Can you give me the signs and symptoms of peptic ulcer,and medicines that can cure or eade the pain,thanks?

Too much stress, too much spicy food, and you may be headed for an ulcer 鈥?or so the thinking used to go.

Peptic ulcers are open sores that develop on the inside lining of your stomach, upper small intestine or esophagus. The most common symptom of a peptic ulcer is pain.


Signs and symptoms

Burning pain is the most common symptom of a peptic ulcer. The pain is caused by the ulcer and is aggravated by stomach acid coming in contact with the ulcerated area. The pain typically may:

Be felt anywhere from your navel to your breastbone
Last from a few minutes to many hours
Be worse when your stomach is empty
Flare at night
Often be temporarily relieved by eating certain foods that buffer stomach acid or by taking an acid-reducing medication
Come and go for a few days or weeks
Less often, ulcers may cause severe signs or symptoms such as:

The vomiting of blood 鈥?which may appear red or black
Dark blood in stools or stools that are black or tarry
Nausea or vomiting
Unexplained weight loss
Chest pain

Treatment

Because many ulcers stem from H. pylori bacteria, doctors use a two-pronged approach:

Kill the bacteria.
Reduce the level of acid in your digestive system to relieve pain and encourage healing.
Accomplishing these two steps requires the use of at least two, and sometimes three or four, of the following medications:

Antibiotics. Several combinations of antibiotics kill H. pylori. Most of the medications are equally effective. However, for the treatment to work, it's essential that you follow your doctor's instructions precisely. Antibiotics commonly prescribed for treatment of H. pylori include amoxicillin (Amoxil), clarithromycin (Biaxin) or metronidazole (Flagyl). Some pharmaceutical companies package a combination of two antibiotics together, with an acid suppressor or cytoprotective agent specifically for treatment of H. pylori infection. These combination treatments are sold under the names Prevpac and Helidac. You'll need to take antibiotics for only one to two weeks, depending on their type and number. Other medications prescribed in conjunction with antibiotics generally are taken for a longer period.
Acid blockers. Acid blockers 鈥?also called histamine (H-2) blockers 鈥?reduce the amount of hydrochloric acid released into your digestive tract, which relieves ulcer pain and encourages healing. Acid blockers work by keeping histamine from reaching histamine receptors. Histamine is a substance normally present in your body. When it reacts with histamine receptors, the receptors signal acid-secreting cells in your stomach to release hydrochloric acid. Available by prescription or over-the-counter (OTC), acid blockers include the medications ranitidine (Zantac), famotidine (Pepcid), and cimetidine (Tagamet).
Antacids. Your doctor may include an antacid in your drug regimen. An antacid may be taken in addition to an acid blocker or in place of one. Instead of reducing acid secretion, antacids neutralize existing stomach acid and can provide rapid pain relief.
Proton pump inhibitors. Another way to reduce stomach acid is to shut down the "pumps" within acid-secreting cells. Proton pump inhibitors reduce acid by blocking the action of these tiny pumps. They include the prescription medications omeprazole (Prilosec), lansoprazole (Prevacid), rabeprazole (Aciphex) and esomeprazole (Nexium). The drug pantoprozole (Protonix) can be taken orally or administered intravenously in the hospital. Proton pump inhibitors also appear to inhibit H. pylori.
Cytoprotective agents. These medications help protect the tissues that line your stomach and small intestine. They include the prescription medications sucralfate (Carafate) and misoprostol (Cytotec). Another nonprescription cytoprotective agent is bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol). In addition to protecting the lining of your stomach and intestines, bismuth preparations appear to inhibit H. pylori activity.
If H. pylori isn't identified in your system, then it's likely that your ulcer is due to NSAIDs 鈥?which you should quit using, if possible 鈥?or acid reflux (esophageal ulcers). In both cases, your doctor will try to reduce acid levels 鈥?through use of acid blockers, antacids or proton pump inhibitors 鈥?and may also have you use cytoprotecting drugs.


Self-care

Before the discovery of H. pylori, doctors often advised people with ulcers to eat a restricted diet and reduce the amount of stress in their lives. Now that food and stress have been eliminated as direct causes of ulcers, these factors are no longer of as much importance. However, while an ulcer is healing, it's still advisable to watch what you eat and to control stress. Acidic or spicy foods may increase ulcer pain. The same is true for stress. Stress may increase acid and slow digestion, allowing food and digestive acid to remain in your stomach and intestines for a longer period. If stress is severe, it may delay the healing of an ulcer.

Your doctor may also suggest these steps:

Don't smoke. Smoking may interfere with the protective lining of the stomach, making your stomach more susceptible to the development of an ulcer. Smoking also increases stomach acid.

Limit or avoid alcohol. Excessive use of alcohol can irritate and erode the mucous lining in your stomach and intestines, causing inflammation and bleeding.
Avoid nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). If you use pain relievers regularly, use acetaminophen (Tylenol, others).

Control acid reflux. If you have an esophageal ulcer 鈥?usually associated with acid reflux 鈥?you can take several steps to help manage acid reflux. These include avoiding spicy and fatty foods, avoiding reclining after meals for at least three hours, raising the head of your bed and reducing your weight. Avoiding smoking, alcohol and NSAIDs may also help to control acid reflux.

A peptic ulcer is almost always the result of an h pylori infection. It can be treated, but by antibiotics.

If you think that you may have an ulcer, see your doctor ASAP. Even if you just suspect that you may have an ulcer, see your doctor.