Quote Originally Posted by qdavid
So he gave me perscription Prilosec. I was in the Air Force then and they went to some stuff called Aciphex. It neutalizes the stomach acid so the contents don't bubble and splash so much.
Actually, Prilosec and Aciphex are in a class of drugs called proton pump inhibitors. These drugs block the formation of hydrogen ions by the stomach cells that is the source for hydrochloric acid in the stomach. This will raise the stomach pH from about a 2 to around 4.5-6.0. A pH of 7 is neutral, below 7 is acidic and the lower the number the more acidic it is. Anything from 7 to 14 is a base and the higher the number the more basic. An antacid is usually a base that undergoes a chemical reaction with the stomach acid to form neutral salts in the stomach. These provide an immediate effect but the effect is very short lived and does not raise the pH of the stomach as much as the proton pump inhibitors. There is also a class of drugs called H2 blockers which includes Pepcid, Axid, Zantac, and Tagamet. They too block the production of stomach acid but in a slightly different way than proton pump inhibitors. Some of these H2 blockers also come in a formulation that includes an antacid such as Pepcid complete.
Then there is simethicone which helps to reduce gas in the GI tract!