Overtime, staying up late, and improper diet can be said to be the norm for modern people, and these bad habits directly affect our stomach health. Many people do not take stomach problems seriously. When they feel pain, they just take a few stomach pills without paying further attention. In fact, this way of taking medication not only cannot protect stomach health, but also can have the opposite effect. Let's take a look at some misconceptions about taking stomach medication.
Misconception 1: Mixing several stomach medications
Pantoprazole, magnesium aluminum carbonate tablets, Baohewan, pancreatin tablets, cimetidine tablets... These are commonly used stomach medications. Many people who have stomach discomfort take one type of medication, and if it doesn't work, they take two or three different types together. Little do they know, this approach may have the opposite effect.
In the human body, the acidity and alkalinity of gastric juice, pancreatic juice, and small intestinal fluid are different. Taking "acid and alkaline medications" together does not achieve the so-called "getting twice the result with half the effort" effect that patients expect. Professor Wang Huahong pointed out that a large part of the problem with medication is due to patients taking many medications together without professional guidance. When a bunch of medications are taken together, it is impossible to determine which ones are effective and which ones have adverse reactions. Only when problems occur in the body, people start to investigate which medication is the problem. For clinical doctors, the principle of medication is the simpler, the better.
Misconception 2: Treating stomach medication as hawthorn pills
Many people take pantoprazole as a general digestive health supplement. Wang Huahong pointed out that this practice is not advisable. Not only with medication, but even with food, you should not just consume it randomly.
Pantoprazole has been on the market in China since the late 1980s and has been around for nearly 30 years. Reports of serious adverse reactions are rare, so it is currently considered a relatively safe medication. However, it should not be used indiscriminately. Do not self-diagnose and self-medicate based on online knowledge. There are many reasons for symptoms like bloating, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. If it is caused by gastrointestinal motility disorders, then using pantoprazole for treatment is effective. But if it is caused by other factors, such as organic diseases, it may not work. If it is a pregnant woman experiencing nausea and vomiting, using pantoprazole is not appropriate.
Misconception 3: Combining three meals into one
You should not accumulate meals, and of course, you should not accumulate medications either. As a gastric motility drug, pantoprazole can directly block the inhibitory effect of dopamine D2 receptors on smooth muscles of the gastrointestinal tract, restore gastrointestinal function, exert gastric motility effects, promote gastric emptying, and relieve digestive disorders. However, even the most effective medications should not be overused. For adults, one tablet per dose is sufficient to achieve the purpose of medication. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommends that the course of treatment with pantoprazole should be controlled within one week, and the dosage should follow the doctor's instructions and the drug's package insert.
Pantoprazole should be taken 15-30 minutes before meals to facilitate absorption and effectiveness. Many people only take it when they feel uncomfortable after eating, which may also cause hunger and overeating, worsening stomach distention and indigestion.
Misconception 4: Taking medication without reading the package insert
Some people think that stomach medication is not a real medicine, so there is no need to read the package insert. Besides, even if they read it, they won't understand the complex adverse reactions and contraindications, which may induce their own concerns, uneasiness, and fear, so it's better not to read it.
For pantoprazole, patients must read the package insert. The dosage of pantoprazole varies greatly between China and other countries. "In clinical practice, Chinese people take 10mg at a time, which is one tablet, three to four times a day. Originally, the dosage in Europe was larger, with a dose of 20mg at a time, three to four times a day, totaling 60mg to 80mg, which is a very large dose, so adjustments are needed in Europe."
The "Chinese Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Dyspepsia" recommends a treatment course of 2-4 weeks, which is much shorter than the recommended 4 weeks or more in European and American guidelines. Prescription analysis shows that 94% of pantoprazole prescriptions in China have a daily dose of ≤30mg, and 86% of prescriptions have a treatment duration of no more than 14 days.
As long as the medication is taken according to the package insert, the probability of experiencing adverse reactions after taking pantoprazole is very low. According to a large-scale prospective clinical study conducted in China in 2006, the incidence rate of adverse reactions to pantoprazole in patients with dyspepsia who took a daily dose of 30mg was only 1.26%, and the reactions were mainly mild. If the clinical symptoms cannot be resolved after taking the medication according to the package insert, the patient must stop taking it, go to the hospital to find out the cause, and prevent the hidden diseases caused by other factors.
