General information
Antra® is the name of a Bayer product and belongs to the group of so-called gastric acid blockers or proton pump inhibitors. The active ingredient in the preparation is omeprazole. There are different amounts of the main active ingredient omeprazole: 10mg, 20mg or 40mg per capsule or tablet.
The active strengths with 10mg or 20mg per capsule or tablet are available without prescription in pharmacies. Antra® is used to inhibit the production of gastric acid. Normally there is a balance of different fluids on the inside of the stomach lining.
On the one hand there is the aggressive stomach acid, which consists of hydrochloric acid and which the body needs to digest food so that it can then be used by the body in the intestine. Since the stomach acid would also digest its own stomach wall, the acid is opposed on the other hand by the protective stomach fluids, which are supposed to prevent this self-digestion. Since acids are best neutralized with alkaline liquids, this consists of a lot of bicarbonate-containing liquid, a lye.
This balance enables a proper digestion of the food components while at the same time protecting the gastric mucosa on the inside of the stomach. If this equilibrium breaks down, i.e. if either too much gastric acid or too little protective bicarbonate mucus is formed, the hydrochloric acid becomes overweight and can attack the stomach wall. To prevent this, you can use the gastric acid blockers to prevent the formation of hydrochloric acid and restore the balance.
There are several preparations for gastric acid blockade, of which the proton pump inhibitors such as Antra® are the most effective. In contrast to the other preparations, they directly block a special structure on the cells of the stomach mucosa, the proton pumps, which are absolutely necessary for the production of hydrochloric acid. Preparations such as Ranitidine or Cimetidine do not achieve this so effectively because they do not act directly on the hydrochloric acid production. By reducing the production of gastric acid through Antra®, the pH value in the stomach can rise and it can be effectively protected from the acid and recover from any damage caused by the acid.
Fields of application
Due to the effective reduction of gastric acid, the field of application of Antra® results from all the changes that cause an excessive production of gastric acid. First and foremost, the classic heartburn, when ascending gastric acid from the stomach causes a burning sensation in the chest. In this case the treatment not only alleviates the symptoms but also protects the oesophagus, as it does not have a protective layer of bicarbonate.
If left untreated, permanent contact with gastric acid can lead to changes in the tissue and even cancer of the oesophagus. Gastritis is also treated with proton pump inhibitors such as Antra®. If the cause of the gastritis is a colonisation with the very common germ Helicobacter pylori, treatment with proton pump inhibitors and antibiotics is carried out over several days to expel it from the stomach. Progressive gastritis can cause ulcers, the classic stomach or duodenal ulcer with pain in the upper abdomen before or after eating. Here too, therapy with proton pump inhibitors is the first choice of treatment.
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