Prevacid is the name of a prescription medication that is generally used to treat the conditions of heartburn and GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease). The medication comes in two different forms, one of which is a capsule form, and the other is a tab that melts in the mouth. Prevacid is a proton pump inhibitor, which is commonly referred to as a PPI. There are several different uses and benefits associated with Prevacid.
Function
To understand the uses of Prevacid, it is important to know exactly how the medication works. The stomach consists of cells around its lining that have pumps that make the acid that the body needs for the digestion process. Acid reflux disease comes with a burning ache that occurs when this acid goes backwards, or "refluxes," all the way to the esophagus. Prevacid is a type of PPI that works to stop the production of the acid by stopping a large amount of the pumps that help to make it. By doing this, Prevacid lowers the total amount of acid that goes back into the esophagus.
Main Uses
The main uses of Prevacid are to treat and soothe heartburn and various symptoms that are associated with acid reflux disease. Prevacid is supposed to treat these conditions for up to an entire day. Not only does it relax painful symptoms, but it works to heal some of the destruction the acid might have left behind on the esophagus. This damage is referred to as erosive esophagitis. If a person takes Prevacid for an extended period of time, the healing process continues gradually.
Severe Cases
Many people who have hard-to-treat, severe cases of heartburn and use Prevacid because of its capabilities of turning around damage that has been done to the esophagus. The manufacturers of Prevacid state that approximately 95 percent of people who had taken Prevacid had healed by the second month.
Children
There is a type of Prevacid that is also used to treat children. Kids as young as 1 year old can take Prevacid. Many children need to take Prevacid if they have GERD, and GERD has a lot of symptoms that are connected to other medical ailments, including bronchitis, pneumonia, ear infection and asthma. Prevacid can help soothe the pain for children and also reduce the damage and sores on the esophagus.
Other Uses
Prevacid is also known to treat ulcers in both the stomach and duodenum. It is also often used to treat a condition called Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome, which is a rare condition that comes about from a tumor known as a gastrinoma, which generally happens within the pancreas.
Tags: reflux disease, used treat, acid reflux, acid reflux disease, acid that, associated with