Treatment and Prevention
It's important that people with this condition quit smoking. Smoking and excessive alcohol can delay healing and can cause ulcers to return.
Medical treatment focuses on eliminating the H. pylori bacteria in people where it has been detected. Over 80% of peptic ulcers caused by H. pylori can be cured with a combination of antibiotics and acid-reducing medications. The recommended treatment includes an acid-suppressing agent plus 2 antibiotics, all taken twice a day for one week. Duodenal ulcers typically heal after 4 weeks of treatment, while gastric ulcers can take up to 8 weeks.
If the peptic ulcer was caused by NSAIDs, such as ASA, your doctor will most often recommend that you stop taking them. This usually clears up the ulcers. If you need to keep taking the NSAID, newer NSAIDs called COX-2 inhibitors, which are less harmful to your stomach, might be offered instead, along with strong acid-reducing medications and medications for protecting the stomach.
Some people are more susceptible to peptic ulcers caused by NSAIDs, including those who:
- have a history of peptic ulcer disease
- are elderly
- have many medical conditions
Also, people who are also taking corticosteroids (such as prednisone) may be at higher risk for peptic ulcers caused by NSAIDs, but this is not clear.
If you're taking an NSAID and have one of these risk factors, your doctor may prescribe a protective medication to take along with it. Misoprostol* may be used for this, as it encourages the stomach to produce its protective mucus coating and improves blood flow. Acid-suppressing medications such as omeprazole, pantoprazole, lansoprazole, esomeprazole, rabeprazole, or high-dose famotidine can also be used for this purpose.
*All medications have both common (generic) and brand names. The brand name is what a specific manufacturer calls the product (e.g., Tylenol®). The common name is the medical name for the medication (e.g., acetaminophen). A medication may have many brand names, but only one common name. This article lists medications by their common names. For more information on brand names, speak with your doctor or pharmacist.