Acid Reflux and Anxiety: What to Know?
Does your stomach hurt? Do you now know why? Sometimes, anxiety can have an impact on a person beyond the mental side effects- it can also cause a wide range of physical symptoms which can include an increased heart rate, sweating, and stomach aches or other gastrointestinal symptoms like acid reflux.
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is described as a distressing sense of worry or fear. Most people will experience anxiety at some point during situations like taking a test or going for a job interview. However, for some anxiety can be much more severe and persistent. Medications may be required to deal with not only the anxiety itself, but the toll it can take on the body.
What is Acid Reflux?
Acid reflux, or heartburn, occurs when the acid in the stomach travels back up into the throat. This can feel like a burning pain in the chest that can range from mildly irritating to intense enough to require medical intervention.
There are many reasons why a person might suffer from anxiety or acid reflux, but recent research has found that there may be a cyclical link between the two. Physical side effects of anxiety may contribute toward acid reflux. Since acid reflux is a stressful condition, experiencing it may then increase a person’s anxiety.
Some of the reasons anxiety and acid reflux might be related are:
- Chronic anxiety may increase stomach acid production.
- Anxiety can cause the muscle that keeps the stomach closed to lose strength, allowing acid to escape into the esophagus.
- Chest pain from acid reflux is often stressful to experience and this can cause anxiety.
To help stop this vicious cycle, there are medications available to treat the symptoms of acid reflux. Two of the most popular are Omeprazole and Lansoprazole.
Omeprazole is the generic name for Losec and can be used on its own or with other medications. It reduces symptoms of heartburn, indigestion, and acid reflux by stopping the stomach from producing excessive acid.
Lansoprazole is similar to Omeprazole in that it reduces stomach acid production, but is not suitable to be taken with other medications, especially antacids like Gaviscon.
If you are wanting to take Lansoprazole capsules or Omeprazole capsules to help manage your acid reflux symptoms, visit Pharmacy Planet’s online shop. With Pharmacy Planet, you can buy gastrointestinal medication online in the UK and have shipped to your door.
Authored By
HARMINDER ‘HARMY’ KAUR
BSc(hons) Pharmacy
GPhC Number: 2061107
Reviewed By
GURDEV SEHMI
BSc Pharm, MRPharmS, Independent Prescriber, Superintendent Pharmacist, Clinical Lead
GPhC Number: 2050925