GERD Surgery Or Take Medication and Antacids?

Posted by Charles · Leave a Comment

There are many people that suffer from GERD or gastro esophageal reflux disorder which is often also known as heartburn. In case you are one of those sufferers you will need to find out about how best to cure the condition. From over-the-counter medications to GERD surgery there are many options to choose from.

Most people however start off by using antacids including those such as Tums and Maalox as well as Mylanta and though each brand uses different ingredients they each do work to neutralize digestive tract acids.

So What Is An Effective Method?

However, GERD surgery is an option that needs to be understood, especially as according to the findings of a study that was conducted by UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas physician came up with the conclusion that surgery was not the most effective treatment option and was in fact no better than taking antacids.

Furthermore, studies have also been conducted on patients that ten years ago have undergone surgery and the results in this case were the opposite: patients that had, fared much better than those that had only taken prescription medicines. So, what is the real conclusion?

Most patients that have tried GERD surgery are actually quite satisfied with the results though at the same time, surprisingly, people that had, were still found to be using antacids and in fact about two-thirds of patients that had undergone surgery were still on medications.

This makes one conclude that in case you are about to undergo GERD surgery you should be very careful that you understand the real reasons for going under the scalpel. In case you think that after surgery your GERD condition will be totally cured then you may find that neither will GERD surgery completely cure your condition and nor will it help in preventing esophageal cancer.

So, you need to weigh the pros and cons very carefully and you must ask questions of your doctor and only if you get satisfactory answers should you proceed further. If you feel the benefits outweigh the risks then you can go ahead with surgery, otherwise, you might as well stay with taking antacids.

It pays to find out which the best medication for heartburn is. This in turn means to understand what the real cause of GERD is and then you need to check as to which medication cures the symptoms in the most effective manner. In this regard you will need to choose between over-the-counter medications, antacids and even H2 blockers.