Prevacid for acid reflux relief

Prevacid is a Proton Pump Inhibitor, Proton Pump Inhibitors work directly on active acid pumps to significantly inhibit acid production. PPIs allow just enough acid to be produced for normal digestion of food. They can provide 24-hour treatment with each pill. Prevacid is commonly used for acid reflux relief.
The indications for Prevacid include: the treatment of heartburn and other symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and to assist the healing, symptom relief and maintenance of healed erosive esophagitis, a condition in which the lining of the esophagus has been damaged. Controlled studies for maintenance indications did not extend beyond 12 months. The most frequently reported adverse events include:
* Infrequent: dry mouth, insomnia, drowsiness, blurred vision, rash, pruritus
* Rare: taste disturbance, liver dysfunction, peripheral oedema, hypersensitivity reactions (including bronchospasm, urinary, angioedema, anaphylaxis), photosensitivity, fever, sweating, depression, interstitial nephritis, blood disorders (including leukopenia, leukocytosis, pancytopenia, thrombocytopenia), arthralgia, myalgia, skin reactions (including Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, bullous eruption)
* Severe: Gastro-intestinal disturbances (such as nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.
Preparations: Capsules: 15 and 30 mg. Oral suspension: in 15 and 30 mg unit dose cartons of 30. Prevacid also is available in 15 and 30 mg tablets that disintegrate when placed under the tongue (Prevacid SoluTab). Prevacid is available for intravenous injection in vials containing 30 mg of powdered lansoprazole (30 mg/5 ml when mixed with sterile water).
Prevacid, like other proton-pump inhibitors, blocks the enzyme in the wall of the stomach that produces acid. By blocking the enzyme, the production of acid is decreased, and this allows the esophagus to heal resulting in acid reflux relief.
Dosing: For the treatment of GERD, the recommended initial treatment is 15 mg for up to 8 weeks. For maintaining healing (long-term) in GERD the recommended treatment is 15 mg daily. For initial treatment of severe(erosive) esophagitis, the recommended dose for adults is 30 mg daily for 4-8 weeks. It is recommended that capsules be taken before meals for maximum effect. Capsules should be swallowed whole and should not be crushed, split or chewed.
Prevacid for acid reflux relief in children:
Recurrent vomiting, stomach pain, coughing, wheezing and difficulty swallowing are all symptoms of pediatric GERD or gastroesophageal reflux disease.
If a child has GERD, Prevacid is the treatment that can help relieve the painful symptoms and heal the damage (sores, also called erosions) to the child's esophagus.
Treating kids GERD with Prevacid
Prevacid is the only medicine in its class approved for use in children with GERD (acid reflux disease) as young as 12 months of age. The same Prevacid has been used to treat millions of adults with GERD.
Prevacid is easy to take. Prevacid is taken once a day before a meal. If Prevacid is right for your child, your healthcare provider will tell you how much Prevacid your child should take each day and for how long it needs to be taken. Treatment with Prevacid usually lasts 8 or 12 weeks, depending on your child's age. If Prevacid is not taken every day as prescribed, it may not heal the damage to your child's esophagus.
There are lots of ways to give your child Prevacid. Children have different needs when it comes to taking medicine. That's why there are more ways for your child to take Prevacid than any other medicine like it. Prevacid® SoluTab™ (lansoprazole) is a strawberry-flavored tablet that melts in your child's mouth. No water, no messy spills—easy for them and easy for you!

The role of Proton Pump Inhibitors in acid reflux relief

What are proton pump inhibitors?
A pump is a utility that moves a substance against a gradient.
A well known example is the water pump which lifts water up against gravity.
In our case, there are cells in the membrane lining the stomach lumen, these cells produce acid and pump it against the concentration gradient set by the previously formed acid into the stomach lumen.
That means the concentration of acid in the stomach lumen is higher than that inside the cell and this gradient would favor movement of acid into the cell; however the cellular wall prevents this and at the same time pumps more acid into the lumen.
Just like the water pump needs electric enrgy to lift water upwards; the cellular wall utilizes chemical energy to pump acid outwards.
Acid is produced in the form of a positively charged subatomic particle called proton. The proton is the nucleus of the lightest chemical element, hydrogen. Actually the hydrogen atom consists of a proton as the nucleus, to which a negatively charged single electron is bound as opposite charges attract. Because the proton is 1836 times heavier than the electron, the proton is considered to constitute almost the entire mass of the hydrogen atom.
So how proton pump inhibitors affect this mechanism?
They accumulate on the luminal surface of the acid producing cells and inhibit the enzymes involved in the process of synthesis of chemical energy , essential for the pumping action.
Consequently; no energy, no pump activity and no acid production (no proton flow into the lumen of the stomach).
The above figure illustrates this cellular mechanism and also shows the receptor sites at which signals triggering acid secretion interact. These triggers are Histamine, Gastrin and Acetylcholine. They are chemical substances delivered around acid producing cells and are released from local cells, intestinal cells or nerve endings.

The above figure also demonstrates how the acid pump is blocked and acid production consequently inhibited.
Examples of Proton Pump Inhibitors:
Omeprazole (Prilosec)
Lansoprazole (Prevacid)
Rabeprazole (Aciphex)
Pantaprazole (Protonix)
Esomeprazole (Nexium)
Proton Pump Inhibitors are used for both diagnosis and treatment. In the Omeprazole test: a dose of 40mg is given in the morning and another 20mg in the evening for 7days to a heartburn sufferer. If symptoms are relieved following this regimen, the diagnosis of acid reflux is confirmed. It is considered a noninvasive and easily available test with reasonable cost.
For acid reflux relief, they are considered the most effective agents and the standard medical therapy. All of them are effective but response may vary from patient to patient.Proper timing of intake is critical for efficacy, it should be 30minutes before breakfast or other large meal. For some patients with partial response or severe symptoms, the physician may advice a second additional dose before the evening meal. Being long acting (duration of action of a single dose is 24hours), they allow time for damaged tissues to heal. They have a healing rate of 80% in moderate to severe cases and relief of symptoms in up to 90% of patients. In comparison to Histamine type2 receptor antagonists, they are more effective and faster in promoting healing.

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The role of Antacids in acid reflux relief