Peptic Ulcer Treatment

Treatment of peptic ulcers

Self-help

There are lifestyle changes that you can make to help your ulcers heal and prevent them coming back. These include:

• not having food and drink that give you more severe symptoms, such as spicy foods and alcohol
• stopping smoking
• not taking painkillers that are likely to cause ulcers in the future - your GP or pharmacist can give you advice on other medicines you can take instead

Medicines

There are two main groups of medicines available to treat peptic ulcers. These are:

• proton pump inhibitors, such as omeprazole and lansoprazole
• H2-blockers - examples include ranitidine and cimetidine

Both types of medicine reduce acid production in the stomach, allowing your ulcer to heal. They can both be used long-term to prevent your ulcer coming back.

These medicines will relieve your symptoms and within a few weeks your ulcer will heal. However, once you stop taking the medicine, your ulcer may come back unless the H. pylori has been treated and removed.

Treating H. pylori infection

If tests confirm that you have H. pylori, you will be prescribed medicines to treat it. This is usually a combination of a proton pump inhibitor and two antibiotics. Treating the H. pylori infection should allow your ulcer to heal and prevent it from coming back. Your GP will do the tests again after treatment to make sure it has been successful in getting rid of H. pylori.

Source : hcd2.bupa.co.uk