Depending on the severity of your reflux symptoms, treatments may include some combination of lifestyle changes, medications, or surgery. Lifestyle changes that may improve the symptoms caused by GERD include:

• Quitting smoking.
• Avoiding problematic foods and beverages.
• Losing weight if you are overweight.
• Eating small, frequent meals and refraining from overeating.
• Avoiding lying down for 3 hours after a meal.
• Sleeping with your head elevated (such as in a recliner).

Medications for reflux are available in over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription varieties. For sporadic cases of heartburn, antacids (Mylanta, Tums, Maalox, etc) provide quick relief by neutralizing acids in the stomach. OTC H-2 receptor blockers — such as cimetidine (Tagamet HB), famotidine (Pepcid AC), nizatidine (Axid AR) or ranitidine (Zantac 75) — work by blocking the production of acid in the stomach. They should be taken before a meal because they take longer to work than the antacids but they tend to provide longer lasting relief. Prescription versions of these medications are twice the strength of the OTC versions and these are more often prescribed for people with chronic heartburn caused by GERD.

Proton pump inhibitors are another class of medications that prevent the production of stomach acid. Omeprazole (Prilosec) is available in an OTC version while prescription versions are often the drug of choice for GERD sufferers. Prescription-strength proton pump inhibitors include esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid), omeprazole (Prilosec), pantoprazole (Protonix) and rabeprazole (Aciphex). While the side effects of these drugs are usually mild, it is important to not use the OTC or prescription versions long-term unless prescribed by your doctor. Prokinetics are a class of prescription-only drugs that help make the stomach empty faster. This group includes bethanechol (Urecholine) and metoclopramide (Reglan). Unfortunately, serious side effects limit their usefulness.

Surgery is not a common procedure for treating GERD, but it may become an option for you if drugs and lifestyle changes do not work or if you have serious complications. The most commonly-performed procedure is fundoplication in which the upper part of the stomach is wrapped around the lower esophageal sphincter to strengthen it and prevent acid reflux. Other procedures for GERD include the newer EndoCinch and NDO Plicator endoluminal gastroplication systems that use small stitches to create barriers at and just below the junction of the esophagus and stomach in order to prevent stomach acid from washing into your esophagus. A final surgical option is the Stretta procedure, which uses electrodes to create tiny burns on the lower esophageal sphincter to create scar tissue that helps stiffen the muscle.