What Causes Stomach Ulcers (Women and Men)

… Continued …

There are a number of treatment options to treat ulcers in the stomach. The common ones are as follows:

1. Antibiotics. If your ulcer is caused by H-pylori infection, your doctor will usually prescribe at least two types of antibiotics to heal the infection more effectively.
2. Medications to reduce /block stomach acid and protect your stomach lining – such as proton pump inhibitors, histamine H-2 acid blockers, and cytoprotective agents. The open sore in the stomach lining can get worse or take longer to heal if your stomach acid level is higher than normal.
3. If your ulcer has to do with overuse of NSAIDs, you need to use caution with them. It’s much better to avoid them (if possible) or use them at lowest dose possible. If necessary, ask your doctor for alternative pain killer that is safe for your stomach lining.

Some lifestyle measures may also help, including diet to help keep stomach acid in balance.

A combination of treatment options mentioned above is often successful, resulting in complete healing.

As mentioned earlier, ulcers that don’t go away with treatment can be caused by a number of reasons. Some of the most possible ones are as follows:

1. If treatment doesn’t work properly or you don’t take them as directed. For example, if you don’t take the entire course of the antibiotics (you stop taking them early), you would have antibiotic resistance and your H-pylori infection doesn’t heal.
2. During treatment, you continue regularly taking NSAIDs or medications containing NSAID ingredients.
3. If you’re a smoker and you continue smoking. It’s so recommended to stop smoking at least until the ulcer is completely cured.

Less often, refractory ulcers might be caused by an infectious cause other than H-pylori, stomach cancer, or Zollinger-Ellison syndrome (a disorder that causes extreme stomach acid production).