The H2 Blockers: Drugs for Heartburn

Some people find themselves in a hospital's emergency room often as a result of believing that they are having a heart attack when in fact all that they are experiencing is a simple case of heartburn. While the pain of both heartburn and heart attack does occur in the heart area, the symptoms are not the same.

In a heart attack, the pain can spread to the neck and to an arm or even to both arms. In heartburn, however, the pain tends to remain in the chest. Further, the pain felt during a heart attack is described as an overwhelming ache in the chest, while that in heartburn is really like a fiery sensation.

A lot of people use antacids to treat their heartburn condition. But deviating from these traditional over-the-counter medications is a group of drugs generally recognized as H2 blockers (exact medical term: Histamine-2 receptor antagonists). Two examples of these drugs are the products Zantac 75 and Pepcid AC. For many years, H2 blockers are exclusively available in prescription form. Today, however, these drugs can be obtained over the counter.

H2 blockers relieve most cases of heartburn. Their main function is to block the action of the cells lining the stomach that produce acid. Specifically, H2 blockers block the action of histamine (a compound that causes, among others, the stimulation of gastric acid secretion) on parietal cells (the cells of the gastric mucous membrane that secrete hydrochloric acid) in the stomach, reducing acid production by these cells in the process.

Inspite of the fact that H2 blockers have proven to be effective in alleviating most cases of heartburn, doctors advise that a person has to be aware which foods make him or her have the condition. This is important, especially if the food identified to be the cause of the problem happens to be a favorite, because the person has to take these drugs at least one hour before starting with the said food. Putting it in another way, the person not only has to know ahead of time whether he or she is going to have potential problem foods for his/her next meal but also how his/her stomach is most probably going to react to these foods in order that the drug can be taken ahead of time.

Generally, H2 blockers are considered safe for simple cases of heartburn. Doctors warn however that prolonged use of these drugs can result to certain grievous side effects, such as severe headache, dizziness, fatigue, and mild diarrhea. Those who have liver or kidney problems need to take careful note of the warnings that some H2-blocker products bear.

For people with chronic heartburn, taking H2 blockers may pose some risks. Chronic heartburn, for this purpose, carry any or all of these symptoms: a recurring condition, one that takes place three times or more in a week for no apparent reason; difficulty swallowing food; regurgitation of food or even liquids; and bloody, black stools. A malfunctioning of the muscles in the lower esophageal sphincter (the opening that serves as an entry point situated between the esophagus and the stomach) is the usual cause of chronic heartburn. Taking H2 blockers in case one has chronic heartburn may conceal a more serious condition that should otherwise be addressed immediately by a doctor. [Read the Original Article]