up to 30 minutes to begin working. The longer an antacid stays in the stomach, the longer it works. Those that contain calcium carbonate or aluminum work longer than those that contain sodium bicarbonate or magnesium. Also, taking any kind of antacid after a meal, instead of on an empty stomach, provides longer- lasting relief because the medicine stays in the stomach.
ACTION MECHANISM:- Antacids perform a neutralization reaction, i.e. they buffer gastric acid, raising the pH to reduce acidity in the stomach. When gastric hydrochloric acid reaches the nerves in the gastrointestinal mucosa, they signal pain to the central nervous system. This happens when these nerves are exposed, as in peptic ulcers. The gastric acid may also reach ulcers in the esophagus or the duodenum. Other mechanisms may contribute, such as the effect of aluminium ions inhibiting smooth muscle cell contraction and delaying gastric emptying.
USES OF ANTACIDS:- ANTACIDS is used for the treatment of :
Indigestion Gastritis Heartburn peptic ulcers and other digestive problems.
INDIGESTION Indigestion, also known as dyspepsia, is a term used to describe one or more symptoms including a feeling of fullness during a meal, uncomfortable fullness after a meal, and burning or pain in the upper abdomen. It is also referred to as: sour stomach
acid indigestion
upset stomach
acid stomach
Antacids can be used to treat these symptoms.
GASTRISIS Gastritis means inflammation of the stomach. It means that white blood cells move into the wall of the stomach as a response to some type of injury. Gastritis does not mean that there is an ulcer or cancer. It is simply inflammation–either acute or chronic.
HEARTBURN Heartburn is an uncomfortable but common feeling of burning or warmth in the chest. Although the pain of heartburn is felt in the chest, heartburn has nothing to do with your heart. Instead, heartburn is caused by stomach acid.
PEPTIC ULCERS A peptic ulcer is a sore in the lining of your stomach or duodenum. The duodenum is the first part of your small intestine. A peptic ulcer in the stomach is called a gastric ulcer. One that is in the duodenum is called a duodenal ulcer. A peptic ulcer also may develop just above your stomach in the esophagus, the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach. But most peptic ulcers develop in the stomach or duodenum.
Harmful Effects of Antacids:-
Excess calcium from supplements, fortified food and high- calcium diets, can cause the milk-alkali syndrome, which has serious toxicity and can be fatal. Fortunately, because acid reflux is such a common problem, antacids are among the medicines available and free of side effects for most people. Side effects from antacids vary depending on individual and other medications they may be taking at the time. Those who experience side effects most commonly suffer from changes in bowel functions, such as diarrhea, constipation, or flatulence. Although reactions to any drug may vary from person to person, generally those medications that contain aluminum or calcium are the likeliest to cause constipation, those that contain magnesium are the likeliest to cause diarrhea. Some products combine these ingredients, which essentially cancels them out, to forestall unpleasant side effects. In general, people with kidney problems should probably not take antacids as this can sometimes cause a condition known as alkalosis. In other people, side effects may occur if substances such as salt, sugar, or aspirin, are added to a particular medication. As with all medications, always carefully read the product label on the package and check with your doctor or pharmacist if you have any question about potential drug interactions or side effects. Some side effects, such as constipation and diarrhea, are fairly obvious. Other more serious side effects, such as stomach or intestinal; bleeding, can be more difficult to recognize. In general, any sign of blood in the stool or the presence of vomiting is a danger sign and should be brought to the immediate attention of a physician. If your symptoms persist for more than 10 days to two weeks while you are using the medication, you should stop taking it and consult your doctor. Persistent symptoms may indicate that you have more a serious problem than occasional acid reflux. Pregnant or nursing baby should always consult your doctor before taking this medication. Generally, you should not give these medications to children under the age of 12 unless under the advice and supervision of your doctor or the package label has indicated that the product is safe for young children. Constant use of antacids leads to a condition called acid rebound where the stomach begins to over secrete acid in order to make up for the quantity that is being neutralized. Other adverse effects from antacids include: 1. Carbonate : Regular high doses may cause alkalosis, which in turn may result in altered excretion of other drugs, and kidney stones. A chemical reaction between the carbonate and hydrochloric acid may produce carbon dioxide gas. This causes gastric distension which may not be well tolerated. Carbon dioxide formation can also lead to headaches and decreased muscle flexibility. 2. Aluminum hydroxide : May lead to the formation of insoluble aluminium-phosphate-complexes, with a risk for hypophosphatemia and osteomalacia. Although aluminium has a low gastrointestinal absorption, accumulation may occur in the presence of renal insufficiency. Aluminium-containing drugs may cause constipation. 3. Magnesium hydroxide : Has laxative properties. Magnesium may accumulate in patients with renal failure leading to hypermagnesemia, with cardiovascular and neurological complications. See Milk of magnesia. 4. Sodium : Increased intake of sodium may be deleterious for arterial hypertension, heart failure and many renal diseases.
