Is All This News About Heartburn Giving You Heartburn?
For more information, contact:
National Heartburn Alliance
(877) 471-2081
Advice from the National Heartburn Alliance Is Best Medicine
CHICAGO (September 25, 2003) - Read all about it. "Heartburn Drug Rivalry Gets Hotter." "Prilosec is the Latest Blockbuster to go Over the Counter.""J&J, Merck Get Stronger Pepcid Cleared."
Recent headlines about over-the-counter (OTC) drugs may add up to more questions than answers for heartburn sufferers. Experts are concerned that, if not fully informed, people might not choose the right medication for their condition.
"Now more than ever, heartburn sufferers need guidance to help them wade through their options of OTC heartburn medications," says Dr. Robert Rakel, chairman of the National Heartburn Alliance, a heartburn education group. "Since not all heartburn is equal, and not everyone suffers to the same degree, the question that sufferers need to ask themselves is 'what is the proper treatment for me?'"
Type of Heartburn Determines Medication
There are different medications to treat different types of heartburn and these various medications work in different ways. Before choosing an OTC drug, Dr. Rakel says that sufferers need to first understand the type of heartburn they experience. Episodic or occasional heartburn occurs infrequently and is usually manageable through lifestyle adjustments and traditional OTC treatments such as antacids and H2 blockers. Frequent heartburn is heartburn that occurs two or more days a week. Frequent heartburn sufferers may also be those who medicate heartburn symptoms two or more days a week.
According to news reports yesterday, those who suffer with occasional heartburn will soon have access to a 20-milligram (mg) dose of an H2 blocker called Maximum Strength Pepcid ACTM. Currently Pepcid is available at 10 mg. And for the estimated 54 million frequent heartburn sufferers, the proton pump inhibitor Prilosec OTCTM, available at the most frequently prescribed prescription dose of 20 mg., is already on shelves throughout the U.S.
How NHBA Can Help
"The good news for sufferers is that heartburn does not have to be ignored or endured," says Dr. Rakel. "The resources available on our Web site will help sufferers choose the best medication to manage their heartburn and in doing so, improve the quality of their life."
For more information about how to identify types of heartburn and choose appropriate medications, consumers can log on to heartburnalliance.org or call 877-NHBA-INFO (877-642-2463) for the free brochure, Get Heartburn Smart.
The National Heartburn Alliance is an organization dedicated to improving the lives of heartburn sufferers through education, information and support. Nationally recognized health care professionals, including experts in digestive disease, pharmacy, nutrition and exercise comprise the Alliance. The NHBA receives support and sponsorship from the P&G Health Sciences Institute.
