Acidity, Antacid side effects & solutions – 250 million in India suffers from the common disease i.e. acidity. Acidity is the result of excess secretion of acids in the gastric glands of stomach by eating spicy food. While when people feel heartburn due to more than normal acid production in stomach they start taking Antacid for relief.
What is Antacid?
Antacid is a medication used to provide comfort in acidity. It is available on medical stores and generally people store it at home for occasional use.
How Does Antacid Works?
There are natural acids produced in our stomach to aid the process of digestion. When excess acid is produced then antacid neutralizes it. Antacid is composed of chemicals which are bases (alkalis) and is opposite to acid produced in stomach. When bases react with acid it is known as neutralization.
There are different Antacids available in market which include aluminium hydroxide, magnesium carbonate and magnesium trisilicate. It is available with different brands name as tablets and liquids.
Side effects of Antacid
Antacid is composed of various chemicals having different aftereffect:
- Magnesium present in Antacid can induce Diarrhea
- Presence of Aluminium can lower down water level in your body causing Constipation
- Can also lower down the phosphate levels in body causing lethargy, muscle weakness
- People eat less than their normal appetite and can feel dizziness and fainting
- Some people are allergic to this drug and can have rashes, itching, swelling on face, tongue & throat. Can also face breathing problems
- Some more side effects are black/tarry stools, difficulty in breathing, abnormal heartbeat, mood swings or confusion, sleepiness, pain while urinating, stomach or abdominal pain, vomiting appearing like coffee grounds.
- Some antacids are not recommended for children under 12
- People suffering from kidney disease cant consume antacid
- Pregnant mothers should also be cautious while taking Antacid
- Moreover Antacid contains chemical which can interfere with other ongoing medications
Dependency on Antacid
Dependency on Antacid for frequent acidity problems is not worth. As “Prevention is better than cure” so to avoid acidity or heartburn we should focus on Balanced Diet.
So taking antacid regularly won’t solve the problem and in fact it can worsen the situation in the long run. As it will neutralize the already present stomach acids and as result it will avoid digesting food naturally causing numerous health problems like ulcers, colon problems, stomach cancer, unhealthy gut syndrome. Food related allergies would increase as undigested food present in blood stream can prompt body to attack it as will be regarded as foreign substance.
Generally natural products like a cup of cold milk or coconut water can soothe in acidity. So to avoid acidity one should concentrate on diet rather than depending upon antacid. As acidity cant be cured overnight. It’s a serious health issue and we should not take it lightly.
So stay focused on diet and avoid health problems.
