Prilosec, a popular prescription drug widely prescribed to treat acid related stomach and esophagus problems, is now available in generic product. As it is available as over the counter (OTC) drug, most people who need relief for acid reflux, GERD or heartburn could easily get Prilosec from local pharmacy without any prior prescription from physician. Prilosec is widely considered as highly effective drug for treating acid related problems.

This medication is commonly used to treat heartburn, a burning pain sensation in the chest area caused by a contact of esophagus line with the refluxing acidic stomach juice. The generic name of Prilosec is Omeprazole delayed release oral capsule and it works as proton pump inhibitor.

Being a proton pump inhibitor is the key of high effective effect of reducing acid production in stomach. Compared to other treatment for stomach acidity, it is way more effective. While the antacids perform neutralization reaction and histamine blocker works on stomach’s parietal cells, Prilosec is blocking the acid pump even before they start producing acid. It allows the effect of this medication could be maintained for longer time.

It is no surprise that Prilosec becomes very popular and widely used more than any other drugs designed to treat stomach acidity. No wonder it becomes one of best selling drugs in America and among the first prescription drugs scored billion sales.

As mentioned above, Prilosec or Omeprazole is a proton pump inhibitor. It works by specific inhibition on proton pump thus blocking the final step of hydrochloric acid production. This action is highly effective to reduce acidity inside the stomach.

This kind of action also allows the drug to give effective result since the very first day of use although most people need up to 4 days before feel the optimum effect of heartburn reduction. The dosage of Prilosec is one 20mg pill daily with recommended 14-days course of treatment. The maximum usage of Prilosec is three times of course a year. More than that, doctor’s consultation and recommendation is strongly needed.

The biggest benefit of Prilosec is its effective effect to block acid production and one single pill could give relief for 24 hours. For most people, this drug prevents them from the discomfort and pain of heartburn because it even works before the symptoms appear. There’s no more hassle of bringing antacids or other medication for frequent heartburn because Prilosec is guaranteed to prevent frequent heartburn symptom all day long.

The other benefit of Prilosec is the minimum side effect of this drug. Only 1% of people taking Prilosec reported side effects similar to placebo effect such as headache, dizziness, and nausea. There are very little reports about join and muscle pain as side effects after taking this drug. However, there are potential side effects of Prilosec including iron and vitamin B12 deficiency.

Elderly people have greater risks of side effects as their body eliminates Prilosec much slower and it could lead to higher blood levels of the blood. Cost could be an issue for this drug because it is required to take this medication for 14 days straight while other medication could only be taken when needed. Another possible issue of Prilosec is the unfriendly schedule of treatment using the drug.

The fact is Prilosec is a very popular drug and widely used for heartburn relief. As the Prilosec OTC is now available, the popularity of this drug is soaring high. Many people have been enjoying the benefits of this drug and they are really happy to get their quality of life back. Veronica from Morrow, OH mentioned that Prilosec is worth every penny as it successfully relieves her frequent heartburn.

Jay Cohen, MD of DelMar, CA agreed that Prilosec is highly effective to treat heartburn although there are several concerns to notice including recommending lower dose for senior patients. If there is any bad response about this medication is for the bad looking and difficult-to-open packaging. Flea from Nashville, TN cited it as excellent product with horrible packaging.

There is tons information about Prilosec and there are many of them that could be misguiding to the real fact. The most trusted reference about Prilosec is Prilosec OTC official website. It has complete information about the drug, active ingredients and how it works to relieve heartburn, recommended dosage and many more. People who are suffering from frequent heartburn could learn more about heartburn and its treatment using Prilosec OTC.

This website also provides clear answer on common questions related to Prilosec OTC. This is also the right place to find information where to buy Prilosec OTC and also opportunities to find promotion and discount programs. Prilosec OTC is also widely rated and reviewed on many health and pharmacy magazines and portals and most of them are showing huge appreciation and respect to the effective benefits of this medication.